Glossary
Hospo words: V
16 terms you'll hear on shift.
- Vacuum packer
- A machine that removes air and seals food in bags, for sous vide and storage.
- Vacuum packing
- Sealing food without air to extend shelf life, which raises botulism risk without strict controls.
- Variable costs
- Costs that rise with sales, such as food, drink and card fees.
- Variance
- Difference between expected and actual stock or cash.
- VAT
- Value Added Tax, charged at the standard rate on most hospitality sales in the UK. Takeaway cold food can be zero-rated.
- Velouté
- A mother sauce of light stock thickened with a blond roux, and also the name for a smooth, creamy soup.
- Venting
- Releasing excess gas from a newly delivered cask through the shive with a soft spile before serving.
- Vermouth
- An aromatised fortified wine, sweet or dry. Once opened it oxidises and belongs in the fridge.
- Viennoiserie
- Yeast-raised enriched or laminated bakes such as croissants, pain au chocolat and brioche, sitting between bread and pastry.
- Vintage
- The year the grapes were harvested. Non-vintage wines blend several years for a consistent house style.
- VIP
- Very important person.
- VIP table
- A reserved table with minimum spend and bottle service, central to many clubs' revenue.
- Virtual brand
- A delivery-only brand from an existing kitchen.
- Void
- Cancelling an item on the POS.
- VS, VSOP, XO
- Cognac and Armagnac age categories, from youngest to oldest, indicating minimum ageing of the youngest brandy in the blend.
- Vulnerability
- Recognising guests at risk, whether from drink, drugs, isolation or predatory behaviour, and acting to keep them safe.
Hospodality