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Kitchen Display Documentation

Full tutorial for KOT flow, kitchen routing, station lock, print/reprint KOT, TV mode, permissions, and troubleshooting.

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Quick Start

1Create kitchens and printer settings.
2Map categories/products to kitchen routes.
3Create a table or takeaway order.
4Open Kitchen Display and confirm the ticket appears.
5Train staff on Accept, Prep, Item Ready, Ready, and Clear.
6Lock station screens for dedicated kitchens.

KDS Flow

Step 1

Table/Takeaway

Step 2

KOT Created

Step 3

KDS Ticket

Step 4

Prepare Items

Step 5

Ready/Clear

Step 1

Kitchen Display Overview

Kitchen Display is the preparation board for table and takeaway orders. It shows active KOT tickets, groups items by kitchen route, tracks preparation status, prints/reprints KOT, and helps each station focus only on the items assigned to it.

When to use: Start here when a restaurant wants the kitchen team to see live KOT tickets instead of depending only on paper slips.

  1. 1Create products and categories.
  2. 2Map categories or products to kitchens from Manage Kitchen / Categories / Products.
  3. 3Create a table or takeaway order.
  4. 4Send or save KOT from the counter workflow.
  5. 5Open Kitchen Display from the sidebar.
  6. 6Use Accept, Prep, Item Ready, Ready, and Clear to move the ticket through preparation.
  7. 7Use Print KOT or Reprint KOT when the kitchen still needs a paper slip.
  8. 8Use station lock when one screen belongs to one kitchen station.

Result: The kitchen gets a live queue of preparation work without mixing counter billing tasks and kitchen tasks.

Step 2

KOT Flow

A KOT starts from Table Counter or Takeaway. Kitchen Display reads active orders and shows them as kitchen tickets. The ticket stays visible until it is cleared or the order is completed.

When to use: Use this to understand how orders reach the kitchen.

  1. 1Open a table or takeaway order.
  2. 2Add products to the order.
  3. 3Print/Save KOT from the counter if required.
  4. 4Open Kitchen Display.
  5. 5Confirm the ticket appears with source, customer/table, elapsed time, and routed items.
  6. 6Kitchen accepts and prepares the ticket.
  7. 7When food is ready, mark items or the full ticket ready.
  8. 8Clear the ticket after handoff.

Result: Counter staff can keep billing separately while kitchen staff work from the KDS queue.

Step 3

Ticket Actions

Each button represents a preparation stage. The names are short because kitchen staff need fast actions during rush hours.

When to use: Use this section to train kitchen staff on what each button means.

  1. 1Accept means the kitchen has seen the ticket and started responsibility for it.
  2. 2Prep changes a single item from New to Preparing.
  3. 3Item Ready marks one item ready while other items can still be preparing.
  4. 4Ready marks all visible items for the current kitchen as ready.
  5. 5Clear closes the ticket from KDS after the food is handed over.
  6. 6Print KOT prints a kitchen slip.
  7. 7Reprint KOT prints again and records the print count.

Result: Every ticket has a simple preparation trail from new to completed.

Step 4

Kitchen Routing

Routing decides which kitchen or station should see an item. A product can have a direct kitchen route, or it can follow the kitchen route set on its category.

When to use: Use routing when food and drinks should go to different preparation stations.

  1. 1Create kitchens such as Main Kitchen, Beverage, Tandoor, Bakery, or Packing.
  2. 2Set a category route when all products in that category go to one kitchen.
  3. 3Set a product route when one product needs a specific kitchen override.
  4. 4Create an order containing items from different routes.
  5. 5Open Kitchen Display and use the kitchen filter.
  6. 6Confirm only matching items are shown for the selected kitchen.

Result: Each station sees only the items it must prepare.

Step 5

Station Lock

Station lock fixes a KDS device to one kitchen. For example, the beverage counter can lock its screen to Beverage so staff do not accidentally switch to another route.

When to use: Use station lock when a tablet/TV is mounted in one kitchen section.

  1. 1Open Kitchen Display on the station device.
  2. 2Select the station kitchen from Station dropdown.
  3. 3Click Lock Station.
  4. 4The kitchen filter becomes disabled while locked.
  5. 5Only that station's orders are shown.
  6. 6Manager permission may be required to unlock, depending on employee permissions.
  7. 7Click Station Locked to unlock when changes are needed.

Result: A kitchen screen stays focused on its station during service.

Step 6

Print and Reprint KOT

KDS can print a KOT from the ticket. Reprint is available after the first print and the ticket records how many times KOT was printed.

When to use: Use print when the kitchen needs paper slips or backup copies.

  1. 1Configure a main printer or kitchen printer.
  2. 2Open Kitchen Display.
  3. 3Click Print KOT on a ticket.
  4. 4If the KOT was already printed, the button becomes Reprint KOT.
  5. 5The ticket shows Printed or Reprinted status.
  6. 6If a printer cannot print immediately, the job can be queued depending on device/printer setup.
  7. 7Use print count to avoid duplicate confusion.

Result: Kitchen paper slips stay connected to the live KDS ticket.

Step 7

TV Mode

TV mode increases contrast and uses a dark board layout for screens mounted farther away from staff.

When to use: Use TV mode for large kitchen screens.

  1. 1Open Kitchen Display.
  2. 2Click TV Mode.
  3. 3Keep the browser/device on the KDS page.
  4. 4Use filters or station lock before switching if the screen belongs to one station.
  5. 5Click Exit TV to return to normal dashboard style.

Result: Kitchen staff can scan tickets from a distance during rush time.

Step 8

Permissions

Kitchen staff may only need kitchen.view and print.execute. Managers can receive broader permissions to unlock stations, clear tickets, or manage kitchens.

When to use: Use permissions when staff roles should have limited kitchen access.

  1. 1Open Employees.
  2. 2Create or edit an employee role.
  3. 3Give kitchen.view for KDS access.
  4. 4Give print.execute if the employee can print/reprint KOT.
  5. 5Give kitchen.manage for station/kitchen management.
  6. 6Give order.settle or table.manage only if the role can clear/complete tickets.
  7. 7Test login with that employee.

Result: Each employee sees and controls only the KDS actions appropriate for their role.

Step 9

Troubleshooting

Most KDS issues come from missing product/category routing, printer setup, permissions, or completed orders no longer being active.

When to use: Use this when tickets, filters, routes, or printing do not behave as expected.

  1. 1If no ticket appears, confirm the order is active and not completed.
  2. 2If an item appears in the wrong kitchen, check product kitchen route and category kitchen route.
  3. 3If a station shows no orders, confirm Station Lock and selected kitchen.
  4. 4If Print KOT is disabled, check print.execute permission.
  5. 5If KOT print fails, save printer settings and run a printer test.
  6. 6If Clear is disabled, check order.settle or table.manage permission.
  7. 7If elapsed time looks wrong, check the device clock and order time.
  8. 8If the board is crowded, use kitchen filter or station lock.

Result: The user can diagnose common KDS setup and workflow issues quickly.

Important Rules

KDS is for preparation, not payment settlement.

Stock deduction happens on settlement, not when KOT is printed.

Clear should be used only after food is handed over or the kitchen ticket is done.

Station lock should be used for fixed kitchen screens.

Reprint KOT should be used when a physical slip is lost, damaged, or needed again.