What is a KMS?
KMS stands for kitchen management system.* The KMS is an organized system used to manage food preparation and order fulfilment in a kitchen setting, particularly in healthcare and food service operations.
Orders are sent as tickets to the KMS, and these tickets are accessed and managed by staff using the Touch app on a touchscreen and/or a printed ticket.
*KMS is a MealSuite term. In the industry, it is known as a kitchen display system (KDS).
How a KMS is Structured
A KMS consists of the top-level KMS location and second-level food preparation stations.
The KMS location is the overall meal assembly area (or hub), whereas a food preparation station is a work point (or role) in the KMS location that is responsible for handling a specific part of the meal preparation process. The KMS supports three types of food preparation stations:
Production Station
A production station is a station where specific items from an ordered meal (or drink) are prepared. A production station is associated with one or more production areas, such as a hot production area where cooked items are prepared (e.g., hamburger), or a cold production area where non-cooked items are prepared (e.g., salad).
When bumping a ticket from a production station, the following occurs:
- Ticket is removed from coordinator station.
- The ticket items in an expo station are highlighted green to visually indicate that they have been bumped, and therefore are ready for the next stage.
Coordinator Station
A coordinator station is a station that oversees and coordinates the production stations to ensure that all items are prepared simultaneously and delivered on time. The coordinator station displays tickets for items across different production areas to synchronize tasks by bumping tickets, which removes them from production stations, helping to manage the workflow efficiently.
When bumping a ticket from a coordinator station, the following occurs:
- Ticket is removed from production station.
- The ticket items in an expo station are highlighted green to visually indicate that they have been bumped and therefore ready for the next stage.
Expeditor (Expo) Station
An expeditor (or expo) station is where meal items from the various production stations are consolidated and checked before being served. The expo station screen combines tickets from different production areas into a single view, helping ensure that entire orders are completed.
For example, a production station handles cooking and assembling dishes, while an expeditor station ensures meals are completed prior to serving.
When bumping a ticket from an expeditor station:
- Removes ticket from production station.
- Removes ticket from coordinator station.