What Does “All Day” Mean in a Restaurant Kitchen? Kitchen Slang Decoded
If you’ve ever watched a cooking competition or peeked behind the scenes of a professional kitchen, you’ve probably heard someone yell, “I need five steaks all day!” Or, “We’re at twelve risottos all day!” And maybe you thought… what does that even mean? Are we cooking all day long? Eating risotto until bedtime?
Turns out, “all day” in the kitchen doesn’t mean what it sounds like. It’s not about time—it’s about total quantity. Let’s break it down.
What “All Day” Really Means in a Kitchen
In kitchen slang, “all day” means the total number of a specific item that needs to be cooked or plated at that moment. It’s a way to quickly communicate how many of a dish are currently on order, especially when multiple tickets are in play.
So if one server puts in a ticket for 3 burgers, and another immediately follows with 2 more, the chef might say, “Five burgers all day!” That doesn’t mean five over the course of the shift—it means, right now, there are five burgers that need to be made.
Why Do Chefs Say “All Day” Instead of Just Adding It Up?
Because things move fast in a restaurant kitchen. Orders stack up quickly. Multiple servers send in tickets. If the kitchen crew isn’t constantly syncing up, it’s easy to lose track of totals or double-cook an item (which wastes time and food).
Saying “all day” gives everyone on the line a real-time headcount. It keeps the cooks aligned, the timing precise, and the dishes moving out smoothly—especially when orders are flying in nonstop during dinner rush.
Examples in Real Life
Let’s say a kitchen gets these three orders within a few minutes:
- Ticket 1: 2 salmon, 1 pasta
- Ticket 2: 1 salmon, 2 pasta
- Ticket 3: 3 pasta
Rather than just shouting individual tickets, the expediter or chef might say:
- “Three salmon all day!”
- “Six pasta all day!”
This way, everyone working the fish or pasta stations knows exactly what they’re responsible for in total—no math, no confusion, no missing plates.
Is “All Day” Only Used in Kitchens?
While it started in kitchens, “all day” has crossed into other high-speed, order-heavy environments too—like coffee shops, catering operations, and food trucks. Anywhere tickets pile up and coordination matters, you might hear someone yell, “That’s nine lattes all day!”
It’s also been picked up by foodies, home cooks who watch too much Gordon Ramsay, and TV chefs who love sounding intense. (No shade—we get it. It sounds cool.)
What “All Day” Does NOT Mean
Just to clear things up, “all day” in a restaurant does not mean:
- That the dish is served all day long
- That it takes all day to make
- That the kitchen will keep making it throughout the day
It only refers to the current running total—right here, right now.
Why It Matters
In a restaurant kitchen, timing is everything. Diners expect all the dishes at a table to arrive at once. If the chicken is done and the pasta isn’t, you’ve got cold food and a cranky table. “All day” helps the crew keep things coordinated, fast, and efficient—especially under pressure.
It’s not just kitchen drama—it’s a survival tool in the chaos of real service.
Final Thoughts
So next time you hear “eight burgers all day!” don’t assume there’s a slow grill marathon happening. That phrase is shorthand for “This is our total right now—make it fast, make it accurate, and let’s move!”
It’s one of those quirky bits of kitchen language that sounds mysterious at first, but once you get it, you’ll never hear it the same way again. And who knows—maybe next time you’re hosting a dinner party, you’ll say it too (just for fun).
