Purpose

The Kitchen Display System (KDS) acts a digital ticketing system to assist with managing meal orders in kitchens. The KDS is a touchscreen device that allows kitchen staff to efficiently manage incoming orders. It acts as the central repository for incoming orders at OrderAhead locations. 

This article covers information pertaining to the staff view of the KDS, specifically when the OrderAhead feature is enabled. For information regarding how to set up the KDS via ADM, please see the article 365Dining - ADM - Kitchen Display System Settings

Components

At least one KDS is required for an OrderAhead system. Operators also have the option to add additional KDS devices to their locations. If you have multiple KDS', you may assign each one a station, such as deli, grill, etc. Orders for that particular station will then appear on that station's KDS. These must be connected to the same router as the ReadyTouch or MM6 at the location.

In addition to the KDS, a Bump Bar can be connected to the KDS. The bump bar acts similar to a keyboard for the device, and allows operators to bump and call tickets without the need to touch the KDS screen directly. 

Learn more about the hardware of the OrderAhead system by reading the article 365Dining - Order Ahead - Hardware Guide

Navigating the KDS

There are 3 tabs on a KDS: Future, Meals, and Closed. 

Future

The Future tab of the KDS displays upcoming orders. These orders are ones that have been scheduled by customers in advance, but are not yet ready to be prepared or served. 

• A pickup time is specified on the orders. The lead time is how many minutes before a pickup time the order will display on the KDS for preparation.
  
  
• Orders will move from Future to Meals based on the Lead Time. The default Lead Time is 15 minutes. 
  
  
• Operators have the option to bump orders from the Future tab to the Meals tab at any time. 

Meals

The Meals tab displays all current orders. Orders will move from Future to Meals when the Lead Time has elapsed.

•  A timer begins counting up as soon as an order is presented on the KDS, so kitchen staff can see at a glance how long an order has been in the queue.
  
  
• Staff can reprint tickets with the print option, as needed. 
  
• Tickets are presented with the items ordered, including any modifiers.
  
  
• The kitchen staff can expand a ticket to more easily see the items on it, or print the ticket to a chit printer.
  
  
•  

Preparing Screen

When an order is on the Meals tab on the KDS, the order number is also listed on the preparing screen. This allows the customer to know that their meal is being prepared. 

Learn how to customize order numbers by visiting the Customized Order Number Display Settings section of the article 365Dining - OrderAhead Operator Guide.

Closed

The Closed tab displays all completed orders. Once an order has been bumped, it moves from the Meals tab to the Closed tab. 

• The BUMP button will move the order from the Meals tab to the Closed tab and remove the consumer’s order from the display on the Now Serving screen.
  
  
• An order can be "un-bumped" from the Closed tab, meaning that it will be sent to the Meals tab.
  
  
• The CALL button is used to get the attention of the consumer through the Now Serving screen (mentioned below) by displaying their name/order number on the Now Serving screen. Pressing the CALL button will add a tag to the ticket to indicate that it was called.

Now Serving Screen 

When the CALL button is used on the KDS, the consumer’s order will move to the top of the Now Serving screen.

• If an order has not been bumped and another order is called, the old order moves down the list and the new order appears above it. 
  
  
• Press the CALL button to bring an order to the top of Now Serving screen, no matter how old it is.
   
  
• When the order has been bumped from the KDS, this means the order has been completed. It will then be removed from the Now Serving screen.
  
  
  Learn how to customize order numbers by visiting the Customized Order Number Display Settings section of the article 365Dining - OrderAhead Operator Guide.

To Go Orders

Tickets are tagged with "Remote Order" and "Carryout" if To Go is selected. Otherwise, these orders work in much the same way as all other meal orders. 

Other

There is a button for the All Day Items Counter that will display the amount of items ordered so far in the day. This may be useful for station prep workers, allowing them to see what is in the queue and stay ahead of the rush.