Kitchen Display System (KDS)
The Kitchen Display System (KDS) provides kitchen staff with a real-time digital view of incoming orders, replacing traditional paper tickets.
Route: /pos/[branchId]/kds
Overview
The KDS is a dedicated view for kitchen staff that displays:
- Incoming orders with itemized details
- Order timing and urgency indicators
- Station-based filtering and routing
- Audio alerts for new orders
- Status management per item (not fired, queued, done)
The KDS is intentionally separate from front-of-house lanes , it provides a cross-service ticket view for the kitchen.
Screen Layout
Ticket Grid
Orders are displayed as ticket cards in a grid layout. Each ticket card shows:
| Section | Information |
| Header | Order number, table/customer name, time elapsed |
| Items | Each item with name, quantity, modifiers, seat label |
| Item Status | Per-item status indicator (not fired, queued, done) |
| Notes | Special instructions and dietary flags |
| Timer | Elapsed time since order was placed |
| Station | Assigned kitchen station (if station routing is enabled) |
Layout Options
The KDS supports three layout modes (configurable in settings):
| Layout | Description |
| Grid | Tickets arranged in a responsive grid |
| List | Tickets in a vertical list (compact) |
| Station | Tickets grouped by kitchen station |
Ticket Lifecycle
1. New Order Arrives
- A new ticket card appears in the KDS.
- An audio alert plays (if enabled).
- The ticket timer starts counting.
2. Item Status Management
Each item on a ticket has a status:
| Status | Description |
| Not fired | Item is part of the order but hasn't been sent to the kitchen yet (course hold). It stays hidden from the KDS until the course is released. |
| Queued | Item is in the queue and will be prepared |
| Done | Item has been prepared and is ready |
Kitchen staff can:
- Mark as done when preparation is complete (tap an item to toggle it between queued and done)
- Hold / Resume a ticket to flag its active items with a visual Held badge, for example while waiting on ingredients or clarifying an order. Held items stay visible on the display and keep their place in the queue.
Course holds (not fired) and the visual Hold flag are two separate concepts: a course hold hides an item from the KDS entirely until it is released, while a Hold flag keeps the item on the kitchen screen with a Held badge.
3. Ticket Completion
A ticket is considered complete when all its items are marked as done:
- Completed tickets auto-dismiss after a configurable time period.
- Staff can manually dismiss tickets.
- Audio alert silence after all items are marked.
4. Bumping
The Bump action removes a ticket from the active display:
- Manual bump: Staff clicks bump to dismiss.
- Auto bump: Configurable auto-dismiss after all items done.
- Force bump: Override to remove stuck tickets.
Station Routing
When station routing is enabled, items can be automatically routed to specific kitchen stations:
| Station Type | Description |
| Hot | Hot food preparation (grill, stove) |
| Cold | Cold food preparation (salads, cold appetizers) |
| Grill | Grill station (steaks, burgers) |
| Fry | Fry station (fries, fried items) |
| Bar | Drink preparation (bar orders) |
| Dessert | Dessert station |
| Expo | Expo/pass station for final assembly |
| General | General purpose station |
Each station sees only the tickets routed to it, reducing noise and improving focus.
Urgency Indicators
Tickets are color-coded based on elapsed time:
| Status | Time Elapsed | Color |
| Normal | Under target time | Green/default |
| Warning | Approaching target | Yellow/amber |
| Urgent | Past target time | Red |
The target time is configurable in KDS settings (kds_target_ticket_minutes).
Audio Alerts
- New order ping: Plays when a new ticket arrives (configurable).
- Silence after all tickets are acknowledged.
- Use Bell / BellOff toggle to mute/unmute.
KDS Settings
Configure the KDS at POS > Settings > KDS (/pos/[branchId]/settings/kds):
| Setting | Description |
| Enable KDS | Turn KDS on/off |
| Enable station routing | Route items to specific stations |
| Target ticket time | Expected preparation time in minutes |
| Default layout | Grid, List, or Station view |
| Audio alerts | Enable/disable new-order sound |
| Auto-dismiss seconds | Time after completion before ticket auto-dismisses |
| Ticket style | Compact, Detailed, or Large Text |
| Font size | Normal, Large, or Extra Large |
Filters
The KDS provides several filter options:
| Filter | Options |
| Order type | All, Dine-in, Counter, WhatsApp |
| Status | Active, Completed |
| Station | Specific station (if station routing enabled) |
Full-Screen Display
The KDS has a dedicated full-screen display mode at /pos/[branchId]/kds/display for mounting on kitchen screens without browser chrome distractions.