Best Kitchen Display Systems (KDS) for Restaurants

A KDS is a kitchen display system that allows for the visual presentation of food preparation, cooking and service. The systems have been gaining popularity in restaurant kitchens due to their ease-of-use, versatility and affordability.

The “kds kitchen display system” is a type of restaurant equipment that allows for an efficient use of space. The systems are typically used to display food and drink items.

In a restaurant kitchen, kitchen display systems (KDS) are computerized order viewing displays that may replace printers and paper tickets. Orders are routed from the point-of-sale (POS) system to the appropriate cooking stations using these methods. A good kitchen display system improves communication in the kitchen, decreases human error, and keeps track of cook times for each dish. At the stroke of a button, the finest systems display a dish’s ingredients and notify consumers when their orders are ready.

The majority of kitchen display systems are integrated into restaurant POS systems and are available for an extra hardware and software charge. We looked at hundreds of kitchen display systems and accompanying POS systems, comparing pricing, simplicity of use, and features to find the best seven kitchen display systems, including the best overall:

KDS Compares the Best Restaurants

Why Should You Use a KDS?

If you’ve never had a problem with kitchen printers or paper tickets, a KDS may seem like a waste of money. A KDS may or may not be the right tool for you, depending on your restaurant’s type and order volume. A KDS, on the other hand, isn’t just a digital replica of a kitchen printer. It does a whole deal more.

• Support for high-volume orders: A KDS can spool far more order tickets than a conventional kitchen line. If you’re having difficulties keeping all of your paper tickets visible during a service rush, a KDS can help.
• A KDS keeps track of every step of the order process in the kitchen. You can monitor how long it takes to finish each ticket and even how long it takes to make each meal. Productivity reports may also indicate the average prep speed of each kitchen station, allowing you to spot training opportunities or notice whether a section is routinely overworked, and adjust your menu accordingly.
• Order status notifications in real time: Most KDS print the prep time of an order right on the ticket. As a result, you’ll always know how long a table or client has been waiting for their dinner. This may assist you in identifying unfavorable client encounters before they occur and taking proactive efforts to improve the situation.
• In-app SMS messaging is supported by several KDS systems to notify consumers when their takeout or delivery orders are available. In busy takeaway and delivery businesses, this simple function may save time and confusion.
• Recipe and plating guides: Recipe look-up tools are included in some KDS. So, if your new line chef doesn’t recall how your Caesar salad is served, they can look it up with a simple click.

KDS systems may also be used to augment kitchen printers. In fact, TouchBistro advocates using a combination of printers and touch screens to keep your kitchen line moving smoothly. You may discover that your team prefers the familiar, app-based order stream of a KDS as younger, more tech-savvy chefs join the restaurant sector.

KDS System for Restaurants: Best Overall

Toast

What We Enjoy

• Customers get automated SMS text updates when their order is ready.
• When orders are ready, servers get notifications through the app.
• It is powered by commercial-grade hardware.
• Tickets with a lot of options

What Isn’t There

• There is no order tracking screen view.
• Toast is the only place where you can get hardware.
• There is no transparency in pricing.

Read the Toast POS Review in its Entirety

Toast Pricing & Features

• Fee for software subscription:
  • Starter – POS (on a monthly basis): Starter – $0, Essentials – $165, Growth $272, Essentials – $165, Growth – $272 POS (monthly)
  • KDS: Quoted on a case-by-case basis
• Hardware expenses are determined on a case-by-case basis.
• Features:
  • Integration of digital ordering
  • Reporting on kitchen productivity
  • Support for a variety of languages
  • Modifiers are color-coded.
  • Ticket formats that can be customized
  • Orders are fired automatically based on prep time.
  • SMS and point-of-sale notifications that are sent automatically

Toast POS is a top-rated cloud-based restaurant POS system, and its KDS solution is as impressive. On this list, Toast’s KDS is the most configurable system. Individual substances and common allergies may be highlighted. You may choose the font size and layout of the information on your order tickets. Customers get text messages when their orders are ready, and servers receive notifications via the POS app when food is ready in the kitchen. The Toast POS begins at 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 can highlight individual ingredients and common allergens. You can choose your font size and how information is arranged on order tickets. This system also sends text messages to customers when their orders are ready, and alerts servers in the POS app when they have food waiting in the kitchen. Pricing for the Toast POS starts at $0 per month; the KDS is an add-on at a custom-quoted price. per month, with the KDS available as an add-on for a custom-quoted charge.

