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Software & Management

Restaurant ordering software

Self-service ordering for restaurants, cafes and takeaways, scoped around your menu and your kitchen: the customer ordering interface, modifiers, kitchen display and printing workflow, order collection screens, payment requirements and multi-location set-up.
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One order, several screens

A self-service order touches more of your operation than the kiosk it is placed on. It has to reach the kitchen in a form the kitchen can work from, appear in the till or back-office record, tell the customer when to collect and reconcile with the payment taken. Restaurant ordering software is the part that carries the order through those steps.

We scope that software around how your kitchen and counter actually run, then match it to hardware: ordering kiosks, a cashier station, kitchen display screens, printers, order collection screens and digital menu boards. The end-to-end arrangement is described under restaurant workflow.

Not every site needs every screen. A small takeaway might run ordering kiosks with a kitchen printer. A busier site adds kitchen display screens and an order collection screen. Menu boards are optional in either. The software scope reflects the configuration you choose.

How an order moves through the restaurant

  1. Step 1Customer browses and places an order

    At a kiosk, the counter or a table QR code, as scoped.

  2. then

    Step 2Payment is completed

    Through the configured method, where required.

  3. then

    Step 3Order reaches the kitchen workflow

    Kitchen display and/or printer.

  4. then

    Step 4Staff prepare and update the order

    Its status changes as it progresses.

  5. then

    Step 5Collection screen shows the status

    Where a collection screen is part of the set-up.

  6. then

    Step 6Customer collects the order

    Handed over at the counter or collection point.

Routing, printing, payment and collection behaviour depend on the agreed integration. Print timing is configurable.

An example flow: the customer orders at a kiosk, counter or table; the order reaches the kitchen display and printer; the collection screen shows its status; the customer collects. Print timing and the screens used are configurable. Illustrative diagram.

What the software scope covers

  • Customer ordering interface

    Large, clear menu screens for kiosks, with an eat-in or takeaway choice, basket, order review and confirmation. The same ordering logic can be extended to tablets or QR-code ordering at the table if required.

  • Menu structure

    Categories, items, sizes, meal deals, time-limited menus and sold-out handling, arranged so that the most common orders take the fewest touches.

  • Product modifiers

    Required and optional choices — sizes, sides, extras, removals, cooking preferences — with price adjustments, limits and sensible defaults. Allergen and dietary information is displayed from the data you provide and maintain.

  • Kitchen display workflow

    Orders routed to the right preparation station, shown in sequence with timings, and moved on by staff from new to preparing to ready.

  • Printing requirements

    Customer receipts, order numbers and kitchen tickets. Kitchen print timing is configurable — at order placement, at preparation or at completion — to suit a paper, screen-led or mixed kitchen.

  • Order collection screens

    Order numbers shown as preparing and ready, in a layout that can be read from the waiting area.

  • Payment integration requirements

    Pay at the kiosk, pay at the counter or both. Card acceptance depends on your payment provider, their terminal and their process for unattended payments.

  • Multi-location requirements

    A shared menu structure with local prices, items and opening hours; kitchen routing and printers set per site; and reporting by site and across the group.

Kitchen print timing options

Kitchen print timing options. Print timing is a configuration choice made for each site. No single sequence is fixed.
When the ticket printsSuitsThings to consider
At order placementKitchens that work from paper tickets and want every order in hand immediately.Uses the most paper, and tickets need managing at busy times.
At preparationKitchens that queue orders on a screen and print a ticket as each one is started.Needs a kitchen display and a staff action to start each order.
At completionScreen-led kitchens that print only a ticket or label to go with the finished order.Relies on the kitchen display throughout, so plan for what happens if a screen fails.

Scroll sideways to see the whole table.

Print timing is a configuration choice made for each site. No single sequence is fixed.

Questions to answer before you commission

  • How does an order reach the kitchen today, and what would you change?
  • Do you run one preparation area, or several stations that each need a different part of the order?
  • Does your kitchen prefer paper tickets, screens or both, and when should tickets print?
  • How complex are your modifiers: sizes, meal deals, extras, removals, half-and-half items?
  • Who maintains menu, price and allergen data, and where is it held?
  • Which till or back-office system must orders and sales appear in?
  • Will customers pay at the kiosk, at the counter or both, and who is your payment provider?
  • How do customers collect: called by number, called by name, delivered to the table?
  • Do menus, prices or opening hours differ between locations?
  • What should happen when an item sells out during service?
  • What is the fallback if the network or a kitchen screen goes down mid-service?

Working with your existing till and payments

Most restaurants already have a till or point-of-sale system. The first scoping question is whether self-service orders should flow into that system, or whether the ordering software holds the orders itself and reports sales alongside. Flowing orders into an existing till depends on its supplier providing a documented interface and permission to use it. We never assume this, and we set out what we ask for under integrations.

Card terminals are supplied by your payment provider unless separately agreed. A payment-terminal bracket on a kiosk shows where a terminal can be mounted; it does not establish that a particular terminal or provider is supported. We confirm the payment route with you and your provider before design begins. See payment kiosks and our guide to planning a restaurant ordering system.

What this includes — and what it does not

What is and is not included

Restaurant ordering software is scoped, designed and built — or selected and configured — for your project. It is not an off-the-shelf subscription bundled with kiosk hardware, and Kiosk Craft does not claim a ready-made connection to any particular till or payment provider.

Card terminals, merchant services and payment certification are your payment provider's. Menu, price and allergen data remain your responsibility. Hardware, software and ongoing management are quoted separately, and licences, hosting and support terms are set out in your quotation.

Hardware that fits

Product families that suit the applications on this page. Options are confirmed with your quotation.

Related pages

Guides to read next

Frequently asked questions

When does the kitchen ticket print?

Whenever suits your kitchen. Print timing is configurable — at order placement, at preparation or at completion — and can differ by site. Some kitchens print nothing and work entirely from kitchen display screens. We agree the timing with you during scoping and test it with your printers.

Can it work with our existing till system?

It depends on your till supplier. An integration needs their documented interface, test access and agreement. If that is available we can scope the connection; if not, the ordering software can run alongside the till with sales reported separately. We establish this early because it shapes the whole project.

Can customers pay by card at the kiosk?

This can be scoped with your payment provider. They supply the terminal and set the requirements for unattended payments. Ordering kiosk ranges can include a payment-terminal bracket, but a bracket does not confirm compatibility with a given terminal, so we check the terminal model and provider before hardware is ordered.

Do we need kitchen display screens, or can we just use a printer?

Either works. A kitchen printer alone is simple and familiar. Kitchen display screens help at higher volumes, with several stations, or where you want order timings and less paper. Many kitchens use both. The choice affects the hardware, the software scope and the print timing.

Can we use the same system across several sites?

Multi-location use can be scoped: a shared menu structure with local prices and items, kitchen routing and printers set per site, and group reporting. Tell us how much each site is allowed to vary, because that drives the design.

Tell us how your kitchen runs

Describe your menu, your kitchen stations, your till and how customers collect. We will reply by email with questions and a suggested hardware and software scope.

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