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.
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.
Screens, kitchen displays, pagers and texts
A kitchen display system (KDS) and an order ready screen both live near the kitchen, but they face opposite directions. A 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's pickup board works with or without a KDS. If you run Square KDS, a bump on the Expo station moves the name to Ready. Without one, staff tap Ready on a phone or iPad. The included iPad and iPhone app also offers a kitchen screen for staff, with ticket items, options and a Mark ready action. See how Pickup Signal compares to Fresh KDS for the fuller breakdown.
Pagers and texts tell one customer at a time. A pager has to be handed out and collected, and a text needs the customer's phone number. Both suit customers who wander off. A screen suits a counter where people stand and wait, because it answers everyone at once. See screens vs pagers and screens vs ready texts.
Does your register have one?
This is usually the real question. Here is what each register offers on its own, from their own documentation as of November 2026.
Square
Square doesn't make a screen for waiting customers. Square KDS is a kitchen screen, and Square's customer displays are for checkout. Square's built-in way to tell a customer is a text when the order is marked complete, which needs Square's restaurant features or Kiosk Lite. Square KDS itself runs only on Android tablets.
Pickup Signal connects to any Square account, with no Restaurants plan or KDS needed. Names land on the board as orders are rung up, and a bump on your Expo KDS moves them to Ready. See the order ready screen for Square and the Square KDS setup guide.
Toast
Toast has its own Order Ready Board with two columns, In Progress and Order Ready. It runs in a smart TV's web browser or on a Windows 11 mini PC stick, and Toast no longer supports it on a Fire TV Stick. Every TV shows the same content, and the board pages through orders when they don't fit. Orders reach Ready from an expediter KDS or from Orders Hub on the POS.
Pickup Signal connects to Toast with your own API credentials, runs on a Fire TV, and lets each TV show the full board, Making only or Ready only. See how it compares to Toast's Order Ready Board and how to connect Toast.
Clover
Clover doesn't make one either. Clover calls its Kitchen Display System an employee-facing device, and the Station Duo customer screen is for confirming the order, tipping and paying.
Pickup Signal reads Clover orders with a read-only API token you paste from your Clover dashboard, and orders reach the board within a few seconds. Staff tap Ready on a phone or iPad. See the order ready screen for Clover and how to connect Clover.
Another register, or none
Staff type a name or number into the staff app as they take the order, then tap Ready when it's done. It works next to any register. See manual order entry.
| On its own | Square | Toast | Clover | Pickup Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen for waiting customers | No. A text when the order is complete | Yes, the Order Ready Board | No | Yes, on any TV |
| Fire TV | No screen to run | No longer supported | No screen to run | Yes, from the Amazon Appstore |
| Several TVs | No screen to run | Every TV shows the same content | No screen to run | Unlimited, each showing the full board, Making or Ready |
| Busy rush | No screen to run | Pages through orders | No screen to run | Columns resize to fit more names |
Register facts are sourced and dated on each comparison page linked above. Check each company's site for current details.
Which TV to use
Any TV with a web browser works. On a Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Cube or Fire TV smart TV, install the Pickup Signal app from the Amazon Appstore and type the code it shows into your dashboard. A spare iPad or Android tablet works too. See TV and tablet setup.
- Size. 32 inches reads fine from 3 to 4 meters, which covers most counters. Go to 43 inches for a wide room or a board mounted high.
- Place. Hang it where people stand while they wait, so they never need to come back to the register to ask. How to set up an order-ready TV in a coffee shop covers mounting and power.
- On its side. A tall, narrow wall can take the TV on its side. The board runs upright or sideways.
- Sound. A TV can chime and say the order number when an order turns Ready. See turn on the chime and the spoken order number.
- More than one. Add as many TVs as you like. Each one can show the full board, Making only or Ready only.
What it costs
Pickup Signal is $19.99 per location per month with unlimited TVs, a 30-day free trial and no card required to start. Toast doesn't list a separate price for its board. Square's texts come with its restaurant features and KDS, and Clover has no customer ready screen to buy. 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.
Questions
Can an order ready screen run on a Fire TV?
Pickup Signal's can: install the app from the Amazon Appstore and pair it with a code. Toast no longer supports its Order Ready Board on a Fire TV Stick.
Do I need a kitchen display system?
No. Staff tap Ready on a phone or iPad. If you already run Square KDS, a bump on the Expo station moves the name to Ready.
Does the screen show names or numbers?
Both. It shows the customer's first name and last initial, the order number from the receipt, or both. Nothing else about the customer reaches the screen.