Station routing

Station routing sends each part of an order to the station that makes it - fryer, grill, cold prep, bar - so nobody reads a list of things that are not theirs looking for the two that are. It is configured per item, usually once. On a printed setup it means more than one printer; on a screen it means more than one view of the same queue.

In practice

Station routing splits a ticket by where the work happens. The fryer sees fryer items, the grill sees grill items, and nobody reads a list of things that are not theirs looking for the two that are.

It is configured per item, usually once, and it removes most of the shouting in a busy kitchen. On a printed setup it means more than one printer; on a screen it means more than one view of the same queue.

The order is only complete when every station has finished its part, which is also how a kitchen stops sending half an order out while the chips are still down.

Also called: kitchen routing, printer routing.

Questions people ask about station routing

How is station routing set up?

Per item, normally once, when the menu is built: this goes to the fryer, that goes to the grill, the drinks go to the bar. The work is in the menu rather than in the hardware, which is why adding a station later is easy and changing how the menu is organised is not.

When is an order complete with station routing?

Only when every station has finished its part. That is also how a kitchen stops sending half an order out while the chips are still down, because the ticket cannot be bumped until the last station marks its items done.

Do I need separate printers for each station?

On a printed setup, yes: routing means the fryer’s items physically print at the fryer. On a kitchen display system the same split is a second view of one queue, which is cheaper to add and easier to change later.

Where to go next

Kitchen display systems →