November 30, 2025
When orders hit from the dining room, delivery apps, and online channels at the same time, your kitchen needs routing that never slows down or depends on someone sorting tickets by hand. We go through today’s top kitchen display systems to see which systems keep pace during real rush-hour pressure, directing every order to the correct station, keeping tickets clean, and giving your team a clear view of what needs to fire next. After testing them side by side, these six options stood out for handling multi-channel routing with accuracy, speed, and reliability.
TLDR:
A kitchen display system is digital software that replaces paper tickets in restaurant kitchens. Instead of printing orders on receipt paper, a KDS shows incoming tickets on screens mounted at prep stations, expo lines, or cooking areas.
The system connects directly to your restaurant's POS and third-party delivery channels like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. When a customer places an order through any channel, the KDS instantly routes it to the right kitchen station based on menu item, preparation type, or workflow rules you set.
Order routing errors cost restaurants revenue and customer trust. Approximately 90% of consumers have received incorrect food orders, making accurate order flow critical for any operation.
A KDS routes each ticket to the correct station automatically. Orders from dine-in, takeout, delivery apps, and phone orders flow into one system. Staff see what to cook, when to start it, and which items need priority.
Real-time visibility lets your expo track every ticket's progress across stations. Kitchen managers spot bottlenecks as they form and adjust staffing or workflows on the fly.
The Kitchen Display Systems market is projected to grow from $487 million in 2024 to $1.024 billion by 2033, driven by restaurants' need for speed and accuracy during high-volume service.
Toast KDS integrates directly with Toast POS, routing orders from dine-in, online, and delivery channels to kitchen screens without additional middleware.
Custom routing rules work by menu item, prep station, or order type. Pizzas route to oven stations while salads go to cold prep. Multiple screens can be assigned to specific menu categories or cooking areas.
Kitchen staff see order time, modifications, dietary notes, and countdown timers on each ticket. Completed items get bumped with a tap, while expo staff track real-time progress across all stations.
The system consolidates third-party delivery orders from DoorDash and Uber Eats alongside direct orders into a single queue.
Square Kitchen Display System runs on off-the-shelf kitchen displays (currently focused on Android-based hardware), which keeps upfront costs lower for small restaurants and food trucks compared with fully proprietary terminals.
The system syncs with Square for Restaurants POS and routes orders from in-person, online, and Square Online ordering channels. Basic routing sends tickets to designated prep stations based on menu categories configured during setup.
Kitchen screens display order details, ticket times, and customer instructions. Staff tap items to mark them complete, and the system alerts when orders exceed target prep times.
Lightspeed Restaurant KDS consolidates orders from DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, and direct online channels into one kitchen queue. Third-party delivery tickets sync automatically through Lightspeed's Order Anywhere module, removing tablet clutter at expo stations.
Routing logic assigns orders by prep station, course timing, or order type. Complex tickets split across multiple stations. Appetizers route to fry stations while entrees go to grill, with synchronized fire times to prevent early or late plating.
Epson KDS runs on Epson's commercial-grade displays built for restaurant environments. The hardware resists heat, grease, and moisture better than consumer tablets.
The system connects with most major restaurant POS providers through open APIs and middleware partnerships. Order routing flows through the connected POS system, with screens assigned to specific prep stations based on rules configured in your order management software.
Fresh KDS syncs directly with Clover POS, routing orders from Clover terminals, online ordering channels, and delivery apps to kitchen screens without middleware.
Order routing follows Clover's station assignments. You assign menu items or categories to specific screens during setup. Tickets display modifications, timing, and order source for line cooks.
Setup happens through the Clover app marketplace in minutes. Fresh KDS runs on standard tablets with protective cases, reducing hardware costs compared to dedicated terminals. The straightforward pricing and quick deployment work well for small cafes and counter-service restaurants.
Screen configurations scale as your kitchen grows. Each display connects to specific stations or order types through Clover's dashboard.
TouchBistro KDS works with commercial-grade kitchen touchscreens and integrates directly with TouchBistro POS to route orders from tableside ordering, online channels, and phone orders to the appropriate kitchen screens.
The interface displays tickets with large text, color-coded priority indicators, and swipe gestures that let kitchen staff bump items without handling menus. New line cooks can operate the system with minimal training.
Routing configurations assign tickets by prep station, menu category, or service type. You can split complex orders across grill, salad, and dessert stations with coordinated timing so all items finish together.
Multilingual display support shows tickets in Spanish, French, or other languages based on staff preferences. Each prep station can run a different language while showing identical order information.
Pricing bundles with TouchBistro POS subscriptions, with hardware options designed especially for kitchen environments.
Automatic station routing sends tickets directly to grill, fry, or cold prep stations based on menu item type, eliminating manual sorting steps. Order prioritization flags time-sensitive tickets like delivery orders with tight pickup windows. Color-coded alerts and countdown timers show which orders need immediate attention.
Kitchen Display Systems keep your back-of-house organized, but the quality of your routing depends on the quality of the orders coming in. That’s where Loman gives restaurants a major advantage. Loman’s 24/7 voice-AI phone agent takes pickup and delivery orders with full menu accuracy, quotes wait times, books reservations, and answers caller questions without sending anything through a third-party tablet.
Every order arrives already formatted for your POS, complete with modifiers, allergens, and payment details, so your KDS receives clean tickets that route correctly on the first try. For restaurants juggling high call volumes, busy rush periods, and multi-channel ordering, pairing a KDS with Loman creates a smoother flow from phone to POS to kitchen screen. With fewer manual corrections, faster handoffs, and no missed calls, teams see tighter execution and more captured revenue during the hours that matter most.
Most KDS platforms cache active orders locally so your kitchen can continue working on current tickets. However, online and delivery app orders won’t come through during an outage. But some POS + KDS setups can continue sending in-house orders over the local network until connectivity returns, so a backup internet connection is worth considering for high-volume operations.
Yes, each of the systems in this guide can be configured so tickets reach the right station automatically, though the routing logic may live in your POS, in the KDS, or in a third-party integration. In practice, you can usually send pizzas to the oven station, salads to cold prep, and delivery orders to a dedicated expo screen without manual sorting, but you’ll need to configure those rules with your POS or KDS provider.
Yes, digital displays remove handwriting interpretation errors and make modifications like "no onions" or allergen warnings more visible than paper tickets. Restaurants typically see fewer remakes and comps within the first month after switching from paper to screens.
The right kitchen display system pulls every order into a single, organized view so your team can move faster, avoid errors, and keep service steady even during peak hours. Once tickets appear instantly on screen, already routed to the correct station, your kitchen gains the clarity and speed that paper can’t match. Pair the KDS with tools that support clean routing across every channel, including solutions like Loman, which already sends tightly formatted, POS-ready orders straight into your workflow. Choose a setup that syncs smoothly with your POS, fits your menu’s routing needs, and feels intuitive for staff on day one. A well-matched system quickly pays for itself by tightening execution, reducing mistakes, and keeping orders moving exactly when it matters most.
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