kitchen display screens price

Kitchen display systems (KDS) are digital kitchen monitoring screens that display incoming orders in restaurant kitchens. KDS route orders from the point-of-sale (POS) system to the correct kitchen stations. An excellent kitchen display system streamlines kitchen communication, reduces human error, and monitors cook times for each dish. The best restaurant KDS systems show a dish’s ingredients at the touch of a button and text customers when orders are ready.

Most kitchen display systems are built into restaurant POS systems and offered at an additional fee for hardware and software. We examined each kitchen display system and its corresponding POS systems based on price, ease of use, and features to arrive at our top recommendations.

Toast POS is one of our top-rated cloud-based restaurant POS systems, and its KDS offering is likewise a top performer. Toast’s KDS is the most customizable system on this list. You canhighlight individual ingredients and common allergens. Plus, users can choose their font size and how information is arranged on order tickets. This system also sendstext messages to customers when their orders are ready, and alerts servers in the POS app when they have food waiting in the kitchen.

Toast’s KDS operates on industry-grade hardware built to withstand the steam, grease, and hot temperatures of a restaurant kitchen. Toast’s touch-screen KDS tablets are rated at IP-54 for resistance to dust, steam, and water droplets. Apple’s iPads, on the other hand, are not IP-rated at all. iPads can also struggle in temperatures above 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

All-day count view “All day” is restaurant-speak for “total” or “altogether.” Cooks say “all day” to refer to the total number of an item they need to prepare to fill all open orders. As in “how many burgers all day?” Toast’s All-Day count screen shows your all-day counts at a glance, so your kitchen team is never second-guessing what orders they have on deck.

Automated order-ready messages You can set your Toast KDS to send automated messages when you mark an order as complete on the KDS. Send SMS text messages to customers who ordered online, letting them know their takeout order is ready. Or, send an in-POS alert to your server staff to let them know their table’s order is up. These alerts help keep your kitchen flowing smoothly and keep cooked food from dying in the window.

Epson integration Toast is one of the many POS systems that integrates with the Epson KDS system. If your kitchen prefers a bump bar configuration, you have the option via this integration.

Toast’s KDS software is currently offered at $25 per screen, per month. If you need multiple screens, however, Toast will likely work out a lower per-terminal price for you. To get the best pricing, reach out to the Toast sales team for a custom quote.

Revel Systems’ KDS offers several dynamic viewing options: Expedite, Expedite Tile, Kitchen Screen, Production View, and Order Display, so cooks and expeditors can choose their preferred view. Revel Systems also supports a customer-facing Order Ready screen to display orders by customer name to identify which orders are ready for pick up. Orders on this screen can be further color-coded to separate to-go, drive-thru, and curbside pickups, a massive timesaver for restaurants that rely on multiple third-party delivery platforms.

Like most systems on this list, Revel runs its KDS on iPads. But if you want more rugged hardware or a larger screen, you can opt for a ViewSonic VSD243 smart display instead. Like Toast, Revel users need to purchase their KDS hardware directly through Revel, even if they plan to use iPads. Revel does not support hardware that is purchased through third parties.

Drive-thru tools The Revel POS includes a detailed workflow for drive-thru restaurants it calls Drive Thru XT. This module condenses order and payment screens to reduce button presses and logs vehicle information to ensure the correct orders are given to the correct customers. You can also track drive-thru orders separately from in-house orders on the Revel KDS.

Epson’s KDS is afreestanding hardware solution that partners with several POS brands. Epson is well known for its workhorse receipt and kitchen printers. In addition to their standard printers, Epson also designs and manufactures printers that support a robust KDS system. With printer-driven, ethernet-connected screens, Epson’s KDS does not need an internet connection to work, making this system the best for offline functionality.

Because Epson’s KDS leverages the information routed to your kitchen printers, it functions as more of a hardware than a software solution. In most cases, the only cost to add an Epson KDS to a compatible POS system is the hardware cost. However, your POS provider may charge a separate software fee for adding the KDS integration—so be sure to ask.

