General
atras
What does atras mean?
Shouted in a packed line to tell whoever's in front of you not to spin around — you're squeezing past, probably with something hot, sharp or full. Faster than 'behind you,' works in both languages, and gets through the rail noise.
"Atras, atras — coming through with the stock pot!"
Origin
Spanish for 'behind' — adopted in US kitchens because so much of the BOH workforce is bilingual that one word covers both crews.
Frequently asked questions
What does atras mean in a kitchen?
It's Spanish for 'behind you' — the universal warning used to signal you're moving behind someone in a busy kitchen.
How do you use atras in a sentence?
"Atras! Hot pan coming through."
Where does atras come from?
It comes straight from Spanish, where 'atrás' means 'behind', and it's widely used in restaurant back-of-house.
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