KDS frequently asked questions

Short answers to the questions merchants ask most about the kitchen display. Each points to the article with the full detail.

Getting started

Do I need to create my menu items first? Yes. KDS routes items you've already built — it doesn't create them. Set up your products and categories first. See the KDS overview ("Before you start").

Routing

Do I need to route items if I only have one station? No. With a single station, every item automatically goes to it — there's nothing to set up. The Menu routing page just shows a note saying so. Routing only starts to matter once you add a second station, at which point each item needs to be told which station makes it. (If you run more than one site, this counts per site: one station at each site still routes automatically — see KDS across multiple locations.) See Route menu items to stations.

Can an item go to multiple stations? Yes. Route one item to as many stations as you like (e.g. a drink for two different bars). See Route menu items to stations.

What happens if an item isn't routed to any station? It still sells at the till, but with two or more stations the consequence is bigger than "that item is missing," and it depends on how the order was placed. Rung up on the till, any order containing it gets no kitchen ticket at all — every item on that order, not just the unrouted one. Placed by the customer through QR ordering or click & collect, the rest of the order still reaches the kitchen and only the unrouted item is dropped. Both happen silently. Route it before it ends up on a real order. (With one station this can't happen: everything goes there automatically.) See Route menu items to stations.

Why didn't my order reach the kitchen at all? The most common cause with two or more stations: one item on the order has no route (item or category). On a till order that's an all-or-nothing check — it doesn't just drop the one line, it rejects the whole order's kitchen ticket, on every station, silently. (On a QR or click & collect order, you'd instead get a ticket with that one line missing; a completely unrouted order sends nothing on any channel.) Check Menu routing (or Stations) for the unrouted-items banner and route what it names. One case the banner can't catch: a keypad or "custom amount" sale has no menu item to route in the first place, so it hits the same failure with no warning at all — avoid ringing those through the cart while running two or more stations until this is addressed on our side. See Troubleshooting kitchen display problems.

I added a second station and some items stopped reaching the kitchen — why? While you had one station, everything routed to it automatically. Adding a second station switches routing to manual, so an item without its own route stops reaching the kitchen — and on a till order it takes the whole order with it, not just that item, until you route it. The station create form warns you about this before you add the second station. Open Route menu items to stations and route the affected items.

Can I route items at the category level instead of one-by-one? Yes — each category header has a "Route all to" picker that routes every item in it to a station in one go, then you can fine-tune. See Route menu items to stations.

I added a product with the Assistant — how do I get it to the kitchen? A brand-new product isn't routed anywhere yet, and the Assistant can't route it for you — routing stays a decision you make on the routing screen. So its approval card gives you a Route it to the kitchen link that opens this screen with that product already found: tick the station, done. See Change your menu by asking.

Stations

What's the difference between prep and expo stations? Prep stations see only the items routed to them; expo stations automatically see every item. See Station kinds: prep vs expo.

Do I need to route items to expo stations? No — an expo station receives everything on the orders that reach the kitchen. It is not a safety net for unrouted items, though: an item routed to no station at all will still cost you the whole ticket on a till order, expo included. See Station kinds: prep vs expo.

If I have multiple locations, can each have its own stations? Yes — each station belongs to one location. See KDS across multiple locations.

Both my sites have a station called "Kitchen" — how do I tell them apart when routing? Pick the site in the Location picker at the top of Menu routing. The station buttons then show only that site's stations (plus any station that serves all locations), and each button is labelled with its location. The items narrow to what that site's menus actually serve. Routing at one site never changes the routes you set at the other.

Menu routing says items aren't routed, but each of my two sites has one screen. Is something wrong? No — and you shouldn't be seeing that message any more. The single-station shortcut is counted per site, so one screen at each of two sites means both are automatic and neither is flagged. If you still see a warning, one of your sites has two or more stations (a station with no location set counts at every site — check Stations). The warning names the site it means, so start there.

One of my sites has no kitchen screen and I'm being told nothing reaches the kitchen. How do I route it? You can't, and you don't need to. That message means the site has no station at all, so there is nowhere for its orders to go — routing can only choose between stations that exist. If that site has a kitchen, add a station for it on Stations. If it doesn't have one, nothing is broken.

Screens and links

How many screens can one station have? As many as you like — one screen link per device. See Get and manage kitchen screen links.

How do I know which station a screen link belongs to? Label each link (e.g. "Wall screen") when you create it. See Get and manage kitchen screen links.

How do I revoke access to a kitchen screen? Revoke its link on the station's page — the device stops receiving tickets immediately. See Get and manage kitchen screen links.

Alerts and recall

What does the amber/red colouring on tickets mean? Amber at the ready threshold, red at the late threshold — a ticket ageing past those times. See Pacing alerts: ready, late, and recall.

Why is an item crossed out with a "Voided" tag? A line was voided off the bill at the till while the order was still in the kitchen. It shows struck through with a red Voided tag so the kitchen knows to stop making that item — the rest of the ticket carries on as normal. If every item on a ticket ends up voided, the whole ticket clears itself.

How long do completed (bumped) tickets stay visible? For the recall window (default 30 minutes, up to 24 hours). See Pacing alerts: ready, late, and recall.

What does "recall" mean in the station settings? How long a bumped ticket stays reachable to bring back. See Pacing alerts: ready, late, and recall.

Tickets and layouts

Can I change what fields appear on kitchen tickets? Yes — drag fields in and out in the Ticket editor. See Design a KDS screen layout and Screen layout fields.

Can I set different layouts for different stations? Yes — one layout can be assigned to many stations, and different stations can use different layouts. See Design a KDS screen layout.

Do layout changes require a screen restart? No — they apply on the next screen load. See Design a KDS screen layout.

What happens if I delete a ticket layout? Any station using it falls back to no layout until you assign a new one — reassign those stations after deleting. See Design a printer ticket or Design a KDS screen layout.

Printers

Can a printer station also show tickets on the web screen? Yes — turn on "Also show on a screen". See Printer station: also show on a screen.

Why are my tickets showing on the printer station's screen when I don't want them to? "Also show on a screen" is turned on — turn it off. See Printer station: also show on a screen.

Can I print two different tickets for one order? Yes — set "Tickets per order" to 2, each with its own printer and layout. See Two tickets per order.

Why isn't my printer printing tickets? A printer station needs both a printer and a layout, and the printer must be reachable. See Troubleshooting kitchen display problems and Printer not responding — checklist.