Who Is This For?
StoreHub merchants running an F&B business who need to route orders to the right kitchen or bar printers and customise how kitchen dockets are printed.
Overview
Kitchen stations let you send orders to different printers based on what was ordered. For example, food orders go to the kitchen printer and drink orders go to the bar printer.
This article covers everything you need to set up and manage your kitchen printing: creating kitchen stations, assigning them to products, connecting printers on your POS register, customising docket format and layout, setting up order summary printing, and printing multiple dockets per product (e.g. beer tokens).
Before You Begin
You must have access to your StoreHub BackOffice.
Your kitchen and bar printers must be physically connected and powered on. See this article for more details.
Your products must already be created in BackOffice. See this article for more details.
For multiple docket printing (tokens), your POS app must be version 1.43.0 or above.
Step-by-Step Guide
Add a Kitchen Station
2. Scroll down to the 'Kitchen Stations' section.
3. Type the name of your kitchen station in the 'Kitchen Stations' field and press Enter. Repeat for each station.
4. In the 'Default Kitchen Station' section, select the station that should be automatically assigned to all your products.
5. Click 'Save'.
Notes:
Avoid using special characters in station names.
Do not name a kitchen station 'Receipt', as this will affect your receipt printer settings.
Use a name that matches the station's purpose, e.g. 'Kitchen', 'Bar', 'Drinks', 'Grill'.
To remove or rename a station, see 'Remove or Rename a Kitchen Station' below.
Remove or Rename a Kitchen Station
When you remove a kitchen station, products no longer print at that station, and any printer or Kitchen Display System (KDS) screen using it stops using it. BackOffice asks you to confirm before it removes anything.
Remove a Kitchen Station
1. In your BackOffice, go to 'Settings', then click the 'F & B' tab.
2. Scroll down to the 'Kitchen Stations' section.
3. Click the 'x' next to the station name, then click 'Save'.
4. A 'Confirm Delete' box tells you what will happen. Click 'Delete' to remove the station, or 'Cancel' to keep it.
5. Reassign any products that were using the removed station to another station, then sync your POS.
See 'Assign a Kitchen Station to a Product' below.
Notes:
If you remove more than one station at once, one box lists them all.
If you click 'Cancel', nothing is saved, but the station still looks removed on the page. This is normal. Type its name again and press Enter, or leave the page without saving.
If you remove your default kitchen station, the box warns that products with no kitchen station will not be sent to the kitchen. Choose another station in 'Default Kitchen Station' and click 'Save'.
Rename a Kitchen Station
You cannot rename a kitchen station. Renaming means adding a station with the new name and removing the old one, so BackOffice shows the 'Confirm Delete' box for the old name. Products do not move to the new name by themselves.
1. In the 'Kitchen Stations' section, type the new name and press Enter.
2. Click the 'x' next to the old name, click 'Save', then click 'Delete'. Both changes are saved together.
3. If the old station was your default, choose the new one in 'Default Kitchen Station' and click 'Save'.
4. Reassign each product from the old station to the new one.
To change many products at once, use a product CSV import (see How to Import Products Using CSV).
5. On your POS, tap the menu icon (☰), then 'Sync'. Then go to 'Settings', 'Printer', and turn on the new station for the right printer.
6. If you use a Kitchen Display System, turn on the new station under 'Assign Kitchen Stations' on that KDS.
Assign a Kitchen Station to a Product
If you have multiple kitchen stations (e.g. Kitchen and Bar), you can assign specific products to different stations so their orders print on the correct printer.
1. In your BackOffice, go to 'Products' and select the product you want to assign.
2. On the product page, scroll to the 'Kitchen Station' section.
3. Under 'Station', select the station for this product.
4. Click 'Save'.
5. Sync your POS to apply the changes.
Note:
If you set a default kitchen station, all products automatically use that station. You only need to change the station here for products that should go to a different printer.
Connect Kitchen Printers to Your POS Register
After setting up kitchen stations in BackOffice, you need to connect the printers on your POS register so orders print correctly.
1. On your POS register, sync your settings to pull the latest changes from BackOffice.
2. Go to 'Settings', then tap 'Printer'.
3. Tap 'Search Printer' to find available printers.
4. Tap on the printer you want to configure. Toggle on the kitchen station tasks you want this printer to handle.
5. Go back to the previous page and toggle on 'Always Print Receipt'.
Example:
Toggle on 'Receipt' and 'Kitchen' on your first printer to print receipts and food orders.
Toggle on 'Bar' on your second printer to print drink orders.
6. To test, create a new transaction with products that have kitchen stations assigned.
The kitchen dockets should print on the correct printers. The 'Print Test Receipt' button and the 'Print Test Kitchen Docket' button under 'Kitchen Docket Settings' both send their sample page only to the printer that has 'Receipt' toggled on.
If a kitchen printer is found on your POS but still prints no kitchen dockets, follow 'Kitchen Printer Found but Not Printing' in How to Troubleshoot Common StoreHub Printer Issues.
Set Up Order Summary Printing
The order summary feature prints a consolidated list of all items in an order for kitchen preparation stations or receipt printers.
2. Scroll down to the 'Kitchen Stations' section.
3. Under 'Print Order Summary To', select the printer you want to send the order summary to.
For example 'Receipt Printer', 'Kitchen', or 'Drinks'. To disable order summaries, select '(None)'.
4. Click 'Save'.
5. Sync your POS to apply the changes.
Customise Kitchen Docket Format
You can change how orders appear on your kitchen dockets to match how your kitchen works.
Choose the Kitchen Order Format
This controls whether all items print on one docket or each item prints on its own docket. This is one setting for your whole account, so every kitchen station and printer uses the same format, and you cannot set a kitchen printer to 'All items in one sheet' while a bar printer uses 'One item per sheet'.
2. Scroll down to the 'Kitchen Stations' section. Under 'Kitchen Order Format', select one of the following:
Options | What it means |
All items in one sheet | All items from the order are printed on a single docket. |
One item per sheet | Each item prints on its own separate docket. |
3. Click 'Save'.
Note:
Printing one item per sheet is useful if your kitchen separates orders by cooking station or method, so each station gets only the items they need to prepare.
Set the Variant Layout
This controls how product variants (e.g. size, add-ons) appear on the kitchen docket.
1. On your POS register, go to 'Settings', tap 'Printer', then tap 'Kitchen Docket Settings'.
2. Tap 'Kitchen Docket Variant Layout' and select one of the following:
i. Single Line: variants appear on the same line as the item.
ii. Multiple Lines: each variant appears on its own line.
Notes:
Multiple Lines is useful for complex menus with many