Every industry has its jargon, and catering is no different. Here are some terms you should know:
A la Carte: each menu item is priced individually as opposed to an entire menu for one fixed price.
A la Minute: food that is prepared to order, not preassembled or precooked and held in hot boxes. An option in some hotels for small VIP groups.
Amuse Bouche: a single small bite size piece of food served prior to the meal.
APEX: an initiative of the Convention Industry Council (CIC) to standardize industry paperwork.
App: a computerized application downloadable to a mobile device.
Attrition: financial penalties for not meeting a guarantee, room block, and so on.
Auditorium or Theater Set: rows of chairs, no tables.
Banquet Event Order (BEO): a document signed by planners that shows agreed items food, beverage, chef and stewarding notes, schedule of events, meetings and tradeshow, room setup, audio-visual information or contact, billing, and master accounts.
Breakout Room: smaller meeting room used for breakout sessions.
Breakout Session: concurrent session—sessions that are occurring simultaneously.
C-Level: upper level management such as CEO, COO, CFO, and so on.
Change Log: used to communicate a change to the BEO in the CRM system that is distributed to all operations departments.
Change Order: a form used to by banquet servers onsite to inform essential parties of any changes to the BEO.
Chef Tourant: a chef that works all stations, filling in on other chef’s days off.
Cherrypicker: a hydraulic crane with a raised platform used to raise and lower people.
Citywide Conventions: conventions that use all or most of the hotels in a destination.
Classroom Set: chairs with tables in front of them.
Corkage: a fee charged per bottle for opening and serving wine brought in by the planner or a sponsor.
Cover: this term actually has three meanings. One, it is the cloche or lid that keeps the food warm. Two, it is the place setting on the table (flatware, glasses, napkin, etc.). Three, it is the number of people served. “We had 500 covers tonight.”
CRM: Customer Relationship Management.
CSM: Catering Service Manager or Convention Service Manager.
CCSM: Catering and Convention Services Manager (combined at uniserve hotels).
Consideration: payment in money, product or services.
Continental Breakfast: coffee and tea, juice, and some type of bread (bagel, muffin, Danish, etc.).
Contract Concessions: items in a sales contract that are uniquely offered.
Cumulative Basis: the total sum for the entire event dates.
Drill-Down: an industry term meaning to “fact find” by asking all questions until the answers reveal facts and expectations.
Dualing or Duet Menus: this is another term for Split Entrees. Instead of having an 8-ounce steak, you can have a 4-ounce steak and a 4-ounce piece of fish (surf and turf). This is a good way to introduce exotic items to a meat and potato crowd. It also allows guests to “trade” an item they do not like.
Entourage: a group of people surrounding an important person, including bodyguards, family, managers, agents, public relations people, friends, hair stylist, makeup artist, and so on.
Executive Pastry Chef: in-charge of baking breads and creating desserts.
Executive Steward: oversees staff responsible for the cleanliness of the kitchen area, including sanitation, dishwashing, and so on. Manages the inventory. Requisition forms are sent to the stewarding office to request the number of plates, knives, forks, glasses, and so on, be delivered to a function room.
Family Style Service: platter set on table and passed around by guests.
FF&E or FFE: Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment. A budgeting category that hotels and facilities will use to allocate funds for the replacement or remodeling of soft goods, which are items not attached to the structure of a building. In the catering conventions service world this relates to banquet equipment and china, glass, and silverware items.
Ganging Menus or Menu Match: this is when two or more groups in-house serve the same menu. Chefs love this, because they can get quantity discounts when purchasing larger quantities of specific items, such as filet mignon. It is also easier in the kitchen and often requires less labor to have everyone working on the same menu.
Garde Manger: a chef that makes cold salads, sandwiches, appetizers, and desserts.
General Session: plenary session, a session designed for all guests.
GRA: Guest Room Attendants. Housekeeping department staff that are responsible for cleaning hotel guestrooms.
Group Resume: a packet containing all information about a group and their activities. Includes all BEOs, setup instructions, décor, and other requirements.
Guarantee: the planner guarantees the number of guests that will be attending an event and must pay for that number even if they don’t all show up.
Hospitality Desk: offering drinks, snacks, and information during check-in.
In-house: groups that are already checked into the hotel and have begun events.
In-house Meetings: internal meetings for the hotel staff and paid for by the hotel.
Intermezzo: an intermission in meal service just before the main course. Sorbet is usually served, to cleanse the palate.
Internal Planner: associates within the planner’s or hotel’s organization.
Lectern: a table or floor stand with a sloping top to hold a book or notes, and from which someone, a speaker can read while standing up. Often called a podium.
LET: Live Entertainment Tax.
LGBTQ: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning.
Market Price or AQ (As Quoted): used in place of a set price on a menu item where the price shifts seasonally or where prices fluctuate greatly.
Napery: tablecloths, overlays, runners, napkins, and other linens used on the dining table.
Nonprofit Events: typically charity fundraisers.
“on the floor”: working in the convention or conference center area.
Pit Boss: an employee in a casino in charge of gaming tables.
Plenary Session: general session with programming for all guests.
Podium: see Lectern.
Post-Con: a meeting held immediately following the end of an event for the purpose of evaluating and reviewing what happened at the event.
Pre-Con: a meeting held immediately prior to the start of an event for the purpose of reviewing all elements of the event. Attended by management from the hotel and the meeting planners.
Resort Fees: a mandatory daily additional charge separated out from the advertised guest room price by a hotel.
Resume: a document containing the contracted group confirmed plans. Resumes are used as the main communication tool to hotel operation departments and are typically e-mailed, reviewed at resume meeting, and presented at the pre-con. This multipage document includes: group profile, rooms pick up to contract, VIP arrangements, transportation, notes to various hotel departments, and so on.
Rigger: specializes in lifting and moving large or heavy objects, often with a crane or cherry-picker, used to hang trusses and ceiling treatments.
Room Amenities: food, beverage or gift items sent to a guest room typically through room service.
Room Drops: similar to room amenities, but can include sponsored marketing materials and planner information. This can include group bag pull and departure notices.
Rider: a document outlining what an entertainer(s) requirements are for a contracted service. An amendment to an entertainment contract.
Silencer: padding under the tablecloth used to quiet the clatter of dishes, cups, and flatware. A “must” when having speakers during a meal.
Site Visit or Inspection: a planner makes a visit to the hotel to see if it is appropriate for their event. The planner checks things like amount of square feet available, parking, food and beverage options, accessibility, and so on.
SMERF: Social, Military, Education, Religious, and Fraternal. Low-budget business groups.
Staffing Guide: a scheduling and control tool used to determine the number of labor hours, number of staff needed, and the estimated labor cost needed to service an event.
Swags: swaths of cloth, typically hung from the ceiling.
Tasting: a meeting with prospective planners where potential menu items are sampled.
Third-Party Planners: a professional meeting planning company hired to provide services such as hotel site locations, reservation coordination, onsite conference coordination, and so on.
Uniserve Hotel: a hotel where catering and convention services are combined and one CCSM handles all aspects of the event.
Upgrade: to raise something to a higher standard, typically by improving, adding or replacing components.
Upsell: a sales technique where a seller convinces the buyer to purchase more expensive items, upgrades or other add-ons to increase revenue, and create a more memorable event.
Waived Charges: no extra charge for a third and fourth guest in a guestroom.
Whales: high rollers, those that gamble highly in casinos.
For more industry terminology, consult the APEX Glossary from the Convention Industry Council (CIC): http://www.conventionindustry/org/APEX/glossary/aspx.