What a kitchen display system (KDS) does for you
A kitchen display system (KDS) is a screen that takes the place of the paper slip a cashier or waiter writes an order on. As soon as the order is entered, each item in it goes to the station that makes it, so nobody stands there sorting the order or calling to a colleague.
In CashHub you can show each station's items on that station's screen, or print them on the station printer. When the cook finishes, they mark the order ready, and it shows up for the cashier right away.
A Ramadan evening, fifteen minutes before the maghrib call
Orders pile up within a few minutes. One table ordered grills, two salads and two juices, a takeaway order has fried items, and a pickup order waits at the door.
The cashier enters each order once. The grills appear at the grill, the salads at the cold station, the juices at the bar, and the fried items at their own station. Each cook sees their own share, not the whole dining room's order to untangle.
When the grill marks its part ready, the cashier knows it has arrived, and doesn't have to ask the kitchen where table 5's order is.
Every item goes to its station
You define the kitchen stations and link each menu item to the station that prepares it. After that, routing happens automatically with every order:
- Grill, cold, bar, and any other stations you run.
- One order splits across several stations, and each station sees its own items.
- Nothing changes for the cashier: they enter the order like any other, and the split happens behind it.
A station screen or a printed ticket
You have two options per station, and you can choose to suit your kitchen:
| Station screen | Ticket on the station printer | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the order appears | On a screen at the station | A slip from the station printer |
| Connection | Needs the local or server connection | Printed station tickets work too |
| Suits | A kitchen that wants a visual queue of orders | A small kitchen or a station that prefers paper |
Dine-in, takeaway and pickup
Every order is recorded with its type: dine-in, takeaway or pickup. The kitchen knows who is waiting at a table and who is standing at the door, and plans its prep around that.
For dine-in orders, the order is tied to its table. If guests change seats, you move the order to another table in a tap and nobody re-enters the items.
Recipes deduct from stock
If you link your dishes' recipes to stock, each sale deducts its ingredients and a void puts them back. You also see each dish's cost and margin, so you can tell whether a dish that ties up a station for a long time earns its place on the menu.
A Thursday night at a fast-food burger spot
The counter has a line, takeaway orders keep arriving, and every order has a burger, fries and a drink. Without routing, the cook holds one slip with everything on it and has to decide what to start with.
With a KDS, the grill sees only the burgers, the fry station sees the fries and other fried items, and the bar sees the drinks. Each person finishes their share and marks it ready, and the cashier sees when the order is complete from every station and calls it out to the customer.
That makes the difference at peak time: nobody stands waiting for a slip, and nobody asks the next person what is left.
Set up your kitchen before opening day
- List your kitchen stations, and name them the way your cooks already call them.
- Decide for each station whether it runs on a screen or a printer. Printers work over the network, Bluetooth or USB.
- Link each menu item to its station.
- Run a test order through every station before the first day, and check that each one receives its share.
What to look for in a kitchen system
- Automatic routing of one order to several stations.
- A print-to-station option if you don't want a screen.
- A ready mark that shows up for the cashier at once.
- All of it in the same system as the register, not a separate kitchen app you have to connect.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a printer instead of a screen?
Yes. Each item goes to its station, and you can print it on the station printer instead of showing it on a screen.
Does the kitchen display need the internet?
It needs the device's connection to the local network or the server. Printed station tickets work too.
How does the cashier know an order is ready?
The cook marks the order ready, and it shows up for the cashier at once.
Can one order split across several stations?
Yes. Each item goes to the station it's linked to, so a single order arrives in parts at the grill, the cold station and the bar.
Does it work for a takeaway-only restaurant?
Yes. Dine-in, takeaway and pickup orders all go through the same routing, so each item reaches its station whatever the order type.
Does it cost extra?
No. It's part of the system, and you only pay for invoices: 5 halalas per invoice, capped at SAR 149 a month per branch including VAT.
Related pages
First 500 restaurants, cafés, bakeries and sweet shops: a SAR 99 monthly cap.
Instead of SAR 149, per branch, for a full year. Free to join, no commitment.