Only Toast and Epson don’t work with iPads, but the most of the KDS systems on this list do. While this means you’ll have to buy KDS screens directly from Toast, it’s also a plus. Toast’s touch-screen KDS tablets have an IP-54 rating for dust, steam, and water droplet protection. Apple’s iPads, on the other hand, are completely shielded against water. Temperatures beyond 95 degrees Fahrenheit may be difficult for iPads, which might be a concern in hot, humid restaurant kitchens.

IP (Ingress Protection) rating: IP stands for “Ingress Protection.” This two-digit rating indicates how resistant digital gadgets are to dust and water. On a range of 0 to 6, the first number indicates a device’s dust resistance; the second digit indicates a device’s water resistance on a scale of 0 to 9. As a result, a device’s greatest IP classification is IP-69.

The toast-built KDS displays are bigger than iPads and designed to endure the heat of a kitchen. (Image courtesy of Toast)

Toast’s KDS uses red font to indicate dish adjustments for easier reading. (Image courtesy of Toast)

You may assign unique colors to items or food allergies so that your chefs don’t miss anything. (Image courtesy of Toast)

The “All Day” view in Toast displays the entire number of dishes available in your kitchen at any one moment. (Image courtesy of Toast)

When an order is tagged “done” in the Toast KDS, you can design unique messages to send to consumers or employees. (Image courtesy of Toast)

Characteristics of Toast

Restaurants may change how menu items are organized on Toast’s KDS. You have the option of grouping modifiers, listing each item individually, or listing the same menu items by amount count. You may change the backdrop color of your goods and modifiers so that chefs and expediters can notice size differences and other alterations at a glance. Order tickets may be arranged by order number for fast service restaurants or by table number for full-service restaurants.

The following are some of Toast’s outstanding features:

• Touch-screen navigation: Show “All Day” View by pressing the quick access buttons in the upper right corner of the screen. You may also see or recall orders that have been completed. You may utilize the overflow menu to check device connection, change text size, and swap users.
• “All day” means “total” or “all together” in restaurant jargon. “All day” is a term used by cooks to describe the entire amount of items they need to make in order to complete all open orders. “How many burgers did you eat all day?” Your kitchen crew will never second-guess the orders they have on deck thanks to Toast’s All Day count screen, which displays your all-day numbers at a glance.
• Preparation timers: If you provide cook timings with your recipes in the Toast POS, you can set up your Toast KDS to sort freshly ordered items by cook time to guarantee that all of the meals on a ticket are ready at the same time. Your KDS will display a running timer on each ticket when an order is “fired” in the POS. As a result, you’ll always be aware of how long a client has been waiting for their purchase.
• Automated messaging: When you designate an order as complete on the Toast KDS, you may have automated messages sent to you. Customers who bought online should get SMS text messages informing them that their takeaway order is ready. Alternatively, notify your server employees with an in-POS notice that their table’s order has been completed. These notifications ensure that your kitchen runs efficiently and that prepared food does not perish in the window.

Toast is a great place to start.

Revel is the best option for high-volume takeout.

Revel

What We Enjoy

• Choose between iPads or ViewSonic’s more durable hardware.
• Supports a “order ready” display for customers.
• Views on many screens Allow your team to monitor orders in the way that suits them best.

What Isn’t There

• A three-year contract is required for POS.
• There is no transparency in pricing.
• Third-party integration is required for integrated SMS messaging.

