The KDS (Kitchen Display System) is a kitchen screen that runs in the browser, designed for a tablet and touch control. All orders from every channel land in one place, with a clear status. It replaces paper tickets and the phone.
Address: /wp-inplate/kds/. Signing in requires an account with the “KDS access” permission – see Team and permissions.
Starting a shift
- Open the KDS on the tablet and sign in.
- Tap the screen. Browsers turn sound on only after the first tap on the page – without it a new order won't ring.
- On the first start, turn on push notifications (the banner at the top or the bell in the menu). See Notifications.
While you work with the KDS, the tablet's screen doesn't go off. You can install the KDS as an app (PWA) – this requires HTTPS. The app is named after your venue, e.g. “InPlate Bistro KDS” – see Phone and tablet apps.
The KDS menu
The menu button in the header opens a panel with settings:
- View: Orders, List, Archive, Shift, Manager (Manager shows for people with the menu management permission),
- Channel filter: All, Delivery, Pickup, Dine-in, QR tables,
- Assigned to me and Unpaid – extra filters. Unpaid works in the Orders view: turning it on switches to that view, and choosing another view turns it off,
- Language: PL, EN, UA,
- The push notification bell – turns notifications on, and when they are on, sends a test notification,
- Hide after click – the menu closes after you choose an option,
- Log out.
The “Orders” view
Columns: New → In preparation → Ready → On the way. The “On the way” column is for deliveries. Completed and cancelled orders leave the board and go to the archive.
On a phone, a tablet in portrait and in a narrow window the columns have a fixed width, and a swipe moves the view by exactly one column.
The order card
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Order number and channel | E.g. “#1042”, a delivery, pickup, eat-in or table icon |
| Time | The fulfillment time under the number. The date is highlighted when it isn't today |
| Items | Quantity, dish name (with the size, e.g. “Margherita – 40 cm”) and the chosen add-ons, in a legible font |
| Customer note | Always visible and highlighted, e.g. “no onion”, allergies |
| Customer and amount | Two discreet lines – only for people with permission to see customer details and prices |
| Assignment | A list with the person who has the order, or “Unassigned” |
| Icons | Printing the label and the order history |
| Action button | The next step: Start, Ready, Send or Delivered |
Tapping anywhere on the card opens the order details.
Changing the status
- Start – New → In preparation. The person who starts the order is assigned to it.
- Ready – In preparation → Ready. For pickup, the customer gets a “Ready for pickup” email. For delivery, the order goes to the couriers' pool (or straight to the courier who was assigned earlier).
- Send – Ready → On the way (delivery). Usually the courier does this in the courier app.
- Delivered – handing over to the customer or confirming delivery. The order goes to the archive. This step has to be confirmed, because it can't be undone: after you tap Delivered, ✓ Confirm delivery and Cancel appear. For a delivery paid in cash the button shows the amount – ✓ Collected €54.90 – confirm – because confirming also marks the cash as collected. It works the same in the courier app.
Revert status brings back the previous status, e.g. when someone tapped “Ready” too early. The person assigned to the order or a manager can do this.
You see buttons only for the changes you have permissions for.
Assigning
- An order assigned to someone else is locked for you (“Assigned to …”). A manager can act on any order.
- Release gives the order back: it returns to the New queue and is available to others.
- A person with the assigning permission chooses from the list on the card who has the order. Choosing “Unassigned” returns the order to the pool.
- Assigning a courier to a delivery order while it is still being prepared: when the order is ready, it goes straight to that courier, and only they get the notification.
Payment
- An order paid online that the customer hasn't paid yet is marked Awaiting payment and can't be started. It can only be cancelled.
- You mark an order paid at the venue as Paid with the button on the card. The change needs a second tap within 2 seconds (“Confirm: …”).
Cancelling
A person with the cancelling permission chooses a reason: the customer withdrew the order, the customer doesn't answer the phone, the customer isn't there, wrong address, or another reason. The reason shows in the order details and in the order history. Cancelling can't be undone.
Order details
A window with the full order data:
- Summary: kitchen status, fulfillment method, assigned person, time the order was placed,
- Payment: payment method and status (Paid / Unpaid),
- Customer and fulfillment: name, phone, address, fulfillment window (by permissions), table,
- Items: quantity, dish, add-ons, base price and surcharges (by permissions),
- Payment summary: coupon, price before discount, delivery cost, packaging, delivery surcharge, total – yellow until the order is paid, green once it is,
- Notes: the customer's note,
- Alerts: cancellation reason, a problem reported by the courier.
The window's header has a Print label button. The Escape key closes the print window first, then the details. The window and the label preview open over the whole KDS, also for an order awaiting payment.
The label can also show each item's allergens – after you turn on Show allergens on labels in the settings. See Labels.
Order history
The history icon on the card shows who changed the status, assigned, released or reverted the order and when, as well as couriers' reports and pickups with the QR code. The entries show in the KDS's language.
A new order
A new order triggers a sound and the New order! message. When the KDS was running in the background, a full-screen alarm repeats the sound until someone confirms it.
Courier returns
When a courier reports a failed delivery, the KDS shows a separate Returned by courier! alarm with its own sound and the reason. The order goes back to “Ready” with a red return mark. The kitchen and the manager also get a push notification.
An order with a return is hidden from couriers – nobody picks it up by mistake. The manager decides:
- Clear return – the order becomes a regular ready order, and the couriers get a notification (or only the assigned courier). The courier's report stays in the history,
- assigns another courier,
- or cancels the order.
The courier who returned the order can bring it back to delivery themselves if the customer gets in touch – see Courier app.
The “List” view
Active orders as read-only rows: number and time placed, status, fulfillment method, time with the day marked, customer, assigned person, note, cancellation and problem marks, total with the payment status. Tapping a row expands the full order data – the same as in the details, with the same permissions.
The “Archive” view
Completed (Delivered) and Cancelled orders. The last 7 days by default. Quick ranges: 48 h, 7 days, 30 days, or your own From – To range. The status filter shows delivered, cancelled or all. Rows expand to the full order data.
The “Shift” view (summary)
A summary of work in the chosen period:
- period: Today or your own From – To,
- people: My shift, a chosen person or Everyone,
- the number of orders, split into delivery, pickup and eating in,
- revenue,
- the number of cancelled orders,
- staff statistics: how many orders each person handled and how many they delivered.
The “Manager” view
Running the menu from a tablet: products, prices and stock, categories, product tags, add-ons, cross-sell, schedule and TV screens. See Manager panel in the KDS.
Refreshing and syncing
Changes to statuses, assignments, payments and returns reach all open KDS devices and the couriers' apps. The Refresh button forces fetching the data. When the connection to the server is lost, the KDS shows an error and a Retry button – it doesn't hide the problem.
License
After the license expires (after the grace period), basic order handling in the KDS keeps working. The shift summary and label printing require an active license. See License.