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

At most restaurants expo is a job itself. Usually done by the head chef or a sous chef. At smaller restaurants they might work from sauté or grill (I prefer to expo from sauce/plating) and at bigger ones it will be their only job to coordinate service. If you have a five minute pizza going with a fifteen minute steak, and you know your grill cook is about five minutes behind on tickets (15 cook time plus 5 to finish other tickets and plate), then you tell pizza to fire the pizza after fifteen minutes, so that they both come out at the same time in 20. So that, times however many dishes per seat (how dinner is structured—starters salad tasting menu etc) times however many seats per table, times however many tables. There are a lot of skills other than cooking that you have to learn to be a chef, efficient and measured expo is one of the most important ones imo.

Edit: just saw this was explain like I’m five. TLDR: it’s literally someone’s job to tell cooks when to fire dishes so they all come out at the same time.