Read the whole Revel POS review.

Revel Pricing & Features

• Fee for software subscription:
  • POS: $99 per month per terminal, with a $674 setup cost
  • KDS: Quoted on a case-by-case basis
• Hardware expenses are determined on a case-by-case basis.
• Features:
  • Order types are color-coded.
  • Viewing possibilities on several screens
  • The whole day is important.
  • Display that is ready to accept orders from customers.
  • iPad or non-iPad KDS displays are available.
  • Twilio integration for SMS text alerts (beginning at SMS text notifications via Twilio integration (starting at $0.0075 per message).0075 per message)

One of our top choices for high-volume takeaway businesses is Revel Systems’ cloud-based POS. Its built-in KDS blends the customizability of Toast with the pre-configured parameters of Lightspeed to provide a simplified KDS solution. This system includes a customer-facing display that informs customers and delivery drivers when their order is ready, as well as other useful features for takeout and delivery orders. The Revel Systems POS is available for $99 per month.

Revel Systems, on the other hand, contains features like customer relationship management, inventory management, and personnel scheduling that would cost extra on other platforms. The built-in online ordering and in-house delivery management features of the system are also fantastic. Revel is consistently our #1 recommendation for a high-volume, in-house delivery POS solution.

Order types are flagged with distinct colors in Revel’s KDS so that your team can clearly understand how an order should be plated or wrapped. (Image courtesy of Revel)

The “Expedite” view in Revel displays orders in a single column for convenient viewing. (Image courtesy of Revel)

You may utilize the filtering options to concentrate on eat-in, takeaway, delivery, or drive-thru orders if your KDS screen is cluttered with orders. (Image courtesy of Revel)

The Order Ready board at Revel is a customer-facing display that displays which orders are available for pickup. (Image courtesy of Revel)

Highlights to Look For

Revel’s KDS, like Toast’s, enables you to send automated SMS text messages to consumers from inside the KDS, albeit this needs connectivity with Twilio, a third-party messaging tool. High-volume restaurants with many order streams are best suited to Revel’s full-spectrum restaurant features. Smaller businesses are unlikely to utilize all of the functions, and learning all of the system’s ins and outs may be difficult.

The following are some of Revel’s notable features:

• Views on many screens: The KDS from Revel Systems provides cooks and expeditors with a variety of dynamic viewing choices, including Expedite, Expedite Tile, Kitchen Screen, and Order Display. Revel Systems also has a customer-facing Order Available panel that shows orders by client name so that you can see which ones are ready to pick up. Orders may be color-coded on this page to distinguish between to-go, drive-thru, and curbside pickups, which is a huge time savings for businesses that use numerous third-party delivery services.
• Choose your hardware carefully: Revel’s KDS, like the majority of the systems on this list, is operated on iPads. A ViewSonic VSD243 smart display, on the other hand, is a better option if you want more durable hardware or a bigger screen. Even if you want to utilize iPads, Revel customers must buy their KDS hardware directly via Revel, much like Toast users. Hardware acquired from third parties is not supported by Revel.
• Revel Systems’ KDS includes a “All Day” view, similar to Toast, so chefs can see precisely how much of a menu item they have on hand. Each prep station may be assigned a color by Revel Systems, allowing you to see which chef is preparing which menu item at a glance.
• Color-coding order types in ticket headers indicates the order type, allowing chefs to decide whether to plate or bag and box goods.

Pay a visit to Revel

Restaurants that use third-party delivery platforms should use Lightspeed.

Lightspeed

What We Enjoy

• On the KDS screen, the Show and Tell functionalities show the dish picture and ingredients.
• Cooks are drawn to blinking tickets and audible notifications.
• Software price transparency

What Isn’t There

• There are fewer customization possibilities on this list than on others.
• To work, a browser-based system requires a good internet connection.
• Does not allow for automatic order-ready notifications to be sent.

Read the full review of Lightspeed Restaurant.

