Fire

Fire is a command used in restaurant kitchens to tell line cooks to start cooking a specific dish immediately. When a chef or expeditor calls out “Fire the steaks!” or “Fire table 12,” the designated station begins preparing those items right now. The term signals urgency and precise timing coordination across multiple cooking stations.

The word “fire” comes from the idea that the order is being shot out like a projectile, similar to the military command sequence “Ready. Aim. Fire!” In a professional kitchen, this short, direct word cuts through the noise and chaos better than phrases like “please start cooking” or “begin preparation.” Every second counts during service, and “fire” conveys both instruction and urgency in a single syllable.

How Fire Commands Work in Professional Kitchens

The expo or head chef running the pass controls when dishes are fired. They calculate cooking times for each item on a ticket to ensure everything for a table finishes simultaneously. A steak might need 8 minutes while sides take 3 minutes, so the expo fires items in sequence rather than all at once.

When a fire command is issued, line cooks must respond with “Heard!” or “Yes, chef!” to confirm they received the instruction. This verbal acknowledgment prevents miscommunication during the chaos of dinner service. The system only works when every cook confirms they understand what to fire and when.

Three main methods exist for firing orders: manual entry where servers hit a FIRE button on the POS system, scouting where food runners check if tables are ready before firing, and autopilot mode where high-volume operations use fixed time schedules. Fine dining restaurants typically use manual or scouted firing for precise timing control, while fast-casual concepts often rely on autopilot systems.

Fire Command Variations

“Refire” means remake a dish quickly, usually because it was sent back by a customer, prepared incorrectly, or dropped. When a chef calls “Refire salmon for table 5,” that station must prioritize remaking that dish ahead of other tickets. Refires disrupt kitchen flow and directly impact ticket time metrics.

“On the fly” is an emergency rush order that jumps ahead of all other tickets. This happens when a server forgot to place an order, a guest needs food urgently, or management requires immediate preparation. On-the-fly orders stress kitchen operations because they interrupt the carefully timed firing sequence already in progress.

Some kitchens use “drop” interchangeably with fire, especially for items that literally get dropped into fryers or boiling water. Regional variations exist, but fire remains the dominant term across all restaurant types from casual diners to Michelin-starred establishments.

Communication Protocol

The expo reads tickets in a specific cadence: first announcing what’s coming up soon (“Following: two ribeyes, one salmon”), then firing items when timing is right (“Fire two ribeyes, one salmon, all day three steaks total”). The “all day” call tells each station their total count of items currently being prepared to prevent confusion when multiple tickets have the same dish.

Clear fire communication prevents food waste, ensures hot food reaches guests while actually hot, and maintains the rhythm that separates professional kitchens from chaotic ones. New cooks learn fire protocol during their first shifts because it’s foundational to kitchen operations, regardless of cuisine type or service style.