Kitchen operations glossary · Kitchen operations
What Is a Prep List in a Kitchen?
Also called: prep sheet, par sheet
A prep list is the written list of components a kitchen must produce before service — stocks, sauces, portioned proteins, cut vegetables, batters and garnishes — with a target quantity for each. It is built by comparing what is on hand against par levels set for the forecast volume.
How it is built
A sous chef or station lead walks the walk-in and the line, counts what is on hand, and subtracts that from the par level for the day's forecast covers. The difference is the prep list.
Par levels are usually expressed per hundred covers, so a forecast that moves changes the list rather than the process. Lists are written per station and carry quantities, not just item names — "demi" is not a task, "demi, 4 qt" is.
Why it is the real schedule
The prep list determines whether service is possible. An unfinished list becomes an 86 during service, and 86s that recur on the same weekday are almost always a prep-hours problem rather than an ordering problem.
It is also the clearest measure of whether a kitchen is staffed correctly. If the list is regularly finished late or carried over, the prep shift is short — the line will absorb it for a while, at the cost of everything the line was supposed to be doing.
Frequently asked questions
When the list does not get finished
A prep list carried over day after day is a staffing signal, not a discipline problem. Adding prep hours on the heavy days is normally cheaper than the 86s and the overtime the shortfall creates.