Lightspeed Restaurant Pricing & Features

• Fee for software subscription:
  • POS: The first terminal is $59 per month. Each additional terminal costs $34 per month.
  • KDS: $12 a month, per screen
• Hardware expenses are determined on a case-by-case basis. from Lightspeed, or you can bring your own iPads
• Features:
  • Lookup for a recipe
  • Views on many screens
  • Order status is color-coded.
  • Audio notifications are available as an option.
  • KDS orders from third-party platforms

Lightspeed POS is an iPad-based cloud-based point-of-sale system. Lightspeed’s KDS module, dubbed Lightspeed Kitchen, works on iPads, much like the underlying POS. This simplified approach interfaces with a variety of third-party delivery systems and tags third-party orders in the KDS by platform. Lightspeed Kitchen combines flashing and sound notifications in addition to color-based warnings to draw attention to waiting orders or tickets that are taking too long. Lightspeed Restaurant’s POS is available for $59 a month. The KDS is an extra $12 per month per screen.

Lightspeed Kitchen lacks the same level of customization as Toast’s KDS. However, eateries searching for a more straightforward option may prefer this. Because Lightspeed Kitchen is a browser-based program, it requires an internet connection to function. Lightspeed Kitchen’s simplified structure, on the other hand, is ideal for keeping quick-service and small, independent restaurants organized.

The Grid View in Lightspeed Kitchen displays all tickets at a similar size. (Photo courtesy of Lightspeed)

Dynamic View displays tickets based on order length, allowing your team to quickly spot big or difficult orders. (Photo courtesy of Lightspeed)

Working orders, finished orders, and new orders are all identified by color codes. The referring order platform is indicated on to-go orders. (Photo courtesy of Lightspeed)

Your team may see item photos and ingredients immediately on the Lightspeed Kitchen screen using the Show and Tell feature. (Photo courtesy of Lightspeed)

Lightspeed users may utilize a non-touchscreen display as a KDS by connecting an Intel stick and a navigation bump bar. (Photo courtesy of Lightspeed)

Highlights of Lightspeed

Lightspeed, like Revel, makes Lightspeed Kitchen available on both iPads and non-iPad displays. The non-iPad displays at Lightspeed are not touch screens. Instead, users utilize a bump bar, which is a device that links to a kitchen display screen and allows restaurant personnel to move digital order chits across non-touch displays. Bump bars are used by certain chefs because they are simple to handle with wet or gloved hands.

Other notable elements of Lightspeed include:

• A 14-day free trial is available through Lightspeed. So you may try out all of Lightspeed Restaurant’s POS features before committing.
• Order status is color-coded.: Tickets in different stages of the preparation pipeline appear with pre-configured colors: gray for New or Archived, orange for Preparing, green for Done, and red for Voided.
• Filtered ticket views: You may filter tickets by active, new, preparing, done, or archived state from the upper left corner of the Lightspeed Kitchen screen. Single or double taps may be used to shift tickets from one order step to the next.
• Online orders are labeled with the name of the referring platform by Lightspeed. Lightspeed also interfaces with practically any third-party platform you can think of thanks to a Deliverect integration. Even if you work with many platforms, you can maintain track of your third-party orders.

Lightspeed is a great place to start.

Square: Best for Budget Restaurants

Square

What We Enjoy

• The subscription to Baseline POS is free.
• Users are welcome to bring their own iPads.
• Free trial for 30 days
• Promotions are held on a regular basis to help customers save money on software.

What Isn’t There

• There isn’t any offline functionality.
• Does not allow for automatic order-ready notifications to be sent.
• Customizability is limited.

Read the whole Square for Restaurants review here.

