Shall we JUST. 86 it?

Have you ever heard the term '86 - it'?  Eighty six it.
It's a term that restaurants often use
when something is out of stock so a common phrase
might be the manager informing the servers
that they are out of  'that' for the night.

"eighty-six the flounder or we are eighty-six-ing the filets)

Where or where did the term come from though?
Why the number 86?  What's so significant about that number?
Is it a certain year?  hmmm.... any guesses?

There are actually more than one explanations.

Here are a few I will share with you today~!

The Delmonico origin.  Delmonico's  was known for their
ribeye steaks.  The ribeye steak was # 86 on their menu.
On 1 or 2... or many occasions that they ran out of menu item #86
it became shorthand for running out of the ribeye and quickly
caught on for other items when they were out of it.

Another possible origin people say it that it came about
from the street car line on the East side of Manhattan.
The line ran from 14th Street to 86th Street.
The motorman or conductor would yell out,
"Eighty-six! End of the line! Everyone out!"


Some say it came from:
a British merchant shipping term
where.... the standard crew was 85 men
so that the 86th man would be left behind.


Some even believe it came the the dimensions
of a grave! What!  8 feet long and 6 feet deep
and therefore the item (or person in this case) yikes!
 was dead or..... 86'd.

To me, the Delmonico origin sounds most
realistic especially since it directly relates to running
out of food!?     To me, it's a no brain-er!




Zestfully,  Let's Cultivate Food.........  day 14 of 31 days