A restaurant is a place for customers to relax and enjoy their food, but for staff, it's a non-stop operation of constant foot traffic, hectic rushes, and orders coming in left and right. Running a successful catering establishment is all about efficiency, but the front-of-house staff are only as efficient as those in the back.
Operating an efficient kitchen means operating a smart kitchen - one that can keep up with the demands of its customers and serve them with accurately prepared, well-timed food. But there are many hurdles to providing such a system, one of the biggest being the continued reliance on printed tickets, handwritten orders, or even word-of-mouth to communicate orders from the wait staff to the kitchen.
The solution? Ditch the printed or handwritten orders - invest in a modern solution: a KDS!
What is a KDS and what does it do for kitchen efficiency?
A KDS, or Kitchen Display System, is technology's answer to the paper problem, and one that many restaurants are now taking advantage of. They take the form of digital screens, and display information relevant to the smooth operation of your kitchen.
Here at SPARK, our customisable Kitchen Display System comes equipped with multiple display touch-screens to help streamline the order preparation process:
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Pass Screen - This screen is for front-of-house staff to use, and allows them resend orders to the kitchen to resolve issues as well as keep track of orders that have been completed in the kitchen.
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Kitchen Check Screen - This KDS Screen allows chefs to easily see said orders that are are coming through and, through a clever, colour-coded UI: what needs cooking, when to prioritise it, and what special exceptions to make depending on the customer.
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Order Screen - The final screen is a customer view, and lets them see when their orders are being prepared and ready to be collected, rather than waiting on any preoccupied staff to give them updates, allowing for a more anticipated, quicker ordering operation.
Improved In-Venue Communication
Human error is prevalent in the hospitality industry, and in no small part to miscommunication between customers and staff. Human error, however, is human - automated, real-time technology has far less of a margin to make mistakes. When orders are transferred from an EPoS system to a KDS in the kitchen, chefs know exactly what to do, because their orders are displayed in an accessible, consistent manner.
If they need to prioritise a rush order or recall and resolve any incorrect orders, front-of-house staff can communicate this to them quicker than ever. And in return, kitchen workers can easily let wait and service staff know of their progress without the need to make any across-venue trips, all wrapped-up in a customisable sound-and-screen notification package.
At SPARK, our KDS even have the benefit of being fully-integrated into our robust EPoS system. With its cloud-based synchronisation, businesses can be run within a single connected ecosystem, making staff, task, and inventory management as streamlined as possible.
Increased Sales & Lower Costs
A more efficient kitchen leads to a better restaurant turnover. If the chefs can understand and prepare orders quicker, the venue can provide its service quicker, and if it can do that, it has more windows to serve more customers and increase its daily sales.
In addition to reduced costs, it will also reduce the necessity of certain staff resources. With a KDS' integration and real-time, automatic data-sync, staff need to travel around in-venue far less, which not only reduces unnecessary foot-traffic, but also allows them to allocate their time to other tasks that require human prioritisation.
Not only this, but there's also the factor of not having to pay for printer roll if everything is digitised. A KDS might be expensive short-term, but saving on paper costs every following month is worth the investment. It's notably more eco-friendly, too - less paper means less paper waste!
Better Customer Service
There's no doubt that customers will appreciate the reduced queueing and waiting times that a more efficient kitchen will inevitably bring to a restaurant. A SPARK KDS' customer-facing order screens will even let them check on their orders' progress in real-time, letting them anticipate their orders' completion and bolster the venue's efficiency even further.
Reduced human error in the hands of automated technology will also in turn increase customer satisfaction, but it's not just about getting their orders right - it's also about accommodating for any special needs they may have. There is little room to note down any unique requests a customer may put forward, such as tweaks to their meal, like the removal or addition of certain toppings or extras, but with a KDS, these changes can be communicated to the kitchen easily. SPARK's system even has integrated allergen choices, so chefs in the kitchen will know to avoid contact with any potential health risks that pop up for that particular dish.
Why choose SPARK EPoS?
Kitchen efficiency is one of the most important things a restaurant needs to ensure quality, streamlined service for its customers, but messy, unreliable ordering operations can easily get in the way of achieving that. This can, thankfully, be easily solved with the installation of EPoS in your venue, and a Kitchen Display System is an essential part of it if you want your back-of-house staff to also benefit from its digital efficiency.
At SPARK EPoS, efficiency is our speciality - so why not get in touch and see how we can help you improve your kitchen?