Square Pricing & Features

• Fee for software subscription:
  • POS (on a monthly basis):
    • Free – $0
    • Premium (60 dollars)
    • Custom Quote (Advanced)
  • KDSKDSKDSKDSKDSK (monthly)
• Costs of hardware: You may use your own iPads or buy Square registers for $169 to $799.
• Features:
  • Color coding that can be customized
  • Timer and notifications that may be customized
  • Ticket layouts that can be customized
  • Reports on kitchen productivity

Square for Restaurants is a cloud-based POS system that is best suited for small enterprises on a budget, since the software offers a free plan for life and a $60 per month advanced plan. Square for Restaurants is especially recommended for food trucks, quick service restaurants, cafés, slice shops, and bakeries. The KDS is just $20 per device if you’re using Square for Restaurants’ free version. KDS software for limitless devices is offered for free with Square for Restaurants Plus.

Square is now running a campaign that allows Free users to get the KDS for $10 per terminal, each month, until December 31st.

Square for Restaurants is the ideal KDS for restaurants on a budget because of its low cost and flexibility to utilize existing hardware. Square is not too adjustable, despite the fact that you may alter your KDS views in a variety of ways, from ticket size to alert colors. As a result, it’s a great choice for small eateries looking for a straightforward KDS solution.

Voided products in the Square KDS appear on the ticket where they were initially ordered, rather than on a separate ticket, eliminating kitchen confusion. (Image courtesy of Square)

Square users may change the font size, the amount of tickets per page, the timers and alarms that display on KDS tickets, and the items that appear on KDS tickets. (Image courtesy of Square)

Individual things may be readily marked as done by users, letting the rest of the team know how near an order is to being fulfilled. (Image courtesy of Square)

The average completion time for each KDS station is shown in Square’s Kitchen Performance report, allowing you to discover training opportunities. (Image courtesy of Square)

Characteristics of a Square

Perhaps the Square KDS’s sole flaw is that, like Lightspeed, it is completely reliant on a robust internet connection. With a hybrid installation, there is currently no way to hardwire a connection (like Epson) or boost offline capabilities (like Revel and Toast). Square KDS and its POS, on the other hand, continue to provide excellent value at a cheap price point.

Square’s KDS has a few outstanding characteristics as well:

• Tickets with voids: Every other KDS on this list treats voids as distinct tickets. These tickets are usually labelled with the same ticket or table number as the original ticket, although on a busy night, this may still result in over-prepared food. Square highlights canceled goods in red on the original ticket. As a result, if table 25 cancels their soup order, your cooks will be notified immediately.
• Customizable views: You may customize the text size, the amount of tickets shown each page, and the notification settings for new orders on each Square KDS. As a result, your chefs will be able to see orders in the manner that they choose.
• Free online ordering: The KDS displays online orders for all of the systems on this list. Square for Restaurants, on the other hand, is the only POS that comes with a free online ordering portal. In addition to getting online orders immediately in their KDS order stream, Square customers may be certain that they will not be charged any additional fees for such items.

Square should be visited.

TouchBistro is ideal for busy fast-casual restaurants.

TouchBistro

What We Enjoy

• This KDS is highly user-friendly thanks to smart onscreen navigation features.
• Counts are kept throughout the day.
• KDS only needs a one-time hardware purchase; no recurring software payments are required.

What Isn’t There

• Not as adaptable as some of the other systems on this list.
• Recipe search, printing from KDS, and automatic text messaging are all missing.
• Hardware expenses are determined on a case-by-case basis.

Read the TouchBistro POS Review in its Entirety

TouchBistro Pricing & Features

• Fee for software subscription:
  • POS: $69 per month, per terminal
  • KDS: Only the hardware is expensive.
• Hardware expenses are determined on a case-by-case basis.
• Features:
  • Order Summary view (shows The whole day is important.)
  • Preparation timers
  • Ticket scroll bar on screen
  • Tickets that are color-coded
  • On-ticket Preparation timers

TouchBistro is an iPad-based restaurant POS designed exclusively for the foodservice sector by former restaurant staff. At a mid-range pricing point, the whole software ecosystem comprises a point-of-sale system, inventory management, and a kitchen display system. For a single terminal, the system begins at $69 per month. There are no recurring monthly software expenses when adding the KDS; there are just custom-quoted hardware charges.

