How Important Is Kitchen Printing Automation/Kitchen Display System To Your Restaurant

Kitchen operations are just as important as the front of the house operations. A high performing and efficient kitchen operation will help boost your restaurant’s productivity, customer satisfaction and maximize manpower efficiency. 

What is Kitchen Printing Automation?

Kitchen printing automation is where orders placed through self ordering or through the POS system will be auto classified based on the item category, the orders under the same item category will then be sent to the same preset kitchen printer located at a designated kitchen section. 

Many restaurant operators practice dividing kitchens into different sections to speed up order preparation and to improve hygiene, which means a customer’s orders will be split up and order items will be sent to their respective kitchen sections for printing.

Why is kitchen printing automation important for your restaurant?

Though this may seem like an insignificant function, which is often overlooked when restaurant operators are sourcing for a POS system, it is a critical aspect of a restaurant’s operations. In this article, we will discuss reasons why kitchen printing automation is an important feature to have in your POS system for your restaurant.

Speeds up restaurant’s service time

Without kitchen printing automation, one of your staff, service crew or kitchen staff will have to go back and forth between the kitchen and counter to handover the kitchen docket. Can you imagine the time spent going back and forth during peak hours when orders are constantly coming in? Pretty soon, you may have to redeploy one of your staff to be “kitchen docket courier”.

By using a POS system with kitchen printing automation, customers’ orders are classified into groups, which are sent to their respective kitchen section printers. This reduces the overall time taken for order preparation and allows your staff to focus on key operation areas rather than being a “kitchen docket courier”.

Reduce dependence on manual entries

Customers adding on, cancelling or modifying their orders? Fret not, as long as your POS system has kitchen printing automation, these order amendments will be sent to its respective kitchen sections.

Your staff do not have to look for the kitchen dockets and write down order amendments which saves time and also improves order preparation accuracy.

Integrated with online ordering

Most restaurants have one form of online ordering system or another. A POS system with kitchen printing automation will automatically send the orders into the kitchen once it has been accepted.

This will help your service staff focus on other operations to make sure your restaurant’s operations run smoothly.

Makes your POS system more user friendly

Handling orders from your POS system will be much easier as your staff do not have to remember which kitchen section to send the customers’ orders to. All that can be done with just a touch of a button, making your order management more time efficient and less prone to human errors.

This way, new staff will be able to help out in the operations with as little training down time as possible, helping you to maximize your manpower resources.

How about Kitchen Display Solution (KDS)?

With technological advancements, even traditional paper kitchen dockets can be digitalized to bring about better kitchen order organization, promoting efficiency and order preparation efficiency.

What is a Kitchen Display Solution (KDS)?

A Kitchen Display Solution is usually based on a touch screen, internet enabled device such as tablets which is connected to your POS system. Orders accepted on your POS system will be instantly reflected on the Kitchen Display Solution.

Kitchen staff can have an overview of all the orders they have to prepare in order to use the most effective order preparation strategy to improve service time. After an order is prepared, kitchen staff can strike them off with a simple touch.

Kitchen Display Solution vs Kitchen Printers

If you are wondering which suits your restaurant the best, here is a list of pros and cons of both.

Kitchen Display Solutions

Pros: An organised way to manage your orders. Your kitchen staff can have an overview of all the orders to prepare, and prepare them in the most efficient way. Kitchen staff can easily strike off orders which are prepared to avoid confusion. You and your staff do not need to worry about running out of receipt paper to print your orders.

Cons: Requires a stable WiFi connection. 

Kitchen Printers: 

Pros: Usually connected through LAN cable so WiFi stability is not an issue. Cheaper alternative to Kitchen Display Solution.

Cons: Does not give an overview of all orders to be prepared, hence, kitchen staff cannot prepare orders in bulk to speed up service time. Receipt paper may run out during operations. Kitchen docket may go missing as the receipt may have been misplaced.

Conclusion

Getting a POS system which has kitchen printing automation or is able to integrate with a Kitchen Display Solution will benefit your restaurant’s operation productivity, speeding up service time and in turn boosting table turnover rates. 

If you are looking to get a POS system which has kitchen printing automation and is able to integrate with a Kitchen Display Solution, drop us your contact details below and we will be happy to arrange a free demo with you.