KDS 2.0 is the latest version of our Kitchen Display System (as of January 2024).

To use KDS 2.0, you need to sign up for our beta program. Contact your Sales Account Manager or email sales@lightspeedhq.com to ask about add Lightspeed KDS.

Begin setting up the Lightspeed Kitchen Display System (KDS) by contacting Support to request a connection code you can use to link an iPad to your account as a kitchen display. After connecting a kitchen display, set up filters to display only certain types of items or orders, and configure print settings to print a chit when orders are completed or removed from the KDS.

The Lightspeed Kitchen Display system is a paid add-on for existing Lightspeed Restaurant subscriptions. Contact your Sales Account Manager or email sales@lightspeedhq.com to ask about purchasing the Lightspeed KDS.

Requesting a KDS connection code

Contact our Support team to request a KDS connection code that can be used to connect a kitchen display to your account.

1. Contact our Support team.
2. Ask for a KDS connection code to be created for your account. In the request, include the mode you want the KDS set to:
   
   • Receipt mode - Each order will appear on the KDS as a separate tile that lists all of the order’s items (see example here).
   • Production mode - Each item will appear on the KDS as a separate tile that shows the total quantity waiting to be prepared for all pending orders (see example here).
3. Wait for confirmation that Support has created the connection code.
4. Follow the steps in Connecting a kitchen display to connect a kitchen display to your account.

Connecting a kitchen display

Download and activate the Lightspeed Restaurant app on a spare iPad using the connection code created by Support to connect a kitchen display to your account. These steps must be performed on a dedicated iPad, not an existing one used for ordering.

1. Log in to the Back Office with your Lightspeed Restaurant account credentials.
2. From the navigation menu, go to Configuration > Devices > Connection codes.
3. Take note of the alphanumeric connection code with its Device type set to Kitchen display.
   
   
4. Connect the kitchen display iPad to the same Wi-Fi network as the other POS devices.
5. Download the Lightspeed Restaurant POS (K) app on the kitchen display iPad. For detailed help, see Apple support.
6. Open the Restaurant POS app on the kitchen display iPad, and tap Connect.
7. Enter the KDS connection code from step 3, then tap Connect.
   To scan the code, instead of entering it, tap the QR code icon on the iPad and position the KDS QR code in front of the iPad's camera. Cover other QR codes on the page to avoid scanning them instead.
8. Tap OK to allow the KDS to connect to POS devices on your local network.
9. Tap Continue to proceed to the main KDS screen.
10. (Optional) Repeat steps 4–9 to connect additional kitchen displays.
11. (Optional) Complete the steps in Filtering the KDS and/or Configuring KDS print settings to set up those features for the KDS.

Filtering the KDS

To customize which types of orders appear on the KDS, filter it by accounting group or by account profile, production center, or tag. For example, set up the KDS to exclude items that don't need to be prepared by the kitchen or to display only items ordered for takeaway, pickup, or delivery.

At least one kitchen display device must be connected before filtering the KDS.

Filtering by accounting group

Contact our Support team to request that kitchen displays only show items in certain accounting groups. For example, filter the KDS to display only food items so that drinks do not appear on the screen.

1. Contact our Support team.
2. Ask for the KDS to be filtered by accounting group. In the request, include:
   • Each connected KDS device you want filtered. To learn how to view the names of devices, see Understanding POS devices.
   • Accounting groups to display on each KDS device. To learn how to view existing accounting groups and their items, see About accounting groups.
3. Wait for confirmation that Support has made the requested changes.

Filtering by account profile, production center, or tag

Filter the KDS by account profile, production center, or tag to display only orders and items that meet those criteria.

1. Log in to the Back Office with your Lightspeed Restaurant account credentials.
2. From the navigation menu, go to Configuration > Configurations.
3. Add a new device configuration (also known as a device profile) for the KDS. For detailed steps, see Adding device profiles.
4. Click Edit next to the new profile to configure it.
5. Set up the desired filter settings for the KDS configuration:
   • Profiles to allow within this configuration - The KDS will only display orders where the selected account profiles were applied at the POS or where no account profile was applied. 
   • Printing enabled on the following production centers - The KDS will only display order items belonging to the selected production centers. 
   • Tags to apply to the transactions issued by the devices using this configuration - The KDS will only display orders with the selected tag. Tags are applied to orders started on POS devices using a configuration with the same tag selected.

   

6. Click Save to save changes.
7. From the navigation menu, go to Configuration > Devices > Devices.
8. Click Edit next to the KDS device.
9. Select the configuration created in step 3 from the Default POS configuration drop-down menu.
   
   
10. Click Update to save changes.
11. If filtering by production center, contact Support to ask that the Production center filter setting be enabled for each KDS device.

Configuring KDS print settings

Configure print settings in the Back Office to print a chit when orders are marked complete or removed from the KDS. This will alert front-of-house staff that orders are ready by printing the order to a receipt printer.

At least one kitchen display device must be connected before you can configure the following settings.

1. Log in to the Back Office with your Lightspeed Restaurant account credentials.
2. To print a chit when a delivery or pickup order is marked ready on the KDS in receipt mode, follow steps 2a–2e.
   
   1. From the navigation menu, go to Configuration > Settings > Account profiles.
   2. In the Actions column, click Edit for a delivery or pickup profile.
   3. Enable the Print a draft receipt when the order is ready setting.
   4. Click Save to save changes. 
   5. (Optional) Repeat steps 2b–2d for each additional delivery or pickup account profile.
      
      Chits will print to the printing profile assigned to the KDS device configuration unless a different printing profile is assigned to the KDS itself (see step 3).

      

3. To print a chit when an item or order is removed from the KDS in receipt or production mode, follow steps 3a–3e.
   1. From the navigation menu, go to Configuration > Devices > Devices.
   2. In the Actions column, click Edit for a kitchen display device.
   3. Select an existing printer profile from the Printer profile for customer receipts drop-down menu.
   4. Click Update to save changes.
   5. (Optional) Repeat steps 3b–3d for each additional kitchen display device.
      
      Chits will print to the printing profile selected in step 3c, overriding the profile set on the KDS device configuration. If the KDS is set to receipt mode and you completed step 2 above, two chits will print for delivery and pickup orders: one when marking an order ready and another when removing it from the KDS. 

      

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