Extras such as printing labels straight from the KDS (like with the standalone Fresh KDS) and sending SMS messages to consumers are lacking from the system (like Toast). Offline functionality is restricted since it is cloud-based. TouchBistro’s simplified interface, fast ticket re-arrangement, and summary views, on the other hand, make this KDS a fantastic tool for quick-service restaurants with a large number of in-person orders.

For rapid navigating, Touchbistro’s KDS features a ticket scroll bar at the bottom of the screen. (Photo courtesy of TouchBistro)

TouchBistro, like Toast, highlights order adjustments in red so that chefs don’t miss them. (Photo courtesy of TouchBistro)

TouchBistro’s equivalent of the all-day count is the Summary view. (Photo courtesy of TouchBistro)

Highlights of TouchBistro

Any of the systems on this list may be used with kitchen printers, however TouchBistro strongly advises customers to include printers in their KDS package. They view the displays as a supplement to your kitchen printers rather than a replacement. It’s fairly unusual to use printers in conjunction with KDS displays. You can print tickets to staple to takeaway bags by adding printers. Printed tickets also aid in identifying orders in queue at the kitchen pass, ensuring that each meal is delivered to the proper consumer.

The following are some of TouchBistro’s notable features:

• TouchBistro’s user interface is very user-friendly, featuring touch-screen navigation that is intuitive. If problems or modifications emerge during service, the ticket ticker at the bottom of the KDS screen may help you quickly identify a particular issue.
• Purchase timers.: When an item on an order ticket gets “fired,” it becomes yellow and begins a running timer that displays how long it has been in preparation.
• TouchBistro’s Summary view is readily accessible from the upper left corner of the KDS screen. TouchBistro’s Summary view, like Toast and Revel’s “All Day” counts, tells your crew the total amount of each dish the kitchen has to create to complete all open orders.
• Modifiers are color-coded.: Like Lightspeed and Toast, TouchBistro shows order modifiers in red type so your cooks can see them at a glance. This slight difference helps your cooks make each dish to customers’ specifications.

TouchBistro is a great place to start.

Fresh KDS: Best Touch-Screen Freestanding KDS

Fresh KDS

What We Enjoy

• Custom text messaging and a customer-facing Order Tracker panel are included (with Advanced subscription)
• There are many POS connectors available.
• Offers a seven-day trial period.
• Configuration of the bump bar is optional.

What Isn’t There

• There isn’t any offline functionality.; requires strong internet connection
• Only works on iPads; no commercial-grade hardware is available.
• For restaurants that depend on Zapier for POS connectivity, integration fees might be costly.

Fresh KDS Pricing & Features

• Fee for software subscription:
  • $29 per month (basic)
  • $49 per month (advanced)
  • Up to two displays are included in the subscription; extra screens cost $5 per month each.
• Costs of hardware: Runs on iPads; users may provide their own.
• Features:
  • Square, Clover, Northstar, Talech, INVU, Linga, Shopify, WooCommerce, and any other system that interfaces with Zapier are all supported.
  • Order tickets that are color-coded
  • Purchase timers.
  • Sound notifications are available as an option.
  • Printing from the KDS screen is an option.

Fresh KDS is an iPad-based KDS system that interacts with a variety of major POS systems, including Square and Shopify. Any system that interacts with Zapier may unlock more connections, but that intermediary plug-in has its own monthly and per-task fees, so your charges can soon pile up.

Fresh KDS has all the basic KDS features accounted for, including Tickets that are color-coded by order status, tickets labeled by order type, color-coded order modifiers, and prep time reports. Like Square and Lightspeed’s KDS, this completely wireless system requires a strong internet connection to work.

Basic and Advanced subscriptions are available for $29 and $49 per month, respectively. The system may handle up to 10 displays at a single place, and each subscription provides software for two KDS screens.

