A kitchen display system, or KDS, is a screen at the pass that shows the order the cashier just sold. The line cooks that ticket. They do not wait for a handwritten slip, a shout across the pass, or a reprint because the first paper walked off.
On Riser POS the display is part of the restaurant till, along with kitchen printers, dine-in, takeaway, and delivery. Dimdul mounts it during installation. This page explains what the screen is for, how it differs from paper and a printer, and what to do when the connection drops.
What a kitchen display shows
The screen shows the items on the bill, the modifiers, and whether the guest is dining in, taking the order away, or asking for delivery. Predefined tickets such as Table 1 and Table 2 keep two open checks from merging. When the cashier adds an item, that item is what the kitchen sees, because it is the same order as the sale.
That is the whole job. A remake is food you already paid to cook and then threw away. The display exists so the first plate matches the bill. How that cuts waste is in how to reduce food waste in a restaurant.
Paper ticket, kitchen printer, or display
| Paper slip | Kitchen printer | Kitchen display | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the order lives | A slip on the pass. | A printed ticket at the station. | A screen the whole line can see. |
| A change after the order | Someone walks a new slip in. | A new print. | The same ticket updates on the screen. |
| Best fit | A very small counter with one cook. | A station where a screen is hard to mount, or as backup. | A pass that handles several tickets at once. |
Riser POS can send the order to a kitchen printer or to the display. Many kitchens use the screen as the queue and a printer only when the screen is down.
How the order gets to the pass
- The cashier or waiter enters the items once on the Windows till, Android till, or mobile POS.
- The ticket is named, for example Table 4, and marked dine-in, takeaway, or delivery.
- The kitchen display shows that ticket. A kitchen printer can print it at the same time.
- The guest’s bill is the same ticket, so the plate and the receipt match.
You do not retype the order in the kitchen. Retyping is how “no onion” becomes a plate that comes back.
When the internet drops
The Android till keeps billing offline. Sales sync when the connection returns, depending on how Dimdul set up the install. The kitchen screen shows orders while the counter and the display are connected the way they were installed. If that link is down, print the ticket on the kitchen printer so the line still has a physical order. Practice both during training, before a Friday lunch.
Who needs a display
A café with one cook and a short menu can live on a kitchen printer. A dine-in restaurant, a quick-service line, or a cloud kitchen with several tickets in the air needs the queue on a screen. Tell Dimdul the number of stations, whether you already have a printer, and whether guests order at the counter or at the table.
Installation is ৳5,000, including domain, hosting, and training. Restaurant software is ৳2,000 a month. A simple menu can be ready in about 30 minutes. A larger one usually takes 2 to 3 hours.
Questions owners ask
A kitchen display system, or KDS, is a screen at the pass that shows the order the cashier just sold. The line cooks that ticket instead of a handwritten slip.
A display keeps the live queue on one screen and avoids a pile of paper. A kitchen printer still works where a screen is hard to mount. Riser POS can send the order to either.
The Android till keeps billing offline. The kitchen screen shows orders while the counter and the display are connected the way Dimdul installed them. If that link is down, use the kitchen printer for the ticket.
WhatsApp the number of kitchen stations and whether you want a screen, a printer, or both. Message Dimdul. Shops that are moving a retail till, not a kitchen, should read how to migrate to a cloud POS.