Kitchen Display Screen (KDS)

This article will take a look at the different functions and features of the Kitchen Display Screen (KDS) and how to use them.

View Order Tickets

Select “Kitchen Display Screen” or “Kitchen Post,” depending on your needs- the KDS will show all tickets, while Kitchen Post only displays orders routed to certain stations. The use of the Kitchen Post feature will depend on your kitchen layout, number of stations, and desired workflow.

This is what the display looks like:

The number of open tickets is displayed at the top of the screen.

TICKETS

Here’s an example of an individual ticket. It displays the time elapsed since the order was placed, and any Special Requests are highlighted gray. Special requests may apply to the entire order, or may be put in for a specific item, like this:

Filter Tickets/Change View

At the top of the screen, you will have a few options to sort or view tickets differently from the default display:

The Station dropdown menu allows you to view only the orders placed at a particular Ninja station (e.g. Drive Thru, Front Counter, Online Order, etc.). Otherwise, the KDS will display all tickets from all stations. The selections in this menu will vary by restaurant:

Show Drafts displays tickets that are in progress but haven’t been submitted yet. Draft tickets will be blue for easy identification. Once the order is submitted by the Ninja, the ticket will change colors:

The draft view allows kitchen staff to begin preparing orders as they are being entered in by the Ninja, cutting down on ticket time. 

Show Served will display any tickets that you have finished and marked “Served,” in addition to the Open Tickets. Served tickets are displayed in green with the text crossed out. The “Undo” button will make the ticket live again:

Show Future will display any orders that have been placed for future pickup more than 24 hours away, along with the date and time. This is only relevant to restaurants that offer scheduled pickup.

Here’s an example of 3 live tickets, 1 draft, and 2 served tickets, between 2 different Ninja stations:

Finish Tickets to Clear From Screen

Hit “SERVE” at the bottom of the ticket when the order is made and ready to be served. This will clear the ticket from the screen (unless you have “Show Served” toggled on, in which case it will change colors).

This does not close the ticket- it just removes it from the KDS view. To bring up order information on served tickets, select “Open Orders” in the navigation menu.

To completely close out an order, you will have to take payment then select “Complete.” (See article: Taking Payment)

“Should I select Kitchen Display or Kitchen Post on my kitchen monitors?”

• This really depends on the number of stations there are in your kitchen, and whether your kitchen layout and workflow allows for orders to be routed to particular stations. Talk to your account manager to see what options are available.

“What is the Customer Display option on the Portal menu?”

• This is what will be displayed on the customer-facing terminals, and will be the default view in between active order-taking. It should be scrolling through the menu in “presentation” mode when a customer is not actively placing an order.

“If we run out of an item temporarily, can I remove it from the Ninja Portal so Ninjas are unable to ring it in?”

• Yes! You can easily switch out-of-stock items off so they don’t show as available on the POS. Just go to the Menu Management tab in the navigational menu. There you will see a list of all items- all you have to do is toggle the item off. Just remember to turn it back on when it is available again. You can also edit prices, names, and photos of items if needed. Some larger changes or additions will need to be made by our software team, particularly for integrated menus- in this case, just let us know what you need changed.

If you have any technical issues with the Kitchen Display or Ninja Portal…

• Always attempt to restart the monitor that you are having issues on. If the problem appears to be Portal and not device-specific, please report it so we can troubleshoot. 
• During shifts you can contact the Client Success Team in the chat labeled “HQ,” from your Kitchen Communication Hub or from your personal account. There will always be someone monitoring the chat messages during hours of operation, so we should receive your message quickly. You may also contact our central phone number at (901) 422-6337 for immediate assistance. 
• If you don’t need immediate assistance or have a suggestion that is not time-sensitive, you can either message us in the chat or submit a support request here.

• Taking Payments
• Zenu Reports