Route products to prep stations

A prep station is a place where orders are made: the kitchen, the bar, the dessert counter. When staff send an order, each item goes to its product's station, on a prep station screen, on paper, or both. Getting this right is what makes a sent order appear in the right place.

Before you start

• You need the Manage prep stations permission to create and change stations, and Manage menu to assign products.
• Prep station screens need Preparation station screens turned on for the location under Settings › Features. Starter allows one prep station screen per location; Pro and Business have no limit.
• Without prep station screens, every station prints its tickets. You then need a station printer (see Set up a printer).

Create a station

1. 1In the back office, go to Settings › Prep stations and select Add station.
2. 2Enter the Station name, for example "Kitchen" or "Bar".
3. 3Choose a Location, or leave it on All locations to use the station everywhere.
4. 4Under Where do orders go?, choose how the station receives orders. The default is Screen, printer as backup. See Screen, printer or both for what each choice does.
5. 5Pick a Colour. It is used on the prep station screen and in the menu.
6. 6Save.

Send products to a station

Routing is set per product, not per category.

1. 1Go to Menu and open the product.
2. 2Under Availability, choose its Prep station. You can also create a new station from this drop-down.
3. 3Select Save.

Two products in the same category can go to different stations, for example burgers to the kitchen and milkshakes to the bar. An order with items for several stations is split: each station only gets its own items.

A product with None as its station never appears on a prep station screen. It can only print, on a station printer that is not linked to any station.

Connect screens and printers

• Prep station screen: pair a tablet as a prep station screen under Devices (see Pair a device) and choose its Prep station. The screen shows only that station's items. If you leave the station empty in the back office, staff choose it on the screen under Settings › Station.
• Station printer: add the printer from the prep station screen or the till, and link it to the station. If a station has no printer of its own, a station printer that is not linked to any station takes over. See Set up a printer.

Check your set-up

The Prep stations list shows for each station: where orders go, how many products, screens and printers it has. A Check setup badge means orders may reach nowhere:

Test it: send an order with an item for each station and check that each one arrives. When an order reaches neither a screen nor a printer, the POS warns "{station} did not receive the order — no screen and no printer."

Delete a station

Move its products to another station first. Then open the station, select Delete and confirm. If products still use it, the delete is refused.

Common questions

Can a product go to two stations?

No. A product has one station. If a dish needs work in two places, split it into two products.

Can I change the station of an item on the screen?

No. Fix the product's station in Menu; new items follow.

Do QR and online orders use the same stations?

Yes. Guest orders follow the same routing once they are confirmed or accepted.

If something goes wrong

• An order did not show up: see An order did not reach the kitchen.
• Nothing prints: see The printer does not print.
• You can't add another screen: your plan's screen limit is reached. See Your plan.