What does 87 mean in a restaurant?
In restaurant slang, 87 is less common than 86, but it typically refers to something that is about to run out or is in limited supply. For example, if a kitchen has only one or two servings left of a particular dish, the staff might say 87 the chicken, indicating that it’s nearly sold out. This happens often, especially with seasonal, special, or limited-availability items, and it could also indicate that an inventory item has gone bad.
Why do waiters say 86?
The term eighty-six is used in restaurants and bars, according to most American slang dictionaries. It is often used in food and drink services to indicate that an item is no longer available or that a customer should be ejected. Others say it originated at Delmonico’s Restaurant in NYC. Number 86 on their menu was a steak, the most popular item on the menu and one that often sold out. The term morphed into shorthand for being out of any item. Or was it a filmmaker’s term? Light filters are categorized by number, the darkest filter being a #85.