KDS screen, wall mounting bracket, bump bar, KDS driver-enabled impact kitchen printerBump bar navigation panelPrices vary by resellerLinerless label printer with built-in KDS driver

Like Toast, Epson’s KDS operates on commercial-grade hardware. Epson monitors are rated IP-54, the exact same level of water and dust protection as Toast’s hardware. Commercial-grade hardware will likely function better than an iPad if your kitchen is particularly hot or steamy—like an Italian spot with a wood-burning oven and lots of boiling pasta water.

Epson’s KDS screens are driven by the printers they are attached to. You can print paper tickets on demand, or even linerless sticker labels—which are ideal for labeling takeout and delivery orders.

Like Lightspeed and Toast, Epson allows your staff to access recipe information directly from the KDS screen so there are never any mistakes from the kitchen. You just need to be sure to attach a recipe to each dish.

Fresh KDS earned a 3.32 out of 5 in our KDS evaluation. This system scored well for price—the seven-day free trial gave it a boost—and number of POS integrations. Advanced features like customer text messaging and an integrated order-ready display also earned points.

However, Fresh KDS could have scored higher if it offered recipe lookup tools (like Toast, Revel, and Epson) or had the ability to operate without an internet connection (like Toast, Revel, and Epson). Currently, like Lightspeed Kitchen and Square KDS, Fresh KDS needs a strong internet connection to function.

Like Revel, Fresh KDS includes an optional customer-facing order tracking screen. This is ideal for counter-service restaurants or those that do a high volume of takeout orders. When your kitchen marks a KDS ticket as completed, the order status on the tracking screen automatically updates to show customers their food is ready.

Fresh KDS offers three subscription tiers: Basic, Advanced, and Enterprise. Basic starts at $19 per month, Advanced comes in at $35 per month, and Enterprise requires a custom quote. Each subscription includes software for two KDS screens, though the system can support up to 10 screens at a single location.

Countertop iPad POS terminal with built-in card reader*Countertop or wall mounting bracket for iPad in Square Stand case*POS terminal with built-in card reader and customer-facing display

Every other KDS on this list processes voided items as separate tickets. These tickets will typically be marked with the same ticket or table number as the original ticket, but this can still lead to over-prepped food on a busy night. Square displays voided items in red directly on the original ticket. So, if table 25 cancels their soup order, your cooks will see it in real time.

Customizable views On each Square KDS, you can individually adjust the text size, the number of tickets displayed per page, and notification settings for new orders. This way, your cooks can view orders the way they prefer.

Free online ordering All of the systems on this list display online orders in the KDS. But Square for Restaurants is the only POS that includes a free online ordering site. In addition to receiving online orders directly in your KDS order stream, Square users have the comfort of knowing they aren’t paying any extra fees for those orders.

Lightspeed POS is a cloud-based POS that operates on iPads. Like the underlying POS, Lightspeed’s KDS module—called Lightspeed Kitchen—also runs on iPads. Pricing for Lightspeed Restaurant’s POS starts at $39 per month. The KDS software is an additional custom-quoted price. In the past, the KDS was available for just $12 per screen, per month.

Lightspeed Kitchen earned a 3.19 out of 5.00on our KDS ranking, putting it right on Square’s heels. It earned points for its recipe lookup “Show and Tell” functions and for its affordability. But Lightspeed Kitchen is not quite as customizable as Toast and Revel’s KDS (though restaurants looking for a simplified solution might prefer this).

Since Lightspeed Kitchen operates via a browser-hosted app, it needs an internet connection to work (unlike Toast, Revel, and Epson). Overall, however, the streamlined nature of Lightspeed Kitchen is excellent for keeping quick service restaurants and small, independent restaurants organized.

From the top left corner of the Lightspeed Kitchen screen, you can filter tickets by active, new, preparing, done, or archived status. Tickets can be moved from one order phase to the next with single or double taps.

Show and Tell function Lightspeed Kitchen’s KDS includes a Show and Tell function that shows a detailed image and item description on the KDS screen when a cook clicks on the menu item. This stops short of the recipe look-up function supported by Epson and Toast, but ensures your cooks are reminded how to plate a dish and review a list of its ingredients.

