Kitchen display systems for restaurants in Jordan: what to check
A kitchen display replaces the paper ticket with a screen at each station. It helps when the kitchen is busy enough for tickets to get lost, held up or misread. Here is how to tell whether you need one, and what to check before you buy.
What a kitchen display does
When a waiter sends an order from the POS, it appears on the screen at the right station: grill, fryer, cold section or bar. Each ticket shows the items, the notes (no onion, extra cheese) and how long the order has been waiting. When the cook finishes, the item is marked done, and the front of house can see it. A paper ticket does the first part of this job. A screen adds the timing, the routing and a record of each order.
Do you need one?
A café with one cook and a short menu may do well with a printer. Consider a kitchen display when:
- Your kitchen has two or more stations, and each order must reach the right one.
- Paper tickets get lost, held up or misread during the rush.
- Waiters walk to the kitchen to ask where an order is.
- Delivery apps or a QR menu send orders that must join the same queue.
- You want to know how long each order has been waiting.
Seven checks before you buy
1. Routing to the right station
Ask how a dish is assigned to a station, and how that changes when the menu changes. In the demo, send a mixed order, such as grill and cold items, and watch where each item lands.
2. Timers and order status
Check that the screen shows how long each order has waited, and whether a late order stands out by colour or position.
3. It keeps working when the internet drops
Ask which parts of the system depend on the internet, and whether the kitchen screens keep working on the local network. Ask what happens to new orders during an outage.
4. Notes and allergies are easy to read
Notes such as "no onion" or an allergy warning must be clear on the ticket. Test it with a real order that carries three notes.
5. Marking items done, and undoing a mistake
Ask how a cook marks an item done, and whether a wrong mark can be undone before the front of house sees it.
6. Arabic and English on screen
Dish names, notes and station labels should show in the language your team reads. Check that Arabic text runs in the right direction on the screen.
7. Hardware that suits a kitchen
Screens have to cope with heat, steam and grease. Ask how they are mounted, what size they are, and what happens when one breaks during service.
A screen is only as good as its link to the POS
Ask each vendor whether orders reach the screens from the same system that takes payment, or from a separate app. Two systems that do not share data mean two menus to keep up to date. Ask who maintains the menu and the station settings, and how a new dish reaches the kitchen on the same day.
Ask every vendor
- Is the kitchen display included in the price, or is each screen a separate licence?
- How many screens and stations does each plan include?
- What does the hardware cost, and can you use screens you already own?
- Who installs it, who supports it during opening hours, and how quickly a call is answered?
- If you leave, can you export your order history?
Where AlienPOS fits
AlienPOS includes a kitchen display. Orders go to the kitchen screen, so the kitchen knows what to prepare and in what order, alongside iPad ordering, inventory, loyalty and multi-payment. Put the seven checks to us and ask for written answers.
See the AlienPOS page →Related guides: restaurant POS checklist, iPad POS for restaurants and QR menus in Jordan.
Questions people ask
Does a small restaurant need a kitchen display?
Not always. With one cook and a short menu, a printer may be enough. A screen earns its cost when orders must reach several stations, when tickets get lost in the rush, or when delivery and QR orders join the same queue.
Can a kitchen display replace the printer completely?
Some restaurants keep one printer for receipts and move the kitchen to screens. Ask each vendor whether the kitchen can run with no printer at all, and what happens to the tickets if a screen fails. Test it during a busy hour.
Does a kitchen display need a fast internet connection?
Ask the vendor which parts of the system need the internet, and which keep working on the local network. Then test the Wi-Fi coverage in the kitchen, where the screens will sit.
Can a waiter see when an order is ready?
Ask how a finished order reaches the front of house. Some systems alert the waiter on a phone or tablet, and others rely on the waiter checking the screen. Find out which one you would get, and whether it works in your restaurant's layout.