A chit is a small piece of paper used in hospitality to record customer orders, transactions or requests. It's a multi-purpose tool that can be a temporary record, a communication device between staff or a way to track inventory and sales. Chits are used in restaurants, bars, cafes and hotels to record food and drink orders, room service requests or special requests for guests.
Chits are key to a smooth running of a hospitality business. They help with accuracy in taking orders, communication between front of house and back of house staff and a paper trail for financial transactions. By using chits hospitality staff can manage multiple orders, track customer preferences and keep a record for accounting purposes. Chits also reduce errors and misunderstandings so customer satisfaction and operations remain efficient.
Imagine you're a server in a busy restaurant during dinner service. A party of six sit down at your table and you take their drink orders. You quickly write down their choices on a chit - two glasses of red wine, three cocktails and one soft drink. You then pass the chit to the bar and they make the drinks based on your written order. Once the drinks are ready you collect them from the bar, check against your chit to make sure everything is correct before serving the guests. Later when it's time to close the table you use the accumulated chits from their meal to total up their bill. This system helps you manage multiple tables, ensure order accuracy and provides a clear record of the evening's transactions.