Lightspeed Kitchen is a paid add-on to the Lightspeed Restaurant POS. The software is offered at a custom-quoted price from Lightspeed. Contact their sales department for full pricing.

See why we recommend Lightspeed Restaurant for cafes and as the best available iPad POS for restaurants. Plus, explore Lightspeed Kitchen’s POS features in our full Lightspeed Restaurant review.

We compared 10 of the most popular kitchen monitoring systems based on the most frequently cited kitchen pain points. We weighed each KDS’s available hardware, offline functionality, ticket layout, and customization options. We also considered each system’s overall price. Based on these criteria, Toast emerged as the clear winner, with an overall score of 4.48 out of 5.00.

We prioritized tools that send automated text updates to customers when their orders are ready or support multiple hardware types. We also looked for kitchen monitoring systems that include recipe lookups and menu images at the click of a button.

We looked for systems that log preparation times and provide reports that measure your kitchen’s productivity. We also awarded points for KDS screens that work during an internet outage in offline mode.

Toast POS has our favorite KDS module. With options like text message notifications, customizable alerts, and kitchen-specific features like all-day counts, Toast’s KDS supports the widest range of restaurant styles. Combined with Toast’s excellent online ordering, delivery management, team management, and reporting functions, the Toast KDS creates a full spectrum restaurant management solution at a competitive price. Visit Toast for a demo, or to get started for free today.

A kitchen display system, or KDS, is a digital screen system that manages customer orders for restaurants. It replaces paper order tickets and helps restaurants organize, prioritize, change and track orders. A KDS can run $10 to $25 per month per screen plus the cost of hardware.

Using a KDS can be a good idea for most restaurants — even places with small kitchens, such as a coffee shop or cafe. Here’s why, and where to get a KDS.

An order is placed electronically.When a server inputs an order, it is routed to a digital display in the kitchen. Without a KDS, inputting a customer order would likely lead to thepoint-of-sale systemprinting a small receipt-like ticket in the kitchen.

The order is routed automatically.With paper tickets, someone will have to manually organize and prioritize orders to ensure a table gets all its food together. But a KDS can route various components of an order to the appropriate place (the grill or the fry station, for example), if a business has multiple screens.

Staff can access details easily.Recipe details and photos can appear on the screen. The KDS can also track inventory, as opposed to relying on a white board that displays handwritten information like dishes or ingredients that have run out, for instance.

A KDS typically is a flat-screen monitor, often mounted to a wall at eye level in the kitchen. Some kitchens have monitors at multiple locations, though one is sufficient for many. The monitors usually have touch screens, though some have a separate input device, such as a keypad. A KDS might run on a standard tablet, such as an iPad; others are designed and built using proprietary hardware.

It can make analysis easier.A KDS can also use the data generated over time and create reports. These reports can help your business become more efficient. For example, you’ll be able to see if it’s taking longer than expected to get certain dishes out of the kitchen, or if certain days or times see drops in performance.

Your kitchen doesn’t have a good place to mount a KDS.In addition, the hardware might not suit your needs; some KDS setups operate exclusively on a touch screen, which could be difficult to use in some environments.

What would starting small look like, e.g., could you set up a KDS only in the central hub of your kitchen, likely where the printer is now? In what ways could you grow into the system?

Overview:Lightspeed’s well-priced KDS aids kitchen staff in coordinating delivery, pickup and in-house dining with helpful icons. Other kitchen-friendly details — such as the ability to quickly scan wait times with color coding on each digital ticket or a breakdown of which dishes see the biggest delay — make this a good option.

Overview:It costs more than the others, but Toast offers a few features the others don’t. The company says its custom-made device is built for abuse, withstanding higher temperatures than iPads, for example. It also supports multiple languages and lets the kitchen ping servers (or guests) via text or an app when their food is up.

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Home kitchen display systems make the process of simple cooking. They are also easy to install and set up the fridge magnets, so it is easy to see all the different types of fridge magnets, and they are easy to install.

Even the majority of the kitchen display systems are equipped to display ears, earphones, and computers from the ears, and everything ready to be put. It is is possible to locate various kitchen display systems for kitchens to have the most look at the counter from the wholesalers on Alibaba.com to have a large variety of LEDs and earphone displays for all purposes.

