The 86 List

There are things we pretend not to notice.
In restaurants, “86” is clean. Efficient. Final.

It’s how we remove something without making a scene.

86 scallops.
86 the lamb.
86 table twelve.

But what if we started 86’ing the habits instead?
Not the dishes. The culture.

86: “Elevated Comfort Food”
If it’s comfort, it doesn’t need to be elevated.
If it’s elevated, it probably isn’t comfort.
Calling something “elevated” is usually a signal that we don’t trust it on its own. It’s mac and cheese with truffle oil. It’s fried chicken on a slate tile. It’s nostalgia wearing a blazer.
Let food be honest. Not aspirational.

86: Fake Foraging
Microgreens scattered like confetti.
“Wild” herbs ordered from a distributor.
The word foraged used as a mood board.
Real foraging is knowledge. Risk. Seasonality. It’s restraint.
If it comes in a plastic clamshell every Tuesday, it isn’t wild.

86: AI Menu Descriptions
“Delicately nestled.”
“Thoughtfully curated.”
“A symphony of flavours.”
No one speaks like this.
The more poetic the description, the less confident the kitchen.
Menus should read like someone cooked them — not like someone optimized them.

86: Empty Sustainability Claims
“Sustainably sourced” has become seasoning. Sprinkle it on anything.
If sustainability only shows up in the copy — but not in pay structure, waste management, or sourcing discipline — it’s branding.
True sustainability is operational. It’s boring. It’s invisible.
That’s why it’s real.

86: The Martyr Complex
The chef who hasn’t had a day off in months.
The owner who hasn’t paid themselves.
The cook who brags about 90-hour weeks.
Exhaustion isn’t noble. It’s structural failure disguised as passion.
If burnout is your business model, 86 it.

86: Awards as Identity
There is nothing wrong with recognition.
But when the plaque becomes the personality, something erodes.
If the dining room empties the moment the list changes, it was never about the food.

86: “We’re Like a Family”
No.
Families don’t withhold tips.
Families don’t scream over mise en place.
Families don’t make you feel replaceable.
Call it a team. Call it a workplace. Call it what it is.
But 86 the manipulation.

86: Over-Explaining
If a dish requires a paragraph of justification, it’s not ready.
Food should communicate before the server does.
Confidence is quiet.

86: The Fear of Simplicity
Butter. Salt. Heat. Timing.
We layer technique because we’re afraid someone will think it’s easy.
The best food often is.

86: Pretending Everything Is Fine
Margins shrinking.
Labour tightening.
Costs rising.
Guests spending differently.
The industry is shifting. Quietly. Unevenly.
The most dangerous thing we can do is pretend nothing needs to change.

This isn’t cynicism.
It’s maintenance.
Every service ends with a count.
What’s left. What’s gone. What needs reordering.
Maybe culture needs the same discipline.
Maybe the healthiest kitchens aren’t the ones that add more.
They’re the ones that know what to 86.