How to Optimize Restaurant Ordering Fulfillment Processes with KDS

Restaurant conditions are continuing to shape up to a new and more positive normal. New consumer behaviors like online, in-app and delivery ordering have increased and restaurants are finding new and unique ways to rise to the challenge, including the implementation of kitchen technology solutions.

Customer expectations have intensified and although many restaurants have made changes to accommodate these demands, many don’t have an effective way to manage the new ways they operate. More than ever, restaurants are looking for new opportunities to increase revenue while streamlining operations. In fact, more than four in 10 operators plan to invest in equipment or technology to increase productivity in the front and back of house this year.

• 58% of restaurant operators cite the difficulty integrating with legacy systems as their top technology challenge, according to HT’s 2023 Restaurant Technology Study

Kitchen Display Systems (KDS) offer a solution for restaurants to combat the challenges of limited staff and increased orders. Implementing a KDS can optimize restaurant operations and the ordering fulfillment process in several ways.

1. Improving Front-and Back-of-House Communications

To meet customer demands, many restaurants now accept orders online, in-app, through self-service kiosks, at the counter, or a table. Having orders come from multiple touchpoints can complicate the front-and-back-of-house communications. A KDS that can seamlessly connect to POS systems allows restauranteurs to optimize their kitchen operations with digital order management from any point of origination.

Having to coordinate staff working on different orders or in separate stations can be overwhelming, even for the most organized kitchens. KDS is crucial to helping eliminate confusion on current orders by automatically routing orders to the appropriate station with the correct modifications, ensuring everyone knows what they need to be working on.

The kitchen staff can also benefit from the current order status detail provided by the KDS. Staff can easily see whether an order is complete, in progress or outstanding and can track ticket times to ensure that orders are being sent out in a timely manner.

2. Adding Labels to Prevent Confusion

In addition to KDS that gets orders to the prep area fast, adding liner-free thermal label printing solutions can support order delivery workflow, making it easy to print and personalize on-the-spot packaging labels for both online and to-go orders. A KDS that features "bump and print" functionality allows the restaurant staff to bump a digital ticket on the KDS and a corresponding label automatically prints for that order.

The liner-free label can then immediately be attached to a cup, plate, lid, take-out container, bag, or box without the need to waste time removing and disposing of a backing. These labels can ensure that the front-of-house staff hands out the correct order when being picked up.

3. Increasing Order Speed and Accuracy

In today’s environment, it is difficult for restaurants to anticipate the number of orders that come in at any given time, and the kitchen needs a way to accurately track the parts of each order and direct them to the correct destination. KDS makes it easier for staff to stay informed about customer orders and kitchen operations by providing real-time access to data from multiple locations.

With digital ordering more popular than ever, restaurants need a way to seamlessly handle orders that are off premises. POS systems with an integrated online ordering capability along with an integrated KDS can help eliminate the need for online order tracking and manual data entry, saving time and increasing accuracy.

Three Features to Consider

As restaurants look to implement KDS into their operations, it’s important to identify a solution that works for them and offers the necessary features that will benefit their business. First, ease of use is key. A KDS with an intuitive interface provides a seamless user experience, ensuring that not only existing staff can understand and easily interact with the system, but future staff will have easier training and onboarding as well.

Secondly, flexible configuration and integration is important. KDS with POS agnostic features allows restaurants to use the current POS system in place, reducing additional spend on new POS devices or modifications to an existing system. Additionally, KDS that offers easy integration with both traditional POS terminals and tablet or mobile POS systems provides flexibility to fit the restaurant’s needs.
Lastly, restaurant workflows can change quickly. A KDS that has the ability to scale and add a new station or printer to the workflow, allows restaurants to adjust their system as needed.