for those in professional kitchens - ticket taking/expediting

It is not so much digital verse paper so much as it is that food needs to come up in groupings of a table and I believe that complicates the conceptualization of digital format that would be feasible, but then it certainly isn't my area of expertise; merely surmising.

I think I understand your question, but if I miss what you are getting at, forgive me..."digital tickets" as you say do exist, but I think you will find many chefs, especially old school chefs, will find it very hard to move away from physical paper tickets...we were all brought up on them, and are very comfortable with them.  In my case, I actually use a hybrid system in my stores...I have KDS monitors (Kitchen Display Monitors) in each line station that will print orders only for that station on the monitor....ie, grill items only are seen on the grill station monitor.  I can even have individual menu items electronically timed so theoretically items will come up together...I don't use this feature, but keep paper tickets on expo for the chef to coordinate...and for the foodrunners/servers to run the food out.  There are benefits and drawbacks to this system...I like that each station quickly gets there orders, but on the other hand, every item has to be "bumped" off the monitor when it is complete...this adds, what some chefs feel are, unnecessary steps for a line cook, and can affect kitchen timing...

 

Incidentally, this technology is not new, and shows up in just about every fast food restaurant in America.  I will say, though, that paper tickets or digital monitors have nothing to do with counting appetizers or tabulating...etc as you say.  Both methods require a Point of Sale (POS) system which tracks Menu Item Mixes, Sales and Revenues, Labor...etc.  Independent of whether you use paper tickets or digital monitors, you will be able to print these reports....

 

For what it is worth, I will never go to just digital monitors in the kitchen...Did this get at your question?
 

there are systems out there...

they are very expensive, and glitchy.

i have been researching the pos systems available, and though it is cool and all....

they are impractical at present.

servers take orders on i-pad type devices, and they are relayed into the kitchen.

the kitchen has a monitor, much like a system you see at an airport.

where it lists items that need to be fired... it's all how you program it.

some will list the whole order first, then what needs to be fired right away.

most have a highlighting system that shows what needs to be fired, and what is waiting...

these systems can be great, for the right type of fast food place i am guessing...

but all i think about is a kitchen getting backed up, and not seeing all the paper in front of them that

represents the orders pending...

it scares me.

now, having a piece of paper in front of the chef makes more sense for a variety of reasons...

1. they can go back to it at any time... even after the dish has left the kitchen!

that is very important!

2. seeing multiple orders at once allows for the kitchen to plan for those orders

3. even the most sophisticated systems have paper backup, and lets face it, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

4. using the old systems, allows for anyone to come into your place and work / help out / cover...

 

i think if anything, the i-pad type units in the hands of the servers may be the future, but keep the paper in the kitchen...

The abiliity to physically manipulate tickets in a rail, scratch things off and write instructions that no matter how many times you ask servers to type in get delivered verbally through the pass, and to just pull a ticket off and chunk it in the trash when it has to be rerung is invaluable. Touch screens could solve this but they will fritz out if oil or god forbid something sticky gets on them. If the paper waste bothers you dump the ticket spike into the recycling can. And something that just occured to me, breakage on glassware sucks. Nobodys perfect, everyone drops plates now and again. Replacing twelve highballs or coffee cups is much cheaper than an ipad type device. That being said if you can come up wwith something that addresses all of these concerns and theto nes noones thought of you will probably get very wealthy.

I really wanted to chime in here, but I really cannot improve upon the way bones and dardeau responded. There are some nice things about these systems, but they just doesn't out weigh the versatility of paper tickets or justify the cost for what would really only be a marginal gain in efficiency for most restaurants. For those of us who do a lot of special orders and off menu items, this actually reduces efficiency.

Also, this technology could never truly replace the role of the expediter. They are responsible for communication between stations in the kitchen as well as with the service staff. They also may be responsible for garnishing dishes and the final inspection before sending to the table. This system can improve their job, especially with tracking ticket times, but never replace it.

I think its a case of "If it ain't broke, don"t fix it".

