GoTab: The Kitchen Display System Built for Busy Kitchens
GoTab's KDS shows your kitchen exactly what's fired, what's cooking, and what's ready — in real time. It works with the devices and printers you already have.
What is GoTab's KDS?
GoTab's KDS (kitchen display system) shows kitchen staff every order the moment it's placed — whether it comes from the counter, a server's handheld, a kiosk, or a guest's phone. It supplements or replaces paper tickets with a screen that always shows the real status of every order. GoTab's KDS is built for kitchens that get busy. It's part of GoTab's full entertainment commerce platform, not a bolt-on screen, so all orders from any source land in the kitchen the same way, every time. Kitchens lose time in the gap between the kitchen falling behind and the guest, server, or manager finding out about it. GoTab's KDS closes the gap by making prep status, delays, and stock visible everywhere at once.
One Screen, Every Order, In Sync
At the heart of GoTab's KDS is real-time status for every ticket, not just “ordered” and “done.” Kitchen staff can see what's fired, what's actively cooking, and what's ready for expo, all in one place. That means fewer guesses, fewer remakes, and fewer orders that go out at the wrong time.
How GoTab's KDS Works
Orders sync the instant they're placed
Whether an order comes from a server's handheld, a self-ordering kiosk, a QR code, or online ordering, it appears on the KDS right away — no delays or re-keying.
Guests see delays before they even order
On a kiosk or QR screen, if an item is running behind, the extra prep time shows right on the ordering screen — before the guest taps to add it. They can order anyway knowing what to expect, or choose something else.
Guests can text back, and staff see it on the ticket
If an order is running behind or the kitchen has a question, staff can message the guest directly from the KDS screen. When the guest replies, that reply lands right on the ticket — it's two-way, not a one-way ping.
GoTab Opserver keeps the kitchen running even if the internet goes down
Orders and payments keep flowing until the connection comes back. The kitchen never has to stop.
During a rush, that extra detail is what keeps a kitchen from falling behind. Instead of two states (ordered, done), GoTab shows what's fired, what's in progress, and what's ready for expo. One operator described the difference from their old system this way: “I can only see when it's ordered and when it's done — there's no way to show it's being cooked.” That's the gap GoTab's KDS closes.
Want more technical detail on how this works? See How a Modern Kitchen Display System (KDS) Works: The End-to-End Workflow Explained →
Modern, Flexible Hardware for Every Service Environment
GoTab's hardware is built to be flexible. You're not locked into one brand or one device.
Handheld POS
Your full point of sale in a server's pocket — orders, tap-to-pay, and kitchen alerts from anywhere on the floor.
Self-Ordering Kiosks
Guests build their order, pay, and send it straight to the kitchen.
QR Ordering & Payment
Guests order and pay in their own phone's browser, with no app to download.
The GoTab Difference
You're not locked into one screen size or one piece of proprietary hardware. GoTab's KDS runs on GoTab's own displays or on the tablets and screens you already use in the kitchen.
Point of Sale POS
Connect ordering, payments, kitchen operations, and guest tabs in one flexible platform.
Simple and Transparent Pricing
Our pricing is simple: we make money when you do. With our transaction-based processing fees, GoTab is your all-in-one POS and much more.
Open APIs To Connect Your Entire Tech Stack
GoTab is an open platform. Its API connects to the tools you already use — loyalty programs, accounting software, and reservation systems — so you can build the exact setup your business needs, instead of settling for whatever one vendor happens to offer.
Bring Your Systems Together
Connect reservations, events, accounting, loyalty, inventory, self-pour, gaming, property management, and more.
Work With Leading Hospitality Platforms
Including Tripleseat, Intercard, Amusement Connect, PourMyBev, CourtReserve, Mews, and other specialized technology providers.
Keep Data Moving Across Your Operation
Reduce disconnected systems and manual work by sharing critical information between GoTab and the tools your teams rely on.
Build for What Comes Next
Open APIs give operators and technology partners more flexibility to support new experiences and evolving business needs.
One accurate source of truth
Orders from every channel — counter, handheld, kiosk, QR, online — land in the same place, so nothing gets lost or double-handled.
Smarter timing
Intelligent prep sequencing helps multi-item orders finish together, cutting remakes and speeding up turn times.
Direct communication with guests
Kitchen staff can text guests about delays or questions without going through a server.