Fresh KDS offers noteworthy features including automatic customer SMS text messaging (similar to Toast and Revel) and a consumer-facing order monitoring page at the advanced subscription level (like Revel).

Fresh KDS uses customisable colors to denote order type, order status, and menu modifiers. (Image courtesy of Fresh KDS)

Tile View on Fresh KDS displays the most tickets on a single screen. (Image courtesy of Fresh KDS)

Split View allows you to divide various order kinds into two lines. (Image courtesy of Fresh KDS)

Food runners who often walk between the low-light dining area and the brilliantly lighted kitchen will benefit from the Fresh KDS darkmode. (Image courtesy of Fresh KDS)

Fresh KDS, like Revel, has a customer-facing order tracker that lets consumers know when their food is ready. (Image courtesy of Fresh KDS)

KDS’s Newest Highlights

Fresh KDS promotes a paperless kitchen environment. If you want to produce tickets or sticky labels on demand, you may install a label or ticket printer. This feature aids in the labeling of to-go orders and the avoidance of mix-ups in busy takeaway businesses. If you wish to try the system before committing to a full membership, Fresh KDS provides a seven-day free trial.

The following are some of the highlights of Fresh KDS:

• Colors can be changed: Just like toast, Fresh KDS allows you to change almost every color on the screen. Select the colors for your ticket status, order type, and order changes labels. You may also set the full KDS screen to a bright or dark mode.
• Customizable screen views: With the Tile view, you may organize your Fresh KDS tickets in tidy, separate columns or cram them into all available screen space. Split View enables you to divide your screen into two order streams, which is useful for distinguishing between eat-in and to-go orders, as well as pickup and delivery orders.
• When you designate orders as complete, Fresh KDS sends out automatic SMS text messages, much like Toast and Revel. Fresh KDS, on the other hand, gives you even more messaging possibilities. You may set up notifications for when new orders arrive and when your team starts working on them. You may also create personalized messages for other order types, such as eat-in, curbside, pick-up, and delivery.
• Fresh KDS has an optional customer-facing order tracking interface, similar to Revel. This is great for counter-service restaurants or businesses that process a large number of takeaway orders. When a KDS ticket is marked as finished in your kitchen, the order status on the tracking page refreshes to inform clients that their meal is ready.

Fresh KDS may be found on the internet.

The Epson KDS is the best printer for offline use.

Epson KDS

What We Enjoy

• Integrates with a variety of POS systems, both legacy and cloud-based.
• Without an internet connection, locally networked installation setup options are available.
• It’s built on commercial-grade hardware that’s approved for IP54.

What Isn’t There

• The setup requires a large number of connections and power outlets.
• Hardware that is more expensive than a basic iPad-based system
• The user interface is out of date.

Epson Pricing & Features

• Fee for software subscription: Varies depending on your POS provider
• Hardware costs: Vary depending on the reseller; pricing ranges are based on prices from a variety of resellers.
  • Individual components (screens, printers, bump bars, and so on) cost between $170 and $649.
  • $1,443 for KDS station kits (includes printer, monitor, and bump bar).
• Features:
  • Aldelo, Aloha, Cake, Casio 6000, Casio 6600, Digital Dining, Dinerware, Duet, Epson, Galaxy, Lavu, LineSkip, Linga, Media Mix, Micros 3700, Micros E7, Micros Simphony, NCC USA, Positouch M5, Skywire, Squirrel, Talech SE, Talech, Tavlo, Upserve, Talech SE, Talech,
  • Look up a recipe
  • Purchase timers.
  • Order status is color-coded.

Epson’s KDS is a stand-alone, POS-independent, locally networked KDS powered by Epson kitchen printers. On this list, this configuration is unique: Each of your KDS stations will have a backup printer if your display fails since the Epson KDS displays and bump bars are routed via locally networked Epson kitchen printers. Epson’s KDS does not need internet access since it is implemented utilizing ethernet cables and a central communication hub. Epson’s KDS screens, like Toast’s, are IP-54 certified, making display failures improbable.

