Technology in the restaurant industry is constantly evolving, and sometimes it can be challenging to determine if some upgrades are appropriate for a restaurant. So, who needs a Kitchen Display System (KDS)?
What is a KDS?
At its core, a KDS is a digital system of screens that manages food orders between the front of house, off-premise and back of house to help restaurants prioritize, organize, change, and track orders. Restaurant operators use a KDS to eliminate errors, reduce ticket times, and decrease their monthly costs.
Who Needs a KDS?
The short answer is: every restaurant can benefit from a kitchen display system.
Using a KDS can increase profits for most restaurants, so every restaurant owner should at least consider it. Even smaller restaurants that serve smaller menus like cafes and coffee shops benefit from using these systems to streamline their kitchens.
What Does a KDS Do?
KDSs offer several different convenient features.
- Orders are routed to the appropriate food preparation stations.
- Kitchen staff is informed when orders have been in the queue too long, so they can prioritize them.
- KDS can be customized so that it follows your kitchen’s unique flow.
- The system is highly interactive, so the kitchen staff can adjust orders or mark them when they are ready.
- Front-of-house staff can see the status of dishes and grab finished orders. Staff can also update patrons on wait times using the system.
- KDS can SMS customers their food preparation status.
Reasons to Use Fresh KDS
No matter the size of your restaurant, there are many reasons to implement Fresh KDS.
- Eliminate Errors: Paper order tickets are extremely easy to misplace, and losing them can result in rushed and incorrect orders. Fresh KDS solves this by eliminating printed order tickets. Instead, it automatically displays orders, which helps keep the staff informed. As every operator knows, delivering the wrong order hurts guest retention.
- Dishes Prepared in Order: Fresh KDS displays items in the queue and how long they have been there. Orders can be prioritized to ensure everything is served fresh, and at the correct temperature.
Fresh KDS can also display information like special requests, customization, dietary requirements, and allergy information to the kitchen staff so orders can be prepared accurately.
- Reduce Ticket Times: Orders are separated and sent to their proper stations. This routing helps increase efficiency in the kitchen. Work is assigned to stations, and tickets can be completed much faster when everything is organized.
- Better Communication: Written requests can easily get overlooked or misinterpreted, and restaurants can end up with disappointed customers. Fresh KDS eliminates miscommunication. Servers update the POS, and the information is communicated to the Fresh KDS in real-time.
- Better Food Quality: Fresh KDS ensures that all orders for a table are arranged so that the meals come out at the same time so patrons can enjoy their meals together.
- Better Organized, Quicker Service: Orders are sent to the kitchen immediately, so employees handling other customers don’t have to be rushed to give the order to the kitchen and can handle other tasks.
- Decrease Monthly Costs: Since orders are made correctly the first time, food waste, canceled orders, and refunds are reduced. By eliminating the need for kitchen printers, your business will use less paper. Consider the number of orders your restaurant prints in a day, and compare that to the savings and positive environmental impact your business can make by switching to digital.
- Accurate Takeout Orders: Food delivery apps are now increasingly popular among consumers and as restaurants increase takeout offerings to expand their reach, these additional orders create new logistical challenges that impact kitchen efficiency.
Fresh KDS is built to service the omni-channel kitchen experience and sends online orders directly to the kitchen. Takeout orders can also be marked on the screens to ensure that they are packed appropriately.
No matter the size, every restaurant can benefit from having Fresh KDS.
