The Kitchen Display System (KDS) is the screen on your kitchen tablet that shows incoming orders as tickets. It uses station routing, so you can set up dedicated Expo and Prep stations to coordinate prep and handoff, with updates syncing across every device within a few seconds.
What the KDS looks like
There are two station types: an Expo station (coordinates final assembly and order handoff) and a Prep station (handles item preparation by category, like Pizza or Drinks).
Expo station tabs: Requested, Scheduled, Not started, In progress (default), Ready, Completed. Requested shows only when there are unconfirmed orders, Ready shows only when tickets are sitting in it, and Not started is hidden when auto-claim orders is on and the tab is empty.
Prep station tabs: In progress (default), Ready.
These tabs are what you see in the default Tabular grid layout.
ℹ️ Note: Every kitchen tablet runs the KDS as an Expo station. Prep stations and item routing (splitting items across multiple stations) are a POS-only feature.
Choose your kitchen screen layout
Your Kitchen tab has two layouts. Tabular grid is the default, and Prep stations always use it.
Tabular grid: tickets are grouped into the tabs listed above. Tap a tab to see its tickets.
Columns: the screen splits into two columns. The left column shows tickets waiting to start (Requested, Not started, and Scheduled). The right column shows tickets that are In progress.
To change the layout:
On the Kitchen tab, tap the options icon (sliders) in the top-right.
Select Columns or Tabular grid.
ℹ️ Note: The layout is saved per station. If you have more than one kitchen station, change it on each one.
How the KDS works
Station sync: marking items fulfilled or unfulfilled at any station updates the other stations within a few seconds.
Visual indicators: a ticket turns green at Expo when all its items are fulfilled, and back to blue if an item becomes unfulfilled.
Order lifecycle: orders route at the same time to Expo and the relevant Prep stations. Prep completion makes the ticket ready at Expo, and final Expo completion notifies the guest.
Ticket buttons: Print ticket, Change prep time (only inside the start-early window, before the ticket is prepared or completed), Order details, plus the tab's status action (Start, Complete, or Recall). To add a charge, use the Charge option in the Orders screen's order-actions menu, not the KDS ticket.
Items sent later: when staff send more items to an order that's already in the kitchen, the new items arrive as a separate ticket instead of changing the first one.
Voided items: when staff void an item that was already sent, the ticket shows VOID next to it so the kitchen stops making it. Tap Clear to remove the ticket. If you don't, it drops off after two hours. If tickets print, a VOID ticket also prints with the item crossed out.
If you use table service
Tickets show the table name. If the table has more than one check, the check number is added, like Table 5 - 2.
When you complete a ticket, its items move to Completed on the table's order, so servers can see the food is ready.
Order details opens the order in the Orders screen.
To set up which items go to each station, see Set up item routing on the Owner POS.