Skip to main content
Kitchen stations turn one wall of tickets into a per-cook dashboard. Every section of your kitchen — Hot, Cold, Grill, Bar, Prep, Dessert — becomes a filterable lane on the KDS, and items are routed to the right lane automatically based on their menu category.

​
Overview

A station in DishInk consists of:
  • A name (internal, e.g. hot_kitchen) and display name (what appears on the KDS, e.g. Hot Kitchen)
  • A colour — used for the station chip, ticket accents, and border colouring
  • An alert threshold in minutes — flashes a warning when items sit in the queue too long
  • A list of assigned categories — the menu categories that route to this station
Stations are shared config across a multi-location deployment. Only order data (tickets) is scoped to the active branch — the stations themselves follow the home restaurant.

​
Auto-routing rules

When a waiter sends an order, DishInk decides where each item shows up on the KDS using this exact logic:
1

Look up the item's category

Every menu item belongs to a category (Starters, Mains, Drinks, Desserts, etc.).
2

Find a matching station

Scan stations for the first one whose category_ids includes the item’s category.
3

Stamp the station on the item

The item is written with kds_station = station.display_name so every screen shows it under the correct lane.
4

Fall back to the category name

If no station matches, the item shows under a virtual station named after its category. It is not lost — it just does not have a configured lane yet.
If a category is assigned to multiple stations, the first matching station wins. Assign each category to exactly one station to make routing predictable.

​
Open the Stations panel

1

Sign in as owner or manager

Only roles with kitchen config permissions can create or edit stations.
2

Go to Settings → Kitchen Stations

You will see the info banner explaining how routing works, a list of existing stations, and an Add Station button.

​
Create a station

1

Tap Add Station

A form panel opens with New Station highlighted at the top.
2

Name and Display Name

Enter an internal name (e.g. hot_kitchen) and a display name shown on the KDS (e.g. Hot Kitchen). If you leave display name blank, DishInk uses the name.
3

Pick a colour

Choose from the 12 preset colours. This colour is used for the station chip, the ticket accent, and the border on cards filtered to this station.
4

Set a queue alert (optional)

Enter the number of minutes an item can sit in the queue before the KDS flashes a warning. Typical values are 10–15 minutes. Leave blank to disable.
5

Assign categories

Tap category chips to toggle them into the station. A checkmark appears on selected chips.
6

Tap Create Station

The station is saved and appears in the list. The KDS picks it up on the next order.
Kitchen stations

Kitchen Stations panel

​
Edit a station

  1. Tap the pencil icon on any station row.
  2. The row expands into the edit form pre-filled with current values.
  3. Change any field — name, colour, alert, categories.
  4. Tap Save Changes.
Existing orders keep their original station stamp. Only orders sent after the change are routed with the new configuration.

​
Delete a station

  1. Tap the trash icon on any station row.
  2. Confirm the deletion.
  3. Orders that were already sent keep their station label — the KDS still groups them under that name as a virtual station.
Deleting a station does not reassign historical items. Do this during a quiet period so you do not confuse the kitchen mid-service.

​
Filter the KDS by station

At the top of the KDS, tap a station chip to view only that station’s items. Tap All to see everything again.
  • Real stations appear first, in sort_order, coloured with the station colour.
  • Virtual stations (items with no assigned station) appear after, in grey.
  • The active chip is highlighted.
Bulk actions like Mark All Ready respect the active station filter — they only affect items visible on the ticket for that station.
For a typical restaurant, we recommend starting with these stations: Adjust based on your physical layout and how your team already thinks about the kitchen.

​
Tips and best practices

Match your station names to the words your team actually uses. “Grill”, “Wok”, “Wood Oven” — whatever is on the sign above the cook’s head.
Use queue alerts as an operational lever. Start with 15 minutes, tighten to 10 or even 8 once your team is used to it, and watch acknowledgement time drop in Kitchen Analytics.
In multi-location deployments, get the station list right at the home location. Every branch inherits it.

​
Common mistakes

Do not assign the same category to multiple stations unless you understand the first-match rule. It creates unpredictable routing.
Do not leave categories unassigned during rollout. Items land under a grey virtual station and can be missed if a cook has filtered to a real station.
Do not delete a station mid-service. Wait until the current tickets have cleared.
Last modified on July 19, 2026