Restaurant Glossary

Kitchen Display System

Restaurant space is full of words that one might not be familiar with, and the restaurant glossary is here to simplify it all for you. It will help you keep up with updated restaurant industry lingo.

What is a kitchen display system?

Kitchen Display Systems (KDS) are an ordering and information system display in the kitchen backend to increase restaurant efficiency. A digital screen system called a “kitchen display system,” or KDS, is used by restaurants to manage customer orders. It helps restaurants manage, prioritize, alter, and track orders and substitute paper order tickets. As KDS technology has been more affordable and simple to use, it has grown in popularity.

Kitchen Display Systems are becoming increasingly necessary and famous for modern restaurants, especially quick-service restaurants whose business model works around giving prompt services to customers. 

The KDS system is integrated with a cloud-based POS technology due to which it works remotely, and displays orders to be prepared as they are entered in the POS software. This reduces both staff effort and the chances of manual error by automating the entire process. This article will tell you why the Kitchen Display System has become the need of the hour in modern restaurant kitchens.

How does a kitchen display system work?

A KDS is a flat-screen monitor that is frequently placed on a kitchen wall at eye level. Even while many kitchens only need one monitor, some have various spots for them. Most monitors feature touch displays, but some also include other input methods, such as keypads. Some KDS are constructed and intended particularly for KDS use, while others may run on a normal tablet like an iPad. 

Once an order is placed, it is sent to the right place automatically which is easily accessible by the staff. According to various factors like expected preparation time, the dishes are then prioritized and then staff receives different alerts if order is changed or getting late and can make changes for the same. Then this data is collected and can be analyzed and converted into reports.

One indirect benefit of using a KDS is the capacity to save knowledge that would presently be shared only with a small number of longer-tenured staff members and make it available to all. Retaining crucial information might reduce the time required to train new staff in an environment where turnover is prevalent.

What are the benefits of a kitchen display system for restaurants?

The two main advantages of a KDS are to replace and enhance paper-based procedures and to offer new possibilities.

  • All things are digital. No more ripped, destroyed, or lost tickets.
  • Information is centralized through it. The necessity for relying on verbal or handwritten revisions to orders can be avoided by having a single source of information that everyone can access.
  • Automating is used for difficult activities. Complex operations that were formerly conducted manually, including dish sequencing and timing tickets, are now carried out automatically, immediately, and accurately.
  • It might facilitate analysis. The data gathered over time may also be used by a KDS to produce reports. These reports might improve the productivity of your company. For instance, you’ll be able to notice if certain dishes are taking longer than intended to prepare or if performance suffers on particular days or at particular times.

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