Term	Definition
CA/EDC	Credit Authorization and Electronic Draft Capture (CA/EDC) - Credit Authorization (CA) A request made by a merchant to validate a cardholder’s sales transaction.
Cache	A small, fast memory holding recently accessed data designed to speed up subsequent access to the same data. Most often applied to processor-memory access but also used for a local copy of data accessible over a network.
Call	This term refers to an establishment’s pricing structure for alcohol. “Well” is the cheapest priced liquor (possibly a no-name brand), “Call” is moderately priced liquor (such as Jim Beam), and “Premium” is expensively priced liquor (such as Johnny Walker Red).
Call Order	Call order refers to an order being called to begin preparation of it. In some line cooking atmospheres, there will be one central “lead cook” who will receive the orders off the printer, and then “call” the orders down the line to the cooks responsible for preparing it.
Canadian Tax Option	A method of tax calculation in which all beverages are taxable, but food is only taxed once the total amount of food sales reaches a certain, predetermined limit. This limit is determined by multiplying the number of covers by the preset tax free meal allowance.
Cancel Transaction	A means of exiting from an open guest check without having any changes post to it. If this action is used, no sales are added to the check’s total, and no items are ordered from the kitchen/bar.
Capitol Budget	A financial report used by an establishment to determine the total funds available to that establishment for the acquiring of fixed assets, and to assist an establishment in the purchasing of these fixed assets.
Cash Bar	A form of tendering in which cash is the only acceptable means of tender, and an operator settles each transaction as it is rung without creating a guest check or “tab”.
Cash Deposit Log	record of a day's cash drops by cashier and amount. Usually consists of the names of all cashiers making drops, the signature of the manager confirming each drop, the amount of each drop, and the number of the corresponding security envelope containing each drop.A record of cash deposited in the bank per day. Usually consists of the day of each drop, the signature of the manager making each days drop, the amount of each drop, and the corresponding number of the security envelope containing each days drop.NOTE: The two examples are normally used in conjunction with one another. Recording would first occur by cashier drops, and then those drops would be combined to get a day's drop total, and would be recorded.
Cash Drop	When a cashier’s drawer or bank has been balanced, and the net cash earned by the establishment is placed in a security envelope, signed for by the cashier and the manager, and placed in the establishment’s safe until pick-up.When an establishment does not have Armored Car Service and, therefore, must go to the bank and physically put the day’s net cash earned in a night drop box.
Cash Over / Short	The total cash in a drawer when turned in at the end of a shift, minus the amount of sales tendered to cash, should equal the amount of the bank the cashier was “loaned” at the beginning of the shift. If the amount left over is more than the original bank, this is an overage (over). If it is less, it is a shortage (short).
Cash Paid Out	Money dispersed from an establishment for deliveries or other services approved by the management. Can be tracked by use of a “Cash Paid Out” key at a terminal if money is removed from a cashier’s drawer or via receipts if taken from petty cash.
Cashier	An employee who is responsible for tendering guest checks and collecting payments.
Cashier Report	An employee report that states recorded settlement transactions during a shift for an employee who tenders guest checks and banks revenue. Usually includes bank amount, total sales, cash sales, credit sales, any discounts, service charges, or returns, and drop amount owed.
Cashier-Banking	A way of collecting guest payments whereby a cash drawer is assigned to a single employee or terminal location and all tendering is processed through this location only. Opposite of “Self Banking”.Example: A fast food restaurant or retail store where you pay at the register.
CD-ROM	Compact Disc - Read Only Memory. A non-volatile (meaning that its contents are preserved when its power is off.) optical data storage medium using the same physical format as audio compact discs, readable by a computer with a CD-ROM drive.
Central Processing Unit (CPU)	The part of a computer that controls all the other parts. The CPU fetches instructions from memory and decodes them. This may cause it to transfer data to or from memory or to activate peripherals to perform input or output.
Chain & Fire	A function of the POS System that allows an operator to ring up and service total a series of checks, link (chain) them all together, and send them to the kitchen (fire) as a single order.Example: This is useful when guests at the same table want to be rung up separately, but would like all the food to be ready and delivered at the same time.
Charge Back	A transaction that is challenged by either the cardholder or the merchant bank, and that is sent back through interchange for resolution
Charge Tip	A voluntary gratuity that is added by the guest to his payment by writing in a tip amount on the credit voucher.
Child Menu Item	Is a course selection that helps compose a Fixed Price Meal. Child Menu Items are regular priced menu items. However, when they are posted as courses or a fixed price meal, their prices do not post on the guest check.
Chit	Physically, the piece of paper generated by a printer.Example: An order chit is the paper with the order on it that prints up in the kitchen. Usually hung in order of receiving in a “ticket window” by the cook, and placed with the finished item in the window for identification of the order at pick-up.
City Ledger	An account where charges are posted for a group which has set up a billing agreement with the hotel to bill all charges later. All guests who are part of this group sign their bill and charges are posted to one account, which is later billed to the group.
Classes	A class consists of definition information that is repeated for several items. It is used to group like elements together, so that the same programming can be set for all of them at once. It is also useful in reducing the amount of space required to store a database.
Client	A guest of an establishment.A component of an establishment’s computer network upon which no database files reside. It accomplishes transactions by sending information to and querying information from the server of the client/server operating system.
