Short order cooking is the preparation of inexpensive restaurant foods that are quick to cook. Many small eateries serve only short-order items, which include

griddle A griddle, in the UK also called a girdle, is a cooking device consisting mainly of a broad, usually flat cooking surface. Nowadays it can be either a movable metal pan- or plate-like utensil, a flat heated cooking surface built onto a stove as ...

d, fried, and

grilled Grilling is a form of cooking that involves heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above, below or from the side. Grilling usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking meat and v ...

foods and sandwiches. Short order cooking is common at greasy spoons and

diner A diner is a type of restaurant found across the United States and Canada, as well as parts of Western Europe and Australia. Diners offer a wide range of cuisine, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a comb ...

s. A cook responsible for short order cooking is a short order cook. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics defines the role of short order cooks as those who "prepare and cook to order a variety of foods that require only a short preparation time. May take orders from customers and serve patrons at counters or tables," and it specifically excludes

fast food Fast food is a type of Mass production, mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. ''Fast food'' is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheat ...

cooks. As of May 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there were more than 150,000 short order cooks in the United States.

Diner lingo Diner lingo is a kind of American verbal slang used by cooks and chefs in diners and diner-style restaurants, and by the Waiting staff, wait staff to communicate their orders to the cooks. Usage of terms with similar meaning, propagated by oral cu ...

is a language associated with short order cooking.

Notes

Cooking Restaurant terminology {{cooking-stub

See also

Notes