Understanding C-Folds and Terminology in “The Bear”

As season two of “The Bear” wrapped up and the trailer for the third season was released, it became apparent that Chef Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) would be pursuing Michelin stars for his restaurant in the upcoming season. Despite the former casual dining establishment evolving into a fine dining venue that embraces the chaos of cooking, the team still operated a side takeout window during the day, necessitating a stock of essential items. Among those items are the C-folds that Natalie (Abby Elliott) is seen restocking multiple times in Season 3, Episode 7.

If you haven’t worked in a restaurant, you might not be familiar with the term C-fold. It’s simply a colloquial term for tri-folded paper towels. With two opposite ends folded inward, these towels resemble the letter C when opened and viewed from the side. Other typical paper towel folds include the V-fold and the Z-fold; the former is folded in half, while the latter has its ends pressed in opposite directions. While the restaurant in the show may provide C-folds with takeout, they are also commonly used in commercial kitchens for drying hands or cleaning up spills—much like you would use paper towels at home.

Since the beginning, “The Bear” has illuminated the frenetic energy that can be found in the back-of-house of restaurants, while also showcasing kitchen terminology. While viewers unfamiliar with kitchen culture may manage to understand commonly used phrases like “yes, Chef,” “behind,” and “heard,” other terms might be more cryptic. For example, “in the weeds” refers to being behind on orders rather than actual weeds. The kitchen can quickly feel overwhelmed when there are too many orders going “all day,” a phrase that sounds opposite to its meaning—indicating they need to complete orders immediately.

Another term that can confuse people is “dying on the pass.” However, once you understand that “the pass” is the area where dishes await to be served, it becomes clear that it refers to a plate that has been neglected and is waiting to be delivered. Surprisingly, yelling “fire” in a kitchen is a normal way to signal that the cooking should commence for a certain dish.