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The Kitchen Display

What it's for

The Kitchen Display (KDS) is the live screen the kitchen works from. Every order fired from the POS lands here as a ticket, so cooks can see what to make, in what order, and how long it's been waiting — no paper chits required.

note

The Kitchen Display is built to run full-screen on a dedicated kitchen monitor or a tablet propped at the pass. Depending on your business type it may be labelled Kitchen Display, Bar Display, or Production Display — the screen works the same either way.

Where to find it

Choose Kitchen in the left sidebar (route /kitchen). Staff who log in with a kitchen role land here automatically.

WebThe Kitchen Display: fired orders as tickets, newest work first.
The Kitchen Display: fired orders as tickets, newest work first.

The controls at the top

A slim control strip runs across the top (it tucks away as you scroll a busy screen):

  • Active / Done — switch between orders still cooking and orders just completed. The Done tab keeps finished orders visible for 45 minutes in case you need to check or reprint.
  • By Table / By Dish — view one card per order (best for plating a table together) or group the same dish across every order (best for batch cooking — see Working tickets).
  • Station filterAll plus a button per station, each showing how many items it has waiting, e.g. Grill (3). Filter to your station to see only your items.
  • Live stats — at a glance: items In queue, the day's count, and Avg prep time.

Reading a ticket

Each ticket header tells the cook what they need to know:

  • Order number — e.g. #42, with the guest's name beneath it when there is one.
  • Order typeTable 12 for dine-in, otherwise Takeaway or Delivery. Third-party delivery orders show an aggregator badge (Swiggy, Zomato, and so on).
  • Time waiting — a clock counts up from when the order was fired.
  • Item notes appear as ⚠ no onions; an item changed after firing shows a ⚡ Modified badge; a cancelled item shows Void and is struck through.

What the colours mean

The ticket border tells you its state and whether it's running late:

BorderMeaning
YellowNew — items still to be started
AmberIn progress, or past the target prep time (running late)
GreenEvery item is ready
RedWell over the target time — needs attention now

The "late" threshold is set for your kind of restaurant; a ticket turns amber past it and red once it's past twice that time.