Eli5 how on earth to restaurants get the orders out for each table at the same time despite the dishes taking different amounts of time to cook?

Question

Like, so many different tables, they can’t do each table at a time, so confusing

In: 327

Answer 1

Lots of prep so it’s just cook time.

The IT system automatically delays orders appropriately (eg a well done steak will pop up 15 minutes before a salad).

Communication. If you know saute is behind, you lag your dishes slightly as a result.

Heat lamps give you a window of a good 5 minutes before any noticable issues for most things. Stuff like fries are turned over so fat, you can plate that last minute. Stuff like burgers will keep.

Expo – this is someone on the outside of the kitchen managing the food window. When a ticket is nearly done, they will be chasing the missing items to let people know to prioritise them. For bigger tables, they know they can start sending it whilst the last couple are being played up. They also help reorder things on the fly (eg “I’m missing a cheeseburger so use the party for that normal burger instead, as I won’t need the normal burger for 4 minutes).