12 Prep Station Linking
In a typical restaurant kitchen, orders are divided and assigned to the kitchen staff, according to the preparation requirements. Hot foods are handled by one station, salads are given to another, and desserts are handled by a third. Generally, as the size of the restaurant increases, the number of Prep Stations expand and the range of menu items handled by the stations is subdivided into smaller groups. For example, in a busy steak house, hot entrée-type menu items are divided into two groups: Grill Preps (steak, burgers, chicken) and Hot Preps (soups and vegetable sides).
The process works well in establishments with a large and diverse menu. However, in a quick service restaurant (QSR), where volume is high, but the range of menu items is small, subdividing Prep Stations is not that simple. Usually, several kitchen staff will work on the same set of items.
Prep Station linking allows multiple Prep Stations to show the same orders and to be controlled by a single bump bar. When an order is received, it appears at all linked Prep Stations. When the order is marked done at the KDS client to which Prep Stations are linked and bumped from the display, the order is removed from all its linked Prep Stations simultaneously. Similarly, if an order is recalled to the Prep Station, it is recalled to all its linked order devices. All other functions are maintained at each local Prep Station.