KOT, an abbreviation for Kitchen Order Tickets, is a note that includes the details related to the table number, items ordered, and the quantity, which is forwarded to the kitchen staff after a customer places an order. The restaurant Kitchen Order Ticket may seem insignificant, but it is a critical aspect of the restaurant ordering system. With automation becoming critical in the restaurant industry, having a restaurant KOT that is automated brings in a multitude of benefits. This article will discuss why having an automated KOT printing system is a must-have for your restaurant business.
Reasons Why Your Restaurant Needs An Automatic KOT Printing System
While shifting from a traditional to an automated restaurant generation process may seem straightforward, its associated positive impacts are a lot more than one might expect. The various reasons why your restaurant needs an automated restaurant KOT printing system are:
1. Ease Of Use
The method of accepting orders directly via the POS is quite simple. Orders can be simply punched into the system, and the restaurant KOT is automatically generated. Modern POS software systems do not require much training which makes it easier for the junior-level restaurant staff, that may not be very tech-savvy, to process orders and send automated KOT tickets to the kitchen staff.
2. Accelerates Your Restaurant Service
In the manual way of sending the KOT ticket, someone from the kitchen staff has to keep running to the kitchen from time-to-time to handover the KOT. With an automatic KOT printing system, as soon as the order is punched into the POS, a KOT is printed in the kitchen in real-time. This kind of arrangement accelerates the food service process and also saves time as it allows the automatic capture of data. It reduces table turnaround and the time taken to serve the customers.
This directly impacts customer satisfaction since it takes you less time to communicate, prepare, and deliver the order. In case you are further looking to automate your restaurant ordering system, you can digitize the entire KOT generation process. A Kitchen Display System (KDS) comes in handy in this case. Instead of printing a paper-based KOT, the orders are directly displayed in the kitchen through display screens along with the order details.
3. Integrates With Online Ordering
One of the biggest challenges that restaurateurs face is streamlining the online orders received from online ordering platforms such as Doordash, Deliverect, etc. Unless your restaurant ordering system is automated, there is a high chance that these online orders can get delayed or even missed while sending them to the kitchen for preparation. An automatic restaurant KOT application system ensures that these orders are directly accepted at the POS, and the KOT is generated immediately and printed in the kitchen.
4. Provides Real-time Reports
You can have complete control over your business through real-time monitoring, even if you have outlets at multiple locations. Live analytics allow you to view the number of KOTs generated and enable you to monitor your restaurant operations anytime, from anywhere.
5. Reduces The Scope Of Discrepancies
Since you will have everyday sales and stock details at your fingertips, automatic KOT printing helps in minimizing revenue leakage. For example, you will know the raw materials in stock, and the ones that will have to be ordered. So, there are fewer chances of duplicate orders. You can also exercise theft control because you can keep a tab on the inflow and outflow of materials.
6. Reduces Dependence On Manual Entries
In the manual system, the wait staff always check and recheck the KOT. The automated restaurant KOT system reduces the manual effort, and thus the labor costs are lowered as well. Besides, it also cuts down the problem of wrong delivery since it contains the token number, which is also present on the bill. This is one of the primary advantages of KOT automation that helps in providing better customer satisfaction.
7. Low Investment
The new-age cloud restaurant POS is easy to install and does not take much space in your restaurant. The majority of the restaurant POS available in the market come with an annual subscription, and you can mount those computers on the wall at the service desk. When the billing apps are integrated with the KOT feature, you will not have to invest much. These are usually affordable and instead bring on an overall improvement of the business and, thus, the revenue earned.
These clearly show that an automated restaurant KOT printing system will not only help you accelerate your restaurant operations but will also help in reducing your operating expenses to a great extent.
