Kitchen Display System
From order to plate, streamlined
A real-time kitchen display with network printer integration and delivery dispatch. Three-column Kanban board with auto-print to PrintNode printers, DoorDash Drive and Uber Direct delivery, and 30-second auto-refresh — built for the pace of a real kitchen.
Paper tickets don’t scale
As online order volume grows, paper ticket systems and generic tablet apps break down. Tickets get lost, there’s no visibility into order status, and scheduled orders get missed because there’s no urgency indicator. Kitchen staff need a purpose-built display that shows what’s coming, what’s being prepared, and what’s ready for pickup — updated in real time without manual page refreshes.
How the Kitchen Display works
Open the Kitchen Display from your admin
Navigate to the Kitchen Display page in your FoodFlex admin. The display opens in your browser — no additional hardware or software required. It works on any screen size: tablets, laptops, or wall-mounted monitors.
Incoming orders appear in the New column
When customers place orders through your storefront, the public API, or subscription auto-processing, they appear in the New column. Each order card shows the customer name, order items with customization details, quantities, special instructions, and order type (pickup, delivery, or dine-in).
One-click status progression
Move orders through the workflow with a single click. New → Preparing → Ready → Completed. Each status change updates immediately and persists via the OrderService state machine, which enforces valid transitions (you can’t skip from New to Ready).
Scheduled orders sorted by urgency
Orders with scheduled delivery times display a time badge showing when they need to be ready. The display sorts scheduled orders by urgency — orders due soonest appear at the top. ASAP orders are marked with a distinct badge so kitchen staff can prioritize.
Auto-print tickets to kitchen printers
Connect network printers via PrintNode. Configure per-location printers with auto-print enabled. When orders arrive, HTML-formatted tickets with full customization details, special instructions, and order type are automatically sent to the assigned printer.
Dispatch delivery via DoorDash or Uber
When an order is ready, dispatch it to DoorDash Drive or Uber Direct with one click. Track delivery status, estimated arrival, and driver updates directly in the kitchen display. Webhook receivers update status automatically as the delivery progresses.
Why merchants choose the Kitchen Display
Zero setup required
The Kitchen Display runs in any browser. Mount a tablet on the wall, open a laptop on the kitchen counter, or use a dedicated monitor. No app installation, no special hardware, no configuration.
Real-time 30-second refresh
The display polls for new orders every 30 seconds automatically. No manual page refreshes, no missed orders. Kitchen staff focus on cooking while the display handles order awareness.
Scheduled order awareness
Time-slot orders display urgency badges so kitchen staff know exactly when each order needs to be ready. No more checking a separate system for scheduled delivery times.
Works on any device
Responsive layout adapts to tablets, laptops, and large monitors. Touch-friendly buttons for one-click status updates. Accessible to all billing tiers — no Enterprise restriction.
Network printer integration
Connect PrintNode-compatible printers for automatic order ticket printing. Configure printers per location with auto-print toggle. HTML-formatted tickets include full order details, customizations, and special instructions.
Delivery platform dispatch
Dispatch orders to DoorDash Drive or Uber Direct from the kitchen display. Real-time tracking, webhook status updates, and delivery confirmation — all without leaving your admin. Per-location delivery provider configuration.
Under the hood
Three-column Kanban state machine
Orders have four statuses: pending (New column), preparing (Preparing column), ready (Ready column), and completed (removed from display). The OrderService enforces a strict state machine: pending → preparing → ready → completed. Invalid transitions (e.g., pending → ready) return a 400 error. Cancellation is allowed from any non-completed state.
30-second polling architecture
The KitchenDisplayPage uses a setInterval with a 30-second cycle that fetches the current order list from the API. This polling approach was chosen over WebSockets for simplicity and reliability — it works behind corporate firewalls and proxies without special configuration. The refresh interval is short enough for kitchen workflows.
Scheduled order urgency sorting
Orders with a scheduledFor timestamp are sorted by time-until-due (ascending). The display renders a badge showing the scheduled time and calculates urgency relative to the current time. ASAP orders (no scheduledFor) are grouped separately with a distinct badge. This dual-sorting ensures kitchen staff always know what to cook next.
Order type support
Each order carries an orderType field: pickup, delivery, or dine-in. The Kitchen Display renders type-specific badges so staff can route completed orders correctly. Delivery orders may include special handling instructions. Pickup orders show estimated ready times based on the SchedulingService prepTime configuration.
PrintNode printer integration
Kitchen printers connect via the PrintNode cloud printing API. Printer configurations are stored per location in the IntegrationConfigModel with auto-print toggle, printer ID, and content format settings. Order tickets are rendered as HTML, base64-encoded, and sent to the PrintNode content endpoint. Failed prints are logged with error details. Available on Professional and Enterprise plans.
DoorDash Drive and Uber Direct adapters
The DeliveryService orchestrates two adapter implementations. DoorDashAdapter uses JWT authentication with the Drive v2 API for delivery creation, status tracking, and cancellation. UberDirectAdapter uses OAuth2 client credentials for delivery quotes, requests, and status polling. Both adapters receive webhook callbacks for real-time status updates. Delivery tracking data is stored in the DeliveryTrackingModel linked to the original order.
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