What is a KDS?
If you run a busy restaurant, you will know that manually taking down orders and sending them to the kitchen is time consuming, prone to errors, and a waste of human resources. Using a KDS is a simple method to instantly send and track orders from Front-Of-House to Back-Of-House. However, a business doesn't have to be a quick-service restaurant or run a massive kitchen to benefit from a Kitchen Display System.
So what is a KDS? A Kitchen Display System is a centralised digital ordering system that automates the process of receiving order tickets straight to the kitchen as soon as the order is entered into the system.
But that's not the only reason restaurants are using them. Here are the key features of a SPARK KDS and the benefits of integrating one into your restaurant.
Integrated KDS for a more streamlined kitchen
What are the KDS screens?
A KDS is fully customisable for venues and within a SPARK KDS there are three display modes.
01 . Kitchen Check Screen
The Kitchen Check Screen allows chefs to see easily what orders are coming through and what needs cooking at given times. Staff can clock in/out and alerts will be received through this screen.
02 . Pass Screen (Expediter Screen)
The Pass Screen view will allow FOH Service staff to mark an order as complete once they have taken the meals to the customers. They can also edit, rush, and void existing orders which updates the information across the different products and keeps the chefs and other staff in the loop.
03 . Collection Screen (Calling Screen)
The Collection Screen display view allows staff to notify customers when orders are ready. It is perfect for takeaways and helps keep the customer collection quick and easy.
Integrated with POS
The POS system is an integral investment made at the start of a restaurant journey. SPARK EPoS pride themselves on their product integration. Want a Kiosk, EPoS, Mobile Ordering, as well as your KDS? Then the number one feature a business wants will be integration across all devices. Customers can place an order on a kiosk, through mobile ordering or even by the waiter on an EPoS and that order will be directly sent to the KDS.
Prioritisation
Is the customer in a rush? A FOH staff member can click rush when entering a customer's order which will ensure the BOH kitchen staff know it's a priority order and needs to be completed ASAP. Or even if an order is taking too long then the order can be updated on the terminal to add a Rush Alert which will alert the kitchen staff. Ensuring the customer is served their food piping hot and fresh.
Customisation
The SPARK KDS doesn't just show a list of orders for kitchen staff to read, prepare then send out. To integrate features such as dietary requirements, and allergies, the items will come through colour coded to ensure the kitchen staff immediately recognise the note. If the chefs miss the visual colour coded prompt, an auditory notification will make sure they know to check the screen for vital information about the customers needs.
What are the benefits of a KDS?
Go paperless AND Reduces Waste
A KDS is environmentally friendly? Yes! In more than one way. By introducing a KDS into a business, printing costs can be drastically cut when eliminating paper tickets. With the lack of paper tickets being printed, paper waste will also be minimised.
Streamline Prep and Cooking
For a chef the difference between making 5 individual orders of 6 chicken wings rather than making 30 chicken wings is important. A KDS optimises the dishes according to course type, cook times, etc. and categorises them in meaningful ways. Items will be arranged in the order they arrive so that staff knows which order to send our first. If there are similar dishes that can be prepared together, the chef will be able to cook the separate parts of each meal in batches. So individual orders of chicken wings can now be cooked as one big batch.
Order Accuracy
In the time between a customer vocally placing their order, the waiter writing it down on paper and the chef reading the paper, so many mistakes can be made. In a venue with smart ordering, (e.g. kiosks, or online ordering) it reduces the likelihood of mistakes being made. Furthermore, any mistakes that are made whilst taking orders can easily be corrected in the POS System and will automatically update on the BOH screen.
Reduces Customer Wait Times
When orders appear on the Kitchen Screen a timer will begin so back of house staff can keep track of how long orders have taken to prep. Therefore if a simple plate of chips is taking longer than say 10 minutes then something has probably gone wrong. Also the front of house staff can click rush if an order is taking too long which will then send an alert to the back of house staff through the KDS.
So is a KDS fit for your hospitality business?
As mentioned above, a KDS isn't just suited to a quick-service restaurant or a restaurant with a big kitchen. Kitchen Display Systems aren't niche products that benefit only specific restaurants, if your hospitality business does the simple task of placing orders then you can benefit from a KDS, regardless of restaurant and menu size. The question isn't whether a KDS would benefit your restaurant, but instead how could you implement a KDS most effectively.
Why not speak to a member of the SPARK team to see how we can help you?
