What a kitchen display actually does
Orders sent from the POS appear on a screen in the kitchen instead of, or in addition to, a printed ticket. Cooks can mark items or full orders as done, and the system can track how long orders are taking.
Decide on display versus printer, or both
Some kitchens run a display for the line and keep a printer for expo or as backup. Others go fully paperless. Neither is automatically right — it depends on your kitchen's layout and how your cooks are used to working.
Routing rules matter more than the screen itself
Set up rules for which items go to which station — grill, fry, salad, expo — before you worry about screen layout. Misrouted tickets cause more kitchen chaos than any interface choice.
- Map each menu item to its prep station
- Decide how modifiers display on the ticket
- Set expo as the final check station if used
- Confirm timing alerts match your kitchen's pace
Placement and screen count
Mount the screen where cooks can see it without turning away from their station, and don't try to run a whole line off one screen if it's physically too far from part of the kitchen. Multiple smaller displays often beat one large one.
Train the kitchen separately from the front of house
Cooks need to know how to mark items done, bump full tickets, and recall a bumped ticket if something comes back. This is a short training session but shouldn't be skipped just because it's 'only the kitchen.'
Have a backup plan
If the display goes down mid-rush, know how staff will get orders to the kitchen — a backup printer or a manual process. Decide this before it happens, not during.