Best Practices for “86’d Items” and Out-of-Stock Handling

Out-of-stock is unavoidable — chaos is optional. The difference between a smooth service and a disaster is not whether you run out of something, but how fast you stop orders, how clearly you communicate it, and how consistently your team handles replacements across dine-in, takeaway, and delivery.

This guide is part of the main pillar page Restaurant Ordering & Operations Workflow, where you’ll find the full system and links to every workflow topic.

What “86’d” really means (and why it causes so many problems)

“86’d” is restaurant shorthand for “we can’t sell this right now.” But operationally, it’s more than a kitchen note — it’s an order prevention problem.

When an item is out of stock and still orderable, it triggers a chain reaction:

the kitchen discovers it too late

FOH must explain it repeatedly

customers feel disappointed or tricked

delivery orders require refund/phone calls

ticket times rise because every order becomes a negotiation

So the real goal isn’t “manage complaints.” The goal is prevent the wrong order from being placed.

The 3-layer out-of-stock workflow (the system that stops chaos)

A clean 86 workflow has three layers working together:

1) Guest clarity

Don’t let guests order unavailable items. If they can click it, they will.

2) Staff speed

One clear action should update every channel. Staff should not be guessing or editing random copies.

3) Kitchen control

The kitchen must be able to trigger the out-of-stock status early (not 20 minutes later).

If you fix only one layer, the other two still break service. You need all three.

Step 1: Classify availability status (don’t treat everything the same)

Not every stock issue is identical. Use a small set of statuses that everyone understands.

The four statuses that cover almost everything

1) Pause (temporary stop)

Use when stock is low, or a station is overloaded.

Goal: stop orders now without deleting anything.

2) Hide (not available on this channel/time)

Use when an item should not appear (delivery doesn’t work, late-night menu, etc.).

This connects directly to channel strategy: Dine-in vs Takeaway vs Delivery.

3) Replace (swap option)

Use when the dish can be sold with a controlled substitution.

Example: “Salmon unavailable → switch to Seabass” or “Fries → wedges.”

4) Back soon (expected return)

Use when you know it will be available again and want to reduce staff questions.

These statuses create consistency. Without them, everyone improvises — and that’s where chaos begins.

Step 2: Decide your “86 rules” before service starts

Most restaurants try to invent rules during the rush. That’s the worst time to decide anything.

Set these rules as a pre-service habit:

Rule A: Who can 86 an item?

Choose one:

Head chef / kitchen lead only

Kitchen lead + manager

Any station lead (with confirmation)

Tip: The fastest workflow is when the kitchen can trigger it directly, but the team must agree on rules to prevent accidental 86s.

Rule B: How fast must it be updated?

Create a standard:

“Within 60 seconds of the call”This forces urgency and prevents the “we ran out 20 minutes ago” problem.

Rule C: What happens to orders already placed?

Decide your replacement policy:

Ask customer to choose replacement

Auto-replace with pre-approved substitute

Refund that item only

Cancel entire order only in extreme cases

Make this predictable so staff doesn’t debate every time.

Step 3: Fix the biggest pain point: multi-channel mismatch

Most 86 chaos happens because restaurants have multiple ordering surfaces:

dine-in menu (printed or QR)

POS menu

takeaway ordering

delivery platforms (or delivery section in your own system)

If you update only one, you create contradictions like:

POS says unavailable, QR shows available

delivery guest orders it, kitchen can’t make it

staff wastes time explaining “the system is wrong”

Best practice: “one action updates everything”

Operationally, you need a single source of truth:

if item is paused → it is paused everywhere

if it’s hidden on delivery only → it stays available dine-in/takeaway

This is why menu structure matters. If your menu is already messy, fixing 86 handling becomes nearly impossible. (Related: Menu Updates Without Chaos.)

Step 4: Build a replacement system that doesn’t slow the kitchen

When something is out, the guest still wants food — and the kitchen still wants speed. Replacement is where services collapse because it turns one order into five decisions.

Replacement best practices

Pre-define replacements for your top sellers

Use “same station replacement” whenever possible

fryer item → fryer replacement

grill item → grill replacement

Keep price gaps simple

“same price replacement list”

or “upgrade with +X” (clear rule)

Don’t let replacements create new modifiers

If the replacement process introduces unlimited choice, you’ve replaced one problem with another.

If your modifiers are chaotic, fix that first here:How to Structure Modifiers

Step 5: Use “availability design” to reduce 86 frequency

You can’t eliminate stock-outs, but you can reduce how often they happen by designing the menu around your real supply and prep capacity.

Ways to reduce 86 events

Keep fewer unique ingredients (more shared components)

Reduce “one-off” items that use rare stock

Bundle best sellers into combos that use stable inventory

Avoid promoting fragile items on delivery

Make a “limited” tag for items with unstable supply

This ties directly to calmer operations:How to Reduce Kitchen Stress With a Smarter Menu

Step 6: Train the staff script (guest clarity without arguments)

A good out-of-stock script has three parts:

short apology

clear statement of unavailability

confident suggestion of replacement

Example script

“Sorry — we’re out of the grilled salmon right now. I can offer the seabass instead, or the chicken bowl which is similar and ready faster.”

For delivery/takeaway:

use a clear replacement message or automated flow

avoid vague “we ran out” messages with no next step

Guests don’t get angry because you ran out. They get angry because you made them decide under pressure with no help.

Step 7: Post-shift review (turn 86 events into improvements)

If you treat every 86 as a “random event,” you’ll repeat the same pain forever.

At the end of the shift, log:

which items were 86’d

what time it happened

why it happened (supply vs prep vs station overload)

how many orders were affected

what replacement worked best

Then use that data with:How to Track Best-Sellers and Fix Slow Movers

This closes the loop: menu → demand → stock → operations.