Square Rolls Out Standalone KDS
Square KDS is launching as a subscription, making the kitchen display software available to all restaurants - including those that don’t need a POS to take orders or for advanced functionality, and simply need a KDS to manage and fulfill orders from online ordering and delivery partners.
Square originally announced the availability of Square KDS last November on Square for Restaurants Plus. While Square KDS combined with Square for Restaurants Plus is a powerful solution for any restaurant that experiences high order volume across multiple channels, Square KDS as a standalone solution is especially useful for delivery-only kitchen’s - often referred to as ghost or cloud kitchens.
Burgerism, a restaurant based in Salford, UK, started with delivery-only orders and recently expanded to include pickup when they saw a trend of customers parking outside their kitchen addresses. “I’m an independent restaurant owner that recently opened a single location ‘ghost kitchen’ to save on rent and labor costs during the pandemic,” said John O’Reilly, co-owner of Burgerism. “Since my business runs on online and pickup orders, all of my physical space is dedicated to driving kitchen efficiency. I don’t really need a POS system, and Square KDS can manage everything I need - from order acceptance, to item routing, to fulfillment,” he continued.
Square KDS was built to quickly and easily enhance communication between cooks and customers, ultimately improving order efficiency and cutting costs. Restaurants can fulfill orders however a customer prefers, whether that’s physically in the dining room, or via takeout, delivery, or curbside pickup. Square KDS seamlessly integrates orders from the point-of-sale, Square Online, and 3rd party online ordering & delivery platforms, providing restaurants with one, central place to manage orders.
Square KDS also helps to keep your kitchen running smoothly with features like ticket timers and alerts, performance reports, and customized layouts and notifications to fit your kitchen’s unique setup. Restaurants can set themselves up in minutes with no long-term commitments, or professional installation costs, allowing operators to keep staff training time to a minimum.
Square KDS is now available in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and Ireland. US sellers can get started with a special introductory price of $10/mo per device through the remainder of 2021. Square for Restaurants Plus subscribers can access unlimited Square KDS devices at no additional cost.
Every business has different needs, and with Square, sellers can fulfill orders however it makes the most sense for their business - whether that’s via curbside pickup, local delivery, on-demand delivery through delivery partners, self-serve ordering through QR codes, or newly announced alcohol delivery.
