Role: kitchenRole: manager

Kitchen Display System (KDS) & Cooking Workflow

How line cooks receive tickets, track preparation timers, enable audio alerts, and mark food ready.

📍 Where to find it on screen:
Staff Login -> /staff/kds (or Dashboard -> Kitchen) → Click "🔥 Start Cooking / 🔔 Mark Ready"
Full-screen high-contrast touch interface optimized for kitchen tablets mounted near the prep line.

How It Works

Real-Time Ticket Streaming: As soon as a waiter confirms an order (or a POS cashier fires a counter ticket), the ticket appears on the KDS with an audible chime alert.

Ticket Anatomy: Each digital ticket card displays the Table or Room number, order time, elapsed cook timer, dish quantities, variant sizes in brackets (e.g. "[Large]"), and special customer cooking notes highlighted in yellow.

Timer Color Alerts: Timers start green, turn Amber at 15 minutes, and flash Red at 25 minutes to highlight delayed tables.

Inventory BOM Deductions on Ready: When the chef taps "Mark Ready", MintLight sets stockClaim: true in the database, automatically deducting raw recipe ingredients from inventory balances.

Browser Audio Policy Requirement: Web browsers strictly block audio chimes until user interaction occurs. Kitchen staff MUST tap anywhere on the KDS screen once after page reload to allow audio bells.

What You Need to Do (Step-by-Step)

  1. 1. Mount Tablet & Enable Sound Alerts

    Mount the kitchen tablet near the prep station. Open /staff/kds. Tap anywhere on the screen once after loading to unlock browser audio.

    💡 Note: Do NOT skip the screen tap. Browsers mute sound until the first user tap.
  2. 2. Receive Incoming Confirmed Ticket

    When an order is confirmed, an audible chime rings and the ticket card appears in the queue with table label and items.

  3. 3. Tap "Start Cooking"

    When line cooks begin preparing the dishes, tap "Start Cooking". The ticket status turns to Cooking and the timer begins tracking.

  4. 4. Plate Food and Tap "Mark Ready"

    When all items on the ticket are plated and garnished, tap "Mark Ready". The ticket moves to the Ready column.

Key Screen Controls & Options

Start Cooking ButtonWhen line cooks begin preparing the dishes.

Action: Transitions ticket status to "Cooking" and starts the active preparation timer.

→ Result: Updates customer and waiter tracking screens to "Cooking in Kitchen".
Mark Ready ButtonWhen dishes are plated and placed on the pass or expo counter.

Action: Transitions ticket status to "Ready" and deducts recipe inventory ingredients.

→ Result: Triggers a pickup banner and chime on waiter floor smartphones.
Elapsed Cook TimerPrioritizing which tickets to cook first during heavy rushes.

Action: Counts elapsed minutes since the ticket was placed; changes from green to amber and red.

→ Result: Helps kitchen managers spot delayed orders before diners complain.
Cooking Notes Highlight BoxChefs must read this before preparing the dishes.

Action: Displays allergy warnings or cooking preferences (e.g. "ALLERGY: No Peanuts", "Extra crispy").

→ Result: Ensures dietary requirements are respected without verbal kitchen relay errors.
What Happens Next
The waiter floor portal flashes a pickup notification showing the table number and plated dishes. The customer mobile tracking screen updates to "Food Ready".
  • Waiters receive sound and visual alerts on their phones to pick up the food.
  • Inventory balances deduct raw ingredients automatically.
  • The ticket remains visible in the Ready column until waitstaff mark it Served.
⚠️ Operational Rules & Restrictions
  • Kitchen staff cannot modify prices or delete line items from the KDS screen.
  • Kitchen staff cannot void tickets; accidental orders must be voided by managers in OMS.
  • Marking ready claims inventory ingredients permanently; step-back status changes restore balances.

⚡ Common Floor Scenarios & Edge Cases

Situation: Chef accidentally taps "Mark Ready" while food is still on the grill.

What to do: Open OMS Operations tab on manager console and tap "↩️ Back to Cooking". The ticket returns to cooking without double-deducting inventory.

Situation: Kitchen tablet screen is left open during overnight closing.

What to do: At morning opening, refresh the page and tap the screen once to ensure real-time WebSockets and audio chimes are active for the new shift.

📋 Real-World Shift Walkthrough

Line Cook Handling a Table 4 Ticket with Allergy Notes

A bell rings on the line tablet. Cook Marco sees: "Table 4 — 2x Margherita Pizza [Large] — NOTE: Gluten Allergy". Marco taps "Start Cooking", uses gluten-free flour, and bakes the pizzas. At 12 minutes, Marco plates the pizzas and taps "Mark Ready". Waiter Leo’s phone buzzes with "Table 4 Ready at Pass", and Leo immediately delivers the hot food.

🔧 Troubleshooting & Rapid Fixes

Problem: The tablet does not make sound when new orders arrive.
Why this happens: Browser autoplay policy blocked audio because the screen was not tapped after loading or refreshing.
How to fix: Tap anywhere on the KDS screen once. The browser immediately unblocks audio playback.
Problem: A ticket shows an add-on badge ("+ Add-On").
Why this happens: Guests at an active dining table placed an additional round of food or drinks.
How to fix: Prepare the add-on items. They belong to the existing table order and will be billed together.

💬 Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can we use multiple KDS screens for Hot Kitchen vs Bar?
Yes! You can link multiple tablets using Kitchen Join Codes to station displays at the pizza oven, grill line, or service bar.
Q: Do tickets disappear from KDS immediately after tapping Mark Ready?
No. They move to the "Ready" column so cooks can see what is sitting on the pass until waitstaff pick up and mark them Served.
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