Live Kitchen Display: How Orders Actually Move From Pending to Served
An order used to mean a ticket, written by hand, carried across the floor and clipped to a rail where the kitchen might notice it eventually. That's the part a live kitchen display actually removes. The moment someone orders, by WhatsApp or by scanning a table's QR code, the kitchen sees it, no one has to walk it over.
This is what a Kitchen Display System (KDS) means in practice: the screen that replaces printed KOT (Kitchen Order Ticket) slips, not a fancier version of the same paper.
What actually lands on the kitchen screen
The screen is split into two columns: New, for orders that just came in, and Preparing, for the ones already being cooked. Each order gets its own card, even if two orders land for the same table at nearly the same time, so nothing gets merged or lost in translation. A single tap moves an order from New to Preparing, and another tap marks it Ready. That's the whole interaction a cook needs to learn.
Printing is optional, not assumed
Some kitchens still want a paper ticket at the pass, some don't. Auto-print can be switched on so a kitchen order ticket prints the moment an order comes in, or left off entirely and run purely off the screen. Either way, there's a manual print button on every card for a one-off reprint, and a test print button to check the printer without waiting for a real order.
Where it fits with everything else
Once an order is marked Ready, it moves off this screen, it isn't the kitchen's job to track a plate after that point. Served orders, table status, and the Call Staff button a diner taps all live on the main restaurant dashboard, which is where the rest of the floor gets tracked. This is the same order system behind ZiroWait's WhatsApp and QR table ordering for restaurants, just split into the one screen a kitchen actually needs to watch.