any tips?

[u/biggest_bratt]

when will i know to call an order a plate or platter? that’s the only part that’s getting me working at waffle house, i got everything else packed i just can’t seem to grasp the concept of this specific thing

[u/babyyodasleftnut]

When there is a hash brown present, it is a plate. Platter is only referenced during the initial marking point when the GO's are pulling plates down.

[u/Low_Juice9987]

I remember when the servers didn't have to call platters and waffle plates and side plates, the grill operators had to know what each thing came on and pull with the call. I'm still uncertain which way I prefer.

A platter can be for when you're calling which plates to pull down to mark on, or we've used the word platter to mark a sandwich out with a bowl of chili.. A plate means that the side item on the plate is hash browns. Another made up can we've used is to call a grit plate, and that comes out with toast and grits and hash browns. Lol

Try your best and laugh at mistakes when they happen, it's fun to learn it all.

[u/Fast_Valuable1837 → u/Low_Juice9987]

I definitely prefer having the plates called before the mark. Saves my shoulders a lot of pain from the carpal tunnel and arthritis that have developed since I started with WH.

[u/crypticwisdomx]

Platter if it has grits or hashbrowns. Waffle plate if its hold the grits/hashbrowns. Side plate if its hold the grits/hashbrowns and toast or if its just something on the side like toast or hashbrowns by itself. Also idk how yall do it but for biscuit for gravy we use waffle plate. And yea like other people have said plate just means it has hashbrowns. Otherwise youd call it like this "mark 1 platter, order scrambled". Grill ops know that means grits. If it has hashbrowns you call it like "mark 1 platter, order scrambled plate"

[u/Odd-Wishbone-3840]

Plate= with hashbrowns
Platter is when calling what the order will be on if it’s a it’s a meal it’ll be on a platter. Example 2 egg breakfast scrambled with grits would just be marked as “mark 1 platter order scrambled” while if it had hashbrowns you would first drop 1 hashbrowns and “mark 1 platter order scrambled plate” and after plate is when you would say the topping for the the hashbrowns

[u/MeowPepperoni]

a platter is a mark and a plate is a call. you only call platter when you mark. it’s usually plates or orders (i.e. O/SCR or TxBCSM plate) but it can be when you need something out like one and it’s on a platter (i.e. TxSECM & K out like one which would be the sandwich and the breast on a platter). when you hold the grits it goes from a platter to a waffle plate.

[u/xcherissa → u/MeowPepperoni]

Do I need to mention the waffle plate? I'm struggling with calling so bad. If someone wants a meal, that's obviously "Mark 1 platter... (etc)" but what about a TxCSM for example? Should I lead with the food or say "Waffle plate, TxCSM." after marking that platter (on the same ticket)? In training when we would move on to the next food words, my trainer would say stuff like "You guys are just talking to me. What dish am I supposed to put it on? My hand?" So that messed me up. But apparently nothing is "on the side" except eggs.... and a "Bacon side plate" on the AllStar? Help!

I hope this makes sense. The cooks are supposed to know the dishes but apparently don't now. I'm scared.

[u/MeowPepperoni → u/xcherissa]

follow Pull Drop Mark. Pull your meats (make sure you call doneness when pulling steaks ((delmomicos can only be done mr or above bc we sous vide them)) or bacon (only if it’s light or well), drop your hashbrowns and also call light or well if you need to, and then mark your plates.

Common Platter Calls:

• Plates or Orders (TxSECM Plate / O/SCR )

• Double or Triple Hashbrowns

• Biscuits and Gravy on 2/3 Out Like 1

• Two Separate Items Out Like 1 (i.e. biscuits and gravy& T/SCRC On The Side Out Like 1)

Common Waffle Plate Calls:

• Sandwiches By Themselves

• Biscuits & Gravy (“Biscuit For Gravy”)

• Hashbrown By Itself

• Hold The Grit (just eggs and toast)

• Omelettes On The Side

*** Like you mentioned the ONLY things we call ‘On The Side’ are eggs and omelettes. This is because standard call of just an omelettes or eggs denotes white toast and grits. If you just want just the toast and eggs or omelette it is ‘Hold The Grit’ and gets taken from a platter to a waffle plate.

Common Side Plate Calls:

• O/On The Side - Anything over 3/SCR or 3/O move to a waffle plate (i.e. 6/SCRC or 4/OM)

• Toast

• Biscuits By Themselves (SECb / BECb)

• Bowl of Grits

You don’t need to call chili bowls unless you want them in a grit bowl for ‘chili instead’ side as they should be located above your steam table (both large & small chili bowls).

Do Platters first (2 Platters, 1 Bowl, 2 Waffle Plates, 1 Side Plate…..) and then your GO should start at the platters you pulled and start there and work your way down to the smallest plate. “MARK - TxBCSM Plate Scattered (some places don’t make you say it) Smothered Covered Chunked, SECb Tomatoes Instead, Patty Melt Hashbrown Bowl,TxBKM Hold The Onions On 2, Bowl of Grits”

Let me know if this helped or you have any more questions

[u/No_Sympathy_1991]

So when your calling something with chilli you’d say like “mark a Texas bacon cheesesteak melt out on a platter”

[u/crypticwisdomx → u/No_Sympathy_1991]

"Mark one platter, texas bacon cheesesteak melt plate" would be the waffle house way. Also youre just wrong about that chilli remark. If they want chilli you just mark it as hold the grits or hashbrowns and they grt it on the side but never have i had a customer order just chilli.

[u/xcherissa]

Do I need to mention the waffle plate? I'm struggling with calling so bad. If someone wants a meal, that's obviously "Mark 1 platter... (etc)" but what about a TxCSM for example? Should I lead with the food or say "Waffle plate, TxCSM." after marking that platter (on the same ticket)? In training when we would move on to the next food words, my trainer would say stuff like "You guys are just talking to me. What dish am I supposed to put it on? My hand?" So that messed me up. But apparently nothing is "on the side" except eggs.... and a "Bacon side plate" on the AllStar? Help! I'm struggling a lot with different plate sizes and transitioning to marking the food in the next column.

I hope this makes sense. The cooks are supposed to know the dishes but apparently don't now. I'm scared.

(Posting for more answers, this was initially a reply under another helpful comment.)

[u/No_Sympathy_1991]

A plate is when a customer wants like a sandwich with hashbrowns and a platter is when the customer wants like a sandwiche with chilli instead of hashbrowns or grits

[u/crypticwisdomx → u/No_Sympathy_1991]

A plate just means hashbrowns. Sandwich has nothing to do with it... a platter is the plate youre marking on