The kitchen display system replaces old printer and paper-based systems, which eliminates the costs for printer consumables while improving the communication between the kitchen and the front house staff. As result, KDS provides quicker turnaround time, less mistakes, and more satisfied customers.

Everything needed for Kitchen Display System (KDS). Includes Epson Impact printer with a built in computer chip that communicates with POS and KDS monitor. Includes bump bar.

Using the check-boxes is optional and their status is propagated instantly to all stations. Overview or expedite screens can be used to co-ordinate entire orders.

The restaurant and service industries are fast-paced and demanding. Customer satisfaction depends on prompt service and accuracy with every order or purchase. How can switching to a touchscreen system benefit your kitchen, restaurant or retail outlet?

Easy to Learn – Restaurant and service industries are experiencing an all-time high in employee turnover. Having to constantly train new employees in a computer system that relies on a bulky keyboard and mouse wastes time and results in slower service. Touch screens are what today’s younger generation is used to, and they respond quickly to them. A touch screen monitor system is a huge selling point when hiring new staff for your kitchen or restaurant business.

Easy to Clean – When multiple staff members use the same computers, the germs and dirt can build up quickly. Properly cleaning and sanitizing a keyboard is almost impossible, and spills can wreck POS transactions or shut down a kitchen. Avoid problems by using easy-to-clean touchscreen monitors. Glass touch screens can be disinfected quickly and wiped clean with just a quick swipe of a damp cloth.

At its core, Fresh KDS is a tablet-based kitchen display system. Orders from your POS instantly display on the screen. But we"ve taken it a step further by adding dozens of direct integrations, from point of sale (POS) systems such as Square, Clover, and Talech to e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce.

Displaying orders is awesome, but what if you want to do more? We"ve got you covered with features that empower you to route the orders to different screens, send SMS notifications to your guests, and improve your restaurant operations.

Send different items to different screens. For example, send food to the prep screen, beverages to the bar, and completed orders to expo (100% customizable)

"Fresh KDS is absolutely critical to our operation. Kitchen staff appreciate the intuitive interface, and our guests love staying in the loop with text notifications."

A Kitchen Display System (KDS) is a technology that enables restaurants to manage orders more efficiently. KDS systems are typically composed of one or more screens that are placed in the kitchen area, allowing cooks and other staff to see real-time updates on what needs to be prepared.

The cost of a Kitchen Display System will vary depending on the specific needs of your business. However, you can expect to pay anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars for a quality KDS system.

Yes, Square does offer a Kitchen Display System as part of their point of sale system. The Square KDS is a cloud-based system that starts at $299 per month. It includes features such as order management, kitchen timers and ingredient tracking.

AnKDS integration refers to the process of integrating a Kitchen Display System with other software or systems. This can often be done through the use of APIs or by using specialized KDS software. Also, some KDS providers offer pre-built integrations with popular software applications.

Yes, Clover offers a Kitchen Display System as part of their point of sale system. The Clover KDS starts at $25 per month and includes features such as order management, kitchen timers and ingredient tracking. KDS integration is also available for an additional fee.

A Kitchen Display System typically consists of one or more screens that are placed in the kitchen area. These screens provide real-time updates on what needs to be prepared, allowing cooks and other staff to see what orders need to be filled.

In a nutshell, the most significant benefit of a kitchen display system is that it helps make your restaurant operations much more efficient. Indirectly, it can also help improve your revenue, deliver a better customer experience, reduce food waste, and even help with kitchen staff planning.

Going digital means all orders are accounted for. Plus, it’s easy for kitchen staff to monitor the time duration of each ticket to know which ones need to be prioritized.

KDS also speeds up your serving time by eliminating the need for your servers to pass around order tickets to the kitchen. Sending orders directly to the relevant stations also ensures food gets sent in the right direction. In the restaurant industry, every second counts.

The benefits of a kitchen display system get even more pronounced for restaurants with complicated menus and multiple-course offerings. Traditionally, the responsibility of pacing the flow of food falls upon the POS or server. Naturally, doing this manually over multiple tables carries the risk of human error.

