What is KDS (Kitchen Display System)?
A KDS, or Kitchen Display System, replaces printed kitchen tickets with a screen mounted in the kitchen. Incoming orders appear as cards showing table number, items and elapsed time; cooks tap a card to mark items in progress or done, which can update the waiter or even the customer's phone. Orders are colour-coded as they age, so nothing sits forgotten.
Compared with paper KOTs, a KDS cannot be lost, greased or misread, and it gives owners timing data — average preparation time per dish, delays by hour, station bottlenecks. An Indian QSR doing 300 orders a day might learn its momos take 18 minutes in the dinner rush versus 8 at lunch, pointing to a staffing fix. Any spare Android TV or tablet can serve as the screen, keeping cost low.