Question 1

Why should I replace kitchen printers with a KDS?

Accepted Answer

Paper tickets get lost, smudged, fall on the floor, and pile up during rush hour. There's no timer showing how long an order has been waiting. The chef can't see which orders are oldest at a glance. A KDS replaces all of this with a screen that shows color-coded order cards: green means fresh, yellow means aging, red means late. Orders auto-sort by time so the oldest is always first. Items route to the correct station automatically. The result: fewer lost orders, faster ticket times, and zero paper waste.

Question 2

How does kitchen station routing work in HoreX KDS?

Accepted Answer

You configure stations based on your kitchen layout — for example: grill, fryer, cold prep, salad, pastry, bar. Each menu item is tagged to one or more stations. When an order comes in with a burger (grill), fries (fryer), and a salad (cold), each item appears on the correct station's screen. The expeditor screen shows the full order so the expo can coordinate when all items for a table are ready to be sent together.

Question 3

Does HoreX KDS show orders from Talabat, Deliveroo, and Careem?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All aggregator orders flow through HoreX POS and appear on the KDS automatically — no extra tablets needed. Talabat, Deliveroo, Careem, and Keeta orders show up as order cards on the kitchen display with the channel clearly labeled. Your kitchen works from one screen regardless of where the order originated — dine-in, takeaway, or delivery aggregator.

Question 4

How do color-coded timers work on the KDS?

Accepted Answer

Every order card has a timer that starts when the order hits the kitchen. You configure time thresholds — for example: green for 0-8 minutes, yellow for 8-15 minutes, red for 15+ minutes. The card's header color changes automatically as time passes. At a glance, the chef sees: all green means kitchen is keeping up; yellow means some orders need attention; red means something is stuck. This visual system replaces the mental math of 'how long has this ticket been sitting there.'

Question 5

What is the difference between Dispatch KDS and Station KDS?

Accepted Answer

HoreX has two types of kitchen screens. Dispatch KDS shows full orders — it's the expeditor's command center where they see every item in an order, track per-station completion, coordinate course fires, and bump the complete order for service. Station KDS shows only items assigned to that specific station (e.g., grill station sees only grill items). When a cook bumps an item on the Station KDS, the Dispatch KDS updates in real time. This two-screen architecture lets stations focus on their items while the expo manages the complete picture.

Question 6

Can HoreX KDS print kitchen tickets too?

Accepted Answer

Yes. While the primary interface is the digital screen, HoreX also supports kitchen ticket printing for restaurants that need physical chits. You configure receipt templates per station — the grill printer gets grill items, the bar printer gets drink orders. Templates are customizable: item name, quantity, modifiers, table number, order time. Some restaurants use a hybrid approach: KDS screens at main stations and thermal printers at the bar or pastry for backup.

Question 7

Does HoreX KDS support Arabic language?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The KDS supports both English and Arabic, which is important in UAE kitchens where kitchen staff may read one language more comfortably than the other. Item names, modifiers, and special instructions can be displayed in both languages simultaneously. You configure the display language per screen — so one station can show Arabic while another shows English.

Question 8

How does course sequencing (fire system) work?

Accepted Answer

For full-service restaurants, HoreX KDS supports course sequencing. When a waiter sends a multi-course order, appetizers fire immediately while mains are held. When the table finishes appetizers (waiter signals 'fire mains'), the main course items appear on the kitchen screens. This prevents food sitting under heat lamps waiting for the table to finish their starter — a common complaint in fine dining.

Question 9

Can I track kitchen speed and average prep time?

Accepted Answer

Yes. HoreX tracks the time from when an order appears on the KDS to when it's bumped as completed. Reports show average prep time by hour, day, station, and item category. Identify bottlenecks: if the grill station averages 12 minutes while cold prep averages 4 minutes, the grill is your constraint. Track improvements over time — did your new line cook reduce grill times? The data shows it.

Question 10

What hardware do I need for a kitchen display system?

Accepted Answer

HoreX KDS runs on any device with a web browser — iPads, Android tablets, or dedicated kitchen display monitors. For a busy kitchen, we recommend a wall-mounted commercial-grade monitor (15-22 inch, high brightness) with a bump bar or touchscreen. For smaller kitchens, an iPad mounted on the wall works fine. No special hardware or expensive proprietary equipment required.

Question 11

How many KDS screens can I run in one kitchen?

Accepted Answer

There is no limit. Run as many screens as your kitchen needs — Dispatch KDS for the expeditor plus Station KDS screens for each station. A typical setup: 1 Dispatch screen at the pass + 3-5 Station screens (grill, fryer, cold, pastry, bar). A QSR might need just 1 Dispatch + 1 Station. Each screen is configured independently with its own type (Dispatch or Station), station assignment, language, and timer thresholds.