What is a KDS?
A KDS is a kitchen display system, which shows any incoming orders and information such as allergens and preferences required to serve a customer. According to Consumer Reports, 62% of customer complaints have been because of incorrect orders. Having a KDS will help hospitality businesses transform digitally, coming with many benefits:
1. Paperless Solution
Why use a paperless solution? A KDS will help kitchen operations be more focused and efficient, eliminating miscommunication between the front and back of house staff.
Secondly, there will be less waste. Businesses can cut back drastically on printing costs by eliminating paper tickets. Paper can be very expensive in the long run, so investing in a KDS will reduce costs over time, as venues will be spending less on paper.
Out of the 17 billion cubic feet of trees deforested each year, over 60% are used to make paper. This is why hospitality businesses should go paperless; this is better for the environment as fewer trees will be cut down and smaller demand for paper will be needed, making a KDS a reliable, renewable solution.
2. Accurately track restaurant’s orders and don’t miss them!
Customers benefit from more accurate orders, kitchen screens display orders exactly as they have been entered into the POS. This includes any modifications, special instructions, or allergy notes meaning there is a reduced risk of error. Overall, there will be fewer voids for the front-of-house team to process.
Having a system that will help businesses run more efficiently is very important. Using a KDS will mean that human error is reduced, with orders being sent digitally instead of word of mouth or from paper. Fewer mistakes will be made when taking orders, and if there are any little errors, these can be quickly corrected, which will automatically update on the KDS.
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3. Allergies and intolerances
Managing allergies and intolerances is a critical part of restaurant management. SPARK’s solution provides a safety net for these issues by highlighting and controlling dishes that are served with special requirements such as allergens or gluten-free. This reduces the stress on staff as they know exactly which dishes are going to the correct customers with these requirements and have more control over the restaurant.
4. Increase sales
When hospitality staff work faster and more efficiently, the hospitality business earns more. Faster ordering and cooking times mean that customers receive their meals quicker. This will improve the restaurant's table turnover rate and fulfil more takeout and delivery orders.
5. Streamline Front Of House and Back Of House workflow
One of the biggest benefits of a kitchen display system is that it makes it faster and easier for the front-of-house and back-of-house staff to communicate, which is especially important in an age of COVID-19 and social distancing.
When hospitality venues use an integrated kitchen display system, incoming orders will be shown on the KDS kitchen and passing screens once orders have been confirmed by servers or customers. These then get sent to the kitchen (often notified with a sound) the moment the front-of-house staff enters them into the POS system. This means there’s no time in between the order being taken, and the kitchen staff receiving it. When a dish is ready, kitchen staff can also use the kitchen display system to alert servers to pick up the order. A KDS is an answer to all of these pain points and the key to a more efficient operation.
6. Better customer service
Order accuracy and shorter waiting times for customers create a better customer experience, whether dining in or taking food away. The KDS has a feature where it can filter by course, for example, starters, mains and desserts. The back-of-house team can make sure that dishes with specific cooking times are prepared so that each consumer receives their order at the optimal temperature and freshness.
Even if the orders the restaurant has prepared are intended for takeout and delivery, having the ability to track ticket fulfilment times can help venues better manage orders and uphold quality. This is important because surveys have found that most people don’t want to wait for their food, and 31% expect delivery to be at their door within 30 minutes. In other words, fewer errors and better timing translates into a better overall experience for guests.
How SPARK’s KDS can improve your hospitality business
SPARK’s KDS will display and arrange tickets automatically, organising them based on what filter is selected, allowing staff to focus on what’s important.
Some key features of our KDS which make us stand out from the rest are:
- Compatible with all of our Ecosystem
- Multifunctional operational modes
- Streamlines your service
- Good for harsh environments, dirt, grease and oil-proof!
All devices in SPARK’s eco-system can communicate with each other, providing real-time updates. SPARK products instantly sync with other devices which streamlines your service. Our pass screen can update the kitchen display screen remotely, prioritising, recalling and completing orders to increase service efficiency and communication within the team.
