Kitchen Display
The Kitchen Display System (KDS) shows incoming orders in real time on a screen in the kitchen. Kitchen staff use it to track what needs to be prepared, mark items as they are cooked, and let the front of house know when an order is ready.
The main screen
When orders are open, the screen shows a row of order cards - one card per order. Each card lists all the items for that order.
When there are no active orders, the screen shows the Pratham logo with a pulsing animation.
Stats bar
The top of the screen shows three live counts at all times:
| Stat | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Total Orders | Number of orders currently open |
| Completed Orders | Orders finished during this session |
| Average Wait Time | Average time from order placed to order completed |
Tabs
Three tabs let you switch between different order states. Each tab shows a live count.
| Tab | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Active | Orders that need to be prepared now - including orders due within the next hour |
| Incoming | Pre-orders scheduled more than an hour away. Move here early so kitchen can plan ahead. |
| Completed | Orders you have finished. The last 10 completed orders are kept here. |
Order type filters
Three filter buttons let you narrow the display to one order type at a time. Tap a button to show only that type - tap it again to remove the filter.
| Filter | Order type |
|---|---|
| Takeaway | Counter pickup orders |
| Dine In | Table orders |
| Delivery | Delivery orders |
Reading an order card
Each order card shows everything kitchen staff need to prepare that order.
Card header
The coloured strip at the top of each card changes colour as preparation progresses:
| Colour | What it means |
|---|---|
| Blue / Dark | New order - no items prepared yet |
| Red | More than half the items still to prepare |
| Yellow | At least half the items are prepared |
| Green | All items prepared - order is ready |
The header also shows:
- Order number - the order reference (e.g. #1042)
- Payment status - green Paid badge or red Unpaid badge
- Pre-order badge - purple badge if the order is a future pre-order
- Order type icon - restaurant icon for dine-in, shopping bag for takeaway, scooter for delivery
Customer and timing info
Below the header:
- Customer name - the name the order was placed under
- Time placed - when the order was created
- Waiting / Pickup / Delivery time - displayed based on order type:
- Dine-in: "Waiting: 30 Mins"
- Scheduled pickup: "Pickup: 12 Jun, 2:30 PM"
- Delivery ASAP: "Delivery: ASAP"
For takeaway orders, a Customer Present checkbox appears. Tick it when the customer arrives at the counter so front-of-house staff can see the customer is waiting.
For delivery orders, the delivery address is shown below the customer name.
Item list
Each item in the order is listed with:
- Quantity - shown as a badge (e.g. ×2)
- Item name
- Variant - if the item has a size or variation (e.g. "Large")
- Modifiers - extras or options listed below the item name
- Portions - for half-and-half items (e.g. a split pizza), each half is listed separately with a ½ indicator
- Notes - any special instructions from the customer, highlighted in yellow
Deal and combo items are grouped together with the parent deal name shown at the top. Child items inside the deal are indented with a blue left border.
Order notes
If the customer added a note to the entire order (not a single item), it appears at the bottom of the card highlighted in amber.
Marking items as prepared
Tap the checkbox next to an item name to mark it as prepared.
- The item gets a tick and strikethrough styling.
- The card header colour updates based on how many items are done.
- The status is synced to the POS and any other connected displays immediately.
Tap the checkbox again to unmark an item if you made a mistake.
TIP
Mark items as you finish cooking them - not all at once at the end. This keeps the card header colour accurate so front-of-house staff can see preparation progress in real time.
Completing an order
When all items on a card are marked as prepared, the card header turns green and a Order Picked / Served button appears at the bottom of the card.
Tap Order Picked / Served when the order has left the kitchen - handed to the customer, placed on the counter for pickup, or sent out for delivery. The order moves to the Completed tab.
INFO
The Order Picked / Served button only appears after every item on the card is ticked. If it is not showing, check that all items have been marked.
Swipe actions
You can also act on an entire order by swiping the card:
| Swipe | Action |
|---|---|
| Swipe right | Mark all items as prepared and move the order to Completed |
| Swipe left | Reset all items - unmark everything and return the order to In Progress |
Use swipe right as a quick complete when all items are done at the same time. Use swipe left to undo a completion if you swiped by mistake or need to re-prepare items.
Incoming pre-orders
Orders placed in advance for a future time appear in the Incoming tab when they are more than one hour away. They move automatically to the Active tab as the pickup or delivery time approaches.
Pre-orders show a purple Pre-Order badge on the card. Check the Incoming tab at the start of a shift to see what is coming up.
Managing connections
The KDS connects to the POS over your local network using a WebSocket connection. If the display stops receiving orders, the connection may have dropped.
Tap the settings icon (top right corner) to open the Connections screen.
Connection status
Each connection shows a status badge:
| Badge | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Open (green) | Connected and receiving orders |
| Connecting (yellow) | Trying to establish a connection |
| Error / Closed (red) | Connection failed or disconnected |
Refresh a connection
Tap the refresh icon next to a connection to attempt reconnection. Do this if a connection shows Error or Closed.
Add a new connection
- Tap the + Add connection field at the bottom of the connections list.
- Enter the IP address of the POS terminal.
- Enter the port - the default is
59590. Only change this if your POS uses a different port. - Tap Add.
The KDS will connect immediately. The connection address is:
<IP address>:<port>Example: 192.168.1.10:59590
Find the POS IP address and port in POS → Settings → Device Settings.
Remove a connection
Tap the delete icon next to a connection to remove it. Do this to remove a stale or incorrect connection entry.
WARNING
If the KDS is not receiving any orders, check the connections screen first. A red or yellow badge on every connection means the KDS is offline - refresh or re-add the connection before assuming the POS has an issue.
Fullscreen mode
Tap the expand icon in the footer to enter fullscreen mode. Tap it again to exit. Use fullscreen mode to maximise the viewing area during service.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| No orders appearing | Check the Connections screen - all connections may be offline. Tap refresh on each one. |
| Orders delayed or missing | Tap the refresh icon on each connection. If the issue persists, check the POS is running and connected to the same network. |
| Completed an order by mistake | Swipe the card left to reset it - this unmarks all items and returns the order to In Progress. |
| KDS not connecting to POS | See Display Connection Troubleshooting for network and Windows-specific fixes. |
| Can't find the POS IP address | Open POS → Settings → Device Settings - the IP address is listed in the Technical Details panel. |
Next steps
- Display Connection Troubleshooting - Fix connection issues between the KDS and POS
- Connected Devices - Check the KDS appears in the POS connected devices list
- Device Settings - Find the POS IP address and port