Guides · Operations · 5 min read
What is an order ready screen?
A screen at the counter that answers one question before anyone has to ask it. Here is what it does, how it differs from a kitchen display system, and what it costs to run.
An order ready screen is a customer-facing display that shows which orders are being made and which are ready to collect. Staff mark an order done and its name or number moves to a Ready column, so customers watch the screen instead of asking. Pickup Signal runs one on any TV for $19.99 per location per month.
How an order ready screen works
An order comes in, from a POS connection or from a staff member typing a name into a register. It shows up in a Making column. When it's done, staff move it to Ready with one tap. The customer, who has been watching the screen instead of the counter, sees their own name or number move and picks it up.
No app to open, no text to wait for. The screen just sits on a TV or tablet near the pickup point and shows the current state of every order in the room.
Order ready screen vs kitchen display system
The two get confused because they both live near the kitchen, but they face opposite directions. A kitchen display system (KDS) faces staff: it routes tickets to the right station and tracks prep time. An order ready screen faces the customer: it shows status, not instructions.
Pickup Signal reads from a POS or from staff entry; it is not a KDS and does not replace one. See how Pickup Signal compares to Fresh KDS for the fuller breakdown.
What it costs
Pickup Signal is $19.99 per location per month, with a 30-day free trial and no card required to start. See pricing for the full details.
Do you need one?
If every order goes straight from your hands to the customer's, across a counter, in a few seconds, you don't need one. A screen has nothing to add to a handoff that already happens face to face.
If customers wait after ordering and can't tell where their order stands, an order ready screen gives them the answer without stopping your staff to provide it. That is the gap it fills.
More on this: Guides · Why customers ask "is mine ready?" · How to set up an order-ready TV in a coffee shop