Client-Server Network	A system in which software is split between server tasks and client tasks. A client sends requests to a server, according to some protocol, asking for information or action, and the server responds. There may be either one centralized server or several distributed ones.
Clock-In / Out	A function performed by an employee at the beginning and end of each shift that enables the establishment to track hours worked for payroll purposes.
Closed Check	A guest check which has been tendered and has a remaining balance of zero. The check is still held in the system’s memory, but is no longer available for recall by the server.
Close-Day	The end of the predetermined business day when all totals will be reset and any automatic reports will run.
Closing Duties/Sidework	This refers to extra duties (such as filling salts, stocking napkins, etc.) that need to be done before a server/bartender may leave.
Coin Changer	Dispenses the coin portion of the customer’s change. When a sale is completed, the POS calculates the amount of change due and triggers the coin changer to dispense the correct amount of coins.
Cold Prep_Cold Line Cold Prep / Cold Line	The area in the kitchen used to prepare cold foods. These may include salads, cold sandwiches, and desserts.
Cold Printer	The printer in the cold prep area.
COM1_ COM2	An Input / Output port. Data is transmitted one bit at a time through this port between a computer and the device attached.
Communications	The process of sending and receiving information (data) between computers, or between computers and it’s devices. The exchange of data is performed by strict communications protocols.
Communications Controller	A unit responsible for sending and receiving data to and from a communications cable.
Communications Port	(COM1 _ COM2) - An Input / Output port. Data is transmitted one bit at a time through this port between a computer and the device attached.
Comp Item	A method of removing a particular menu item, or group of items, from a guest check, but still counting it’s retail price as revenue. Example: A guest at Mary’s table did not like the French Onion Soup. The restaurant’s manager wants to remove the item from the guest’s bill since she did not enjoy it, but because the food item was actually prepared, it needs to be accounted for in food cost and labor cost reports
Condiment	A modifier that follows a menu item on a chit that lets the employee preparing that item know exactly how the guest would like it. A condiment may or may not have a price attached.Example: A guest ordering a New York Strip has a choice of cooking temperatures and chooses ‘Medium Well’. “Medium Well” would be a non-priced condiment since it does not add an additional charge to the guest’s check. A guest ordering a Chicken Sandwich that does not come with cheese wants to add Swiss Cheese to their sandwich. "Swiss Cheese” would be a priced condiment because it will add, for example, a 50¢ charge to the price of the sandwich.
Condiment Item Group	A condiment item group is a tracking group used to track condiments (modifiers). Example: A condiment item group of “dressings”, in this group you may have ‘french’, ‘ranch’, ‘bleu cheese’, etc. If you have a condiment item group of meat temperatures, you may have ‘well’, ‘medium’, ‘rare’, etc., as members of this group.
Configuration	The layout and connection of components within a system. Example: An establishment’s POS terminals and their cabling, or the relationships between records in a database.
Configuration Listing	A listing of all components of a configuration, their functions, and their relationships to one another.
Control Panel	A software application that starts up and shuts down all the 3700 system processes.
Cook Line	The physical area of the kitchen where final preparation of food takes place before being delivered to the guest.
Cook Time	The amount of time elapsed from the time an order was placed, and the time that the order is ready for pick-up. Generally tracked in a fast food or casual dining establishments that have predetermined standards for service times.
Cost Controls	Procedures set in place designed to reduce an establishment’s costs, or to keep costs at a reasonable mark.Example: Restaurants often employ a method called “portioning”. This is dividing a bulk item (such as large cans of hot fudge topping) into individual serving sizes for use (putting the fudge into multiple 2-ounce storage containers to be used; one for each hot fudge sundae).
Counter	A database field where the number of times a specific transaction occurs is recorded.
Course	A step or phase within a meal.Example: Appetizer, Entree, and Dessert.
Cover Charge	A predetermined monetary amount charged to each guest of an establishment regardless of the nature or volume of their purchases.Example: A cover charge may be a cash amount required at the door of an establishment before entry will be granted (usually when that establishment offers live entertainment), or may be an automatic service charge to a guest check (such as in an establishment offering room service or other special services).
Covers	Generally used by an establishment to track sales volume, a cover can be any number of things such as the number of people who enter the restaurant, the number of entrees ordered, the number of complete meals ordered, or the number of adults entering the restaurant. What is counted as a “cover” by the establishment is usually determined by the owner or manager.
CPU	Central Processing Unit. (CPU) - The part of a computer that controls all the other parts. The CPU fetches instructions from memory and decodes them. This may cause it to transfer data to or from memory or to activate peripherals to perform input or output.
Credit Authorization (CA)	Credit Authorization (CA) A request made by a merchant to validate a cardholder’s sales transaction.
Credit Card Voucher	After a credit card has received authorization, a credit card voucher is printed and the customer signs it. The voucher will usually have the guest check’s total, a blank line for a charged tip, and blank line for the new total, and a blank line for the customer’s signature. The blank lines are filled in by the customer.
CRT	Cathode Ray Tube. This is another name for a monitor.
Currency Conversion Program	A series of commands that allows an operator to convert a base currency into multiple other currencies, or vice-versa.
Current Totals	Financial totals that are maintained in data files for the current period. These totals are usually reset at the end of each business day.
Customer Display Unit	A small digital display that shows the customer what transactions have been recorded by the cashier.