IPad technology is the wave of the future.

Many of the industry newspapers and articles are extolling the virtues of paperless order taking.

Some places even have the menu on a hand held device that the customer simply inputs information on.

No server needed to take the order.

Any exceptions, additions, and substitutions can be typed into the pad. 

 

The paperless kitchen is something what will soon be the norm. 

the tech is certainly exciting, and for the right concept i am sure it will work great. But still best of both... paperless "order taking', paper in "kitchen".

 

It is the future,. I also can visualize an order coming in where the computer tells you which dish to start putting together first, so everything wilol be ready at same time. The server will order , then serve appys, then punch in fire #22. You hit screen in kitchen and #22 shows up so you know what you are fireing. At first like any new system it will be hard , but will work itself out and we will think , how did we manage on that old system? I remember when the timed combi ovens came out .steam or roast or both , settin temps setting time setting amount of moisture. Looked like you had to be a rocket science major to operate them . Now they are commonplace and require less thinking then normal oven did.  I guess its called progress

   . I also can see where your glove compartment is in your car(who has gloves today) there will be a microwave oven. You will be able to stop by food from a refig vending machine set  on streets. and heat yourself, Why? because we are in such a rush all the time that McDonalds and Burger King fast food places are now to slow for us and we do not want to wait on a car line or people line for any amount of time.

  I have seen such changes in our businesss over the last 50 years that it is mind boggeling.

Well Mcdonalds/chillis has those computer screens.  I work at a hotel and we still use the ticked machine.  I think that it would be much easier to read paper tickets than to look at a screen.  Also there is more than one person cooking on the line so that means you would need 2 screens which is allot of money.

Chef Ed is right. This is the future. How near, for it to be commonplace for independent operators, is debatable and largely a question of affordability. Considering that the TV I paid $700 for 2 years ago can now be had for around $400, we could be seeing more of these systems sooner rather than later. (Not apples to apples I know, just sayin')
That being said... I can see some significant difficulties getting servers to communicate their customers every last wish through the POS system. I've always insisted that any little change to a ticket be written on said ticket. And don't get me started on when they hit "see server" and think they can just explain what they want and walk away. Memories just cannot be trusted; and when they don't have the time to write it down, or God forbid type it out, is usually going to coincide with my mental capacities being taxed by many other things.

I worked as an expo at an Applebee's where computer screens where used instead of tickets. Fortunately for me, expo station got paper tickets in addition to the monitor. It took about a month and a half for me to stop using the tickets. It was very hard for me to get used to watching the screen and tracking orders that way. In the end, I was able to perform my job more efficiently by eliminating the need to pull the ticket stick it the rack and stab it. Change is hard, but usually not as hard as it seems.

Honestly, although I agree with the reservations posted earlier( for the time being), most of them are rooted in the fear of getting used to something new. Corporate places use these systems not only because they have the money to invest into the technology, but also because they can afford to research the cost effectiveness. This will be the norm eventually, like it or not.

Like previously stated, I agree that the expo/ticket caller making real-time decisions based on cooks performance and inevitable glitches, has a degree of judgment calling unavailable from a processor, or program, no matter how intricate. Wether or not tickets are physical or digital, it needs to be very easy to move & adjust what's being sold & when. Computers are tools, but verbal communication, I feel, is better than a screen because cooks don't have to take their eyes off the food.

Ultimately it all depends on the restaurant.  Firstly, computerized ticket systems do exist and they are used by several chain restaurants and if you want a high end example, Moto.  Secondly, the cost and maintenance of the system probably factors a lot into whether or not people want to use it... some restaurants simply don't have the room to fit a monitor at strategic places.  Finally, let's face it, a lot of chefs and cooks are very conservative, a lot of us don't like drastic change and computers seem like an unnecessary waste of time and money and we fear that it'll take away our souls... hell, some people still prefer hand written tickets over printers for similar reasons.

 

Ultimately it depends on what the customer needs and wants, there are some pretty sophisticated digital ticket systems out there just depends on if you're interested in them or not.