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Native KDS Included on Professional & Enterprise No per-screen fees

Kitchen display system,
built into the POS.

Station routing, prep timing, audio alerts, multi-screen layouts. Replace paper tickets without paying per-screen subscriptions. Runs on any tablet or monitor. Included on Professional and Enterprise plans.

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In one paragraph

A kitchen display system (KDS) replaces paper tickets with a live digital screen in the kitchen, so the chef sees orders the instant a server sends them — colour-coded by station, ordered by prep time, with audio alerts for urgent items. SmakSpace KDS is built into the platform (not a separate subscription), runs on any tablet or monitor you mount in the kitchen, supports multi-station routing (grill, fryer, salad, expediter), and links directly to the front-of-house POS and online ordering channels. Included on SmakSpace Professional and Enterprise plans, from NZ$99/month.

How does a kitchen display system work?

A kitchen display system shows incoming orders on a digital screen mounted in the kitchen. When a server sends an order — from the POS, an online order, or a marketplace channel — it appears on the relevant station screen sorted by prep time and colour-coded by urgency. The chef acknowledges items as they go out, clearing them from the display. This replaces paper tickets, prevents lost or smudged orders, and lets the kitchen see exactly what is queued at every station without walking to a printer.

KDS features

Built for the live kitchen line.

Station routing

Send items to the right station automatically — grill, fryer, salad, pass, expediter — based on menu item category.

Prep timing

Each item shows expected prep time. The screen reorders dynamically so the kitchen knows what to start now.

Audio + colour alerts

Visual countdown turns amber, then red. Audio alert for items breaching SLA.

Multi-channel orders

Counter, table, and online orders all flow to the same kitchen screen. Marketplace orders (Uber Eats / DoorDash) join them with menu sync — early access on Enterprise.

Bump-bar friendly

Touch-screen friendly or use a bump bar / keyboard for fast acknowledge — chef does not need to wipe hands.

Modifier display

Mods and notes (no onion, extra sauce, milk substitution) visible at a glance.

Recall + re-fire

Recall a completed order if a guest sends it back. Re-fire mid-shift without re-entering.

Multi-screen layout

Run multiple KDS screens (one per station). All sync in real time. No extra licence per screen.

Kitchen display system FAQ

Common questions from NZ kitchen managers.

A kitchen display system replaces paper tickets with a live digital screen mounted in the kitchen. As soon as a server sends an order from the POS, it appears on the kitchen screen — sorted by prep time, colour-coded by station, with timers showing how long each item has been pending. The chef confirms items as they go out, which clears them from the screen. KDS reduces lost tickets, miscommunicated mods, and time spent walking back and forth to the pass.
Standalone KDS subscriptions in NZ typically run NZ$40–80/month per screen — so a kitchen with three stations might pay NZ$120–240/month just for KDS. SmakSpace KDS is included on the Professional (NZ$99/mo) and Enterprise (NZ$179/mo) plans at no extra cost, with no per-screen fees. You can run as many KDS screens as you have stations.
Any tablet (iPad, Android), wall-mounted monitor with a small PC or Mac mini, or all-in-one touch-screen kitchen display unit. SmakSpace KDS runs in a web browser, so anything modern that can render a webpage works. Most NZ kitchens use a 15" or 21" touch-screen mounted on a wall or stainless arm. A bump bar (USB keyboard with custom keycaps) is optional but speeds up chef interactions.
It works for both. A small café might run one KDS screen at the espresso machine showing coffee orders and food prep together. A restaurant kitchen might run three screens — one at the cold larder, one at the grill, one at the pass. The system scales with station count.
Online orders placed directly through your website flow into the same KDS as in-house orders, and the screen shows the order source so the kitchen knows where each ticket came from. Marketplace orders (Uber Eats, DoorDash) are rolling out via partner programs — early access on the Enterprise plan. This eliminates the printer-stack-per-tablet setup most operators currently run.
Yes. Each KDS screen can be configured to show only the items relevant to its station — grill sees grill items, salad sees salad items, the expediter sees everything ready to plate. Items appear on the appropriate screen automatically based on the menu item's station tag.
The KDS needs a live connection. Orders already on screen stay visible if the connection briefly drops, and new orders arrive once it restores. For continuous kitchen operation during a longer outage we recommend a 4G backup.
Tagging your menu items with the right station and turning on the KDS module typically takes under an hour. We help during onboarding — most cafés are running KDS in their kitchen on day one of using SmakSpace.
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