Built for real kitchens
Zone-based station routing sends orders to the right prep station — built for food halls, multi-vendor venues, and busy kitchens with more than one line.
See How GoTab's KDS Compares to Traditional Kitchen Systems
Per-item status (fired, cooking, ready) instead of just open/bumped tickets — see what's actually happening on the line, not just what's ordered and done.
Built for multi-station, multi-vendor kitchens, not just single-counter service.
Transparent pricing, no per-station add-on fees.
Explore GoTab by Business Type
Every venue runs differently. See how GoTab fits your type of business.
See all business types
Trusted by Hospitality Leaders
“Now we're selling more food. All the vendors are noticing more food sales based on our numbers and the guest experience.”
“One of the great things about the QR codes and how well that system functions is that it has enabled us to save on labor because we don't need to have waitstaff in the traditional sense.”
“People used to spend 40 minutes of their visit waiting in line. Now they're just sitting with their family and their beer arrives. Before, they'd walk out. Now they stay.”
“Before, we were doing $2,000 to $3,000 a day in reservations. When we switched to this simplified all-inclusive model, we started booking more than $30,000 a day.”
“We tried another QR code ordering system in another store and it fell flat. But with GoTab, we're seeing triple or quadruple the sales compared to that other store, and that's with less attendance. Guests love it.”
“Attendance for some events can soar from 5,000–7,000 on an average day, to an astonishing 110,000 guests for our annual Breeders Cup event. GoTab helps the team achieve exceptional agility”
View case study
Watch the story
2,100
ordering interactions moved out of food lines on a 7,000-visitors
Frequently Asked Questions
Check out these common questions about our
Kitchen Display System (KDS)
Kitchen Display Systems (KDS) streamline order management in restaurants by digitizing the communication between front-of-house staff and kitchen staff. When a server enters an order into the POS system, it appears on the KDS in the kitchen. The KDS displays the order details, such as items, modifiers, and special requests, allowing kitchen staff to prepare the order accurately and efficiently. Once the order is ready, kitchen staff mark it as complete on the KDS, and the server is notified to pick up the order for delivery to the customer.
Here are some key features and benefits of Kitchen Display Systems:
- Digitized Communication: Ensures clear and accurate communication between front-of-house and back-of-house staff.
- Order Accuracy: Displays detailed order information for precise preparation.
- Efficient Workflow: Improves kitchen efficiency by organizing and tracking orders.
Learn about GoTab’s flexible Kitchen Display System.
Fine dining restaurants gain numerous benefits when using the GoTab Kitchen Display System. With dedicated spots and ordering zones, the GoTab KDS lets the kitchen know the location of every order submitted. That means the kitchen can handle the order in the most efficient way possible, and expedite orders to the front-of-house using the KDS interface. In-app support allows the kitchen to talk directly with a GoTab customer service representative, getting fast answers and resolution to any issues that arise.
Hotels gain numerous benefits when using a Kitchen Display System. With a system like GoTab, guests can place orders from virtually any location that they can place a QR. Whether it’s in a guest room, at the bar, at the poolside, or in a conference room. That makes it all the more important that the kitchen knows where an order is going when it is placed. With the GoTab Kitchen Display System, the order’s destination is automatically associated with its ticket in the system. This will allow the hotel kitchen to expedite orders with the highest level of efficiency and quality.
Many Food Hall merchants can significantly improve their kitchen fulfillment by utilizing a KDS. Instead of handling manual tickets in the kitchen, the Food Hall KDS allows the kitchen to efficiently manage order fulfillment, providing complete transparency and visibility into the timing and accuracy of the orders. With GoTab for Multi-Operator Locations, Food Hall owners and operators can deploy multiple KDSs to as many merchants as they need. Each merchant receives their own KDS that they can customize for their specific offerings.
GoTab's KDS is built as part of a connected ordering and payment platform, not a standalone ticket screen. Every order source—QR, kiosk, server handheld, online, and delivery—feeds into one KDS queue with live, per-item status tracking (New, In Progress, Ready, Fulfilled), while Toast tracks tickets as open or bumped with no per-item state.
GoTab also supports zone-based station routing, so multi-bar, multi-floor, and multi-vendor venues like food halls and hotels can route orders to the correct station automatically—a capability Toast's KDS doesn't offer.
Learn more about GoTab's Kitchen Display System.
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