Is the Gravity Bar a Chit Rail? A Ticket Rail? What's the Difference?

Ticket Rail vs. Chit Rail: What's the Difference?

There isn't one! A ticket rail and a chit rail are the same basic thing: a rail above the pass in a kitchen that holds order tickets where the cooks can see them.

The name mostly depends on where you are and what you're used to calling it. Ticket rail is probably the term you'll hear most often in North American kitchens, while chit rail is more common in British-influenced kitchens. Same rail, different vocabulary.

You might also hear order rail, ticket holder, or ticket rack. And just to clear up one potential mix-up: a chit rail has nothing to do with a chair rail, which is the moulding that runs along a wall.

You'll find ticket rails in all kinds of food-service spaces: from busy restaurant kitchens and hotel kitchens to cafés, bars, bakeries, food trucks, and smaller commercial kitchens.

What does a ticket rail actually do?

When an order comes into a kitchen, it's printed or written on a little slip of paper. The ticket rail gives those slips somewhere to go, ideally somewhere visible, organized, and not directly underneath a cutting board.

Tickets are lined up on the rail as orders come in, making it easy for the kitchen to see what's next, what's been hanging around for a while, and what's ready to come off the line. As orders are completed, their tickets come down.

A good ticket rail makes that whole process quick and uncomplicated. Tickets should slide in easily, stay put when they're supposed to, and come back out without tearing, snagging, or requiring a tiny wrestling match.

What are ticket rails made of?

You'll most often find them made from stainless steel, usually with a slot, spring clip, or other mechanism for holding the paper. There are also magnetic strips, wire racks, and — increasingly — wood versions.

Wood brings something a little different to the job. It's quieter, warmer-looking, and a bit friendlier to paper than a piece of bare metal. Of course, in a busy kitchen, it also needs to hold up to plenty of hands, tickets, wiping, splashing, and general kitchen life.

You don't need a restaurant to use one

The basic idea is useful anywhere you have pieces of paper that need to stay visible and in order.

At home, a ticket rail can hold a week's worth of meal plans, recipes while you're cooking, school forms that need signing, mail that needs a response, or whatever other bits of paper have mysteriously migrated onto the counter.

It's a simple little system: keep the paper where you can see it, keep it in order, and get it off the counter. No app required. No holes in the wall. Just a rail doing its thing.

Where the Gravity Bar fits

The Gravity Bar is our wooden take on a rail. It holds paper with glass balls and gravity, so there are no clips to fiddle with. Core77 wrote about it as a good-looking take on the ticket rail. Whether you're cooking at home or in a fine-dining establishment in Montreal or Newfoundland (not trying to name drop, but we have some pretty talented kitchens using these). 

If you're looking for one for your kitchen or your cafe, have a look at the Gravity Bar.