The Epson KDS hardware is compatible with a variety of POS systems, the majority of which are historical, locally installed systems such as Micros and Aloha. You can acquire a high-functioning KDS if you have a vintage POS. Epson also works with cloud-based POS systems like Upserve and Talech, so you don’t have to stick with an outdated system. Epson, on the other hand, provides bump bar enabled panels with touch-screen KDS alternatives if you choose to keep things old-school.

Epson’s KDS screens are commercial-grade and built to endure the heat of a busy kitchen. (Photo courtesy of Epson)

Epson offers a variety of mounting options for KDS screens, allowing you to put them in the most convenient locations in your kitchen. (Photo courtesy of Epson)

Bump bars are included in the default Epson KDS installation to help you navigate non-touchscreen displays. (Photo courtesy of Epson)

Epson employs a simple strikethrough to indicate which items on each order ticket have been completed. (Photo courtesy of Epson)

Highlights of the Epson KDS

Epson’s KDS is more of a hardware solution than a software one since it uses the information directed to your kitchen printers. The hardware cost of adding an Epson KDS to a suitable POS system is usually the only expenditure. However, your POS provider may charge an additional software price for integrating KDS, so be sure to inquire.

The following are some of the notable characteristics of the Epson KDS:

• Epson is locally networked, therefore it has robust offline functionality. So your printers, displays, and bump bars are all connected via hardwire. Epson’s KDS, unlike the other systems on this list, does not need an internet or Wi-Fi connection to function. So don’t worry if you can’t maintain a strong Wi-Fi connection in your kitchen—your KDS will still operate.
• Commercial-grade hardware: Like Toast, Epson’s KDS It is powered by 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 black-and-white, grid-based user interface is a tad old-school. Touch-screen and bump bar alternatives are available. Bump bar navigation is also considered outdated by some chefs. Bump bars, on the other hand, are preferred by some because they are simpler to use with gloved hands or moist fingers. Epson, like Lightspeed, offers both bump bar-enabled and touchscreen displays.
• Look up a recipe from KDS: Like Lightspeed, Epson allows your staff to access recipe information directly from the KDS screen. You just need to be sure to attach a recipe to each dish.

Go to Epson’s website.

What We Looked For When We Were Evaluating Kitchen Display Systems

The best kitchen display system for your restaurant will be determined by the kind of business and the amount of money you have to spend on restaurant software. Because KDS are usually connected to a restaurant’s point-of-sale system, the kitchen display choices accessible are determined by the POS system.

We looked at a number of factors to find the ideal KDS for different restaurant styles:

• We looked at the cost of each system, including hardware, monthly software payments, and installation expenses.
• We looked examined how simple each screen is to read and navigate, as well as what time-saving features each system had to offer.
• Order filtering and Purchase timers.: A high-functioning display system should support Views on many screens, allow you to filter tickets by order type, and show how long each ticket has been in the order queue.
• Standout features: We also looked at whether each system has bonus features like Look up a recipe, label printing, text messaging, or the ability to sync with customer displays.
• If a KDS is connected to a POS system, it should be able to perform reporting activities. Restaurants can fix service delays and estimate future sales by tracking order fulfillment times, order correctness, and kitchen efficiency.

Conclusion

After comparing several KDS and underlying POS systems, we determined Toast offers the best overall restaurant kitchen display system. The Toast KDS is highly customizable to support many restaurant service styles and restaurant worker preferences. This easy-to-use KDS also includes automated order alerts for staff and customers. In addition to the KDS, Toast’s overall POS system is well-reviewed by customers and a consistently top-performing restaurant POS. To get a closer look at Toast its KDS, Toast is a great place to start. for a demo.

Toast is a great place to start.

The “toast kitchen display system” is a popular choice for restaurants. This system allows users to make and serve food with ease. They are also able to keep their costs low, while being able to showcase their products.

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