By following a pre-configured serving time and the cook times of each dish, it can guarantee that orders are ready at the scheduled time. Thus, dishes are served immediately and at the proper serving temperature. This automatic delay feature can also help the kitchen improve its food quality, even for casual restaurants.

There’s also the human resources benefit. A kitchen display system can help make your kitchen operate much more smoothly and efficiently. There would be fewer order returns, frustrations, and hot heads. It also raises the morale of your entire operation, knowing they’re delivering incredible food and service to patrons.

Lastly, a kitchen order system can help you manage your restaurant’s capacity. Using data derived from your KDS, you can check the average time your kitchen delivers food orders. This insight can help you find the capacity “sweet spot” without sacrificing food quality, service, and wait times.

tool. A tool that provides faster and more complete order communication to the kitchen. This leads to faster order preparation, reduced inaccuracies, reduced labor cost and faster table turning. All of which leads to greater revenues and the growth of customer satisfaction and loyalty.

These systems are known by many names such as Kitchen Display Systems, Kitchen Production Systems, Kitchen Screens, Kitchen Video Systems, Kitchen Monitors, etc.

KDS systems were originally developed for what used to be called "fast food" restaurant models. It was found that displaying the order information on screens rather than printing out the order info on small pieces of paper greatly reduced order preparation time and increased user productivity.

Kitchen Display Systems AKA Kitchen Screens, AKA Kitchen Video Systems or Kitchen Production Systems, etc. consist of software, equipment and wiring components that work together to route food ordering information to screens located at the various kitchen preparation/work stations and at the expeditors area.

"The total effect is to reduce order preparation time, reduce inaccuracies, reduce labor cost, increase overall kitchen efficiency, improve food quality, order consistency and gather valuable data"

1. Production screens which are located on the cooks side of the "Pass Through" area or window at each of the various work/prepstations to display the individual food items.

2. Expeditor or Expo screens which are located at expeditor"s side of the "Pass Through" area or window to display the individual food items and all of the other information relating to the entire order.

The dream of every restaurant owner, chef and manager is to have a successful kitchen, and by successful we mean profitable. After all, serving delicious meals to amazing customers won’t last long if the kitchen is not running like a well-oiled engine. This, perhaps, is the reason most restaurants fail within the first 3 years according to recent studies. This forces kitchens to constantly look for new and creative ideas, like kitchen display systems, to increase revenue, protect profitability, and offer customers the experience they expect in return for their loyalty.

Over the last two years technology designed for kitchens has helped hundreds of kitchens and thousands of individuals measure and manage food waste and therefore increase their food gross margins by 2-6 percent. Still, many restaurant owners don’t seem to realize that 30% of their business lies in their kitchen.

One of the most effective implementations of technology in a commercial kitchen is the Kitchen Display System or KDS for short. Digital display systems are helping businesses fine-tune their kitchen staff and protocols to protect their profits. They reduce wastes, improve overall experience and raise profitability at the same time.

The way a KDS achieves this is by tracking ticket times, so you can improve turnaround times. It also color-codes the orders to help staff see what’s cooking and what’s ready to go. For staff managers, this allows them to focus on incoming orders more effectively. All in all, a KDS can help minimize the day to day pressure of keeping track of all information needed to run a busy kitchen. It can save time, energy and labor while resulting in improved profitability.

We have interviewed experts on kitchen display systems for businesses ranging from large commercial kitchens to small restaurants, and they all had similar advice. The most important areas, according to experts, are integration/compatibility, price, ease of use, and reporting features.

KDS touchscreens are meant to be intuitive and easy to read, but not all are created equal. Closely compare how easy each system and interface are to use. Consult with your kitchen staff so they are able to offer you their feedback as well. If possible, take advantage of free trials. Allowing your staff to try the new system is an excellent way to land on the right choice.

Look at the reports you can pull and how easy it is to break them down. A KDS system can provide data on things like order fulfillment times and order accuracy. Many systems can also display order changes in real-time, without having to waste time, food, or receipt paper.

Do you want to know more about how a Kitchen Display system can help your business become more profitable? Request a free demo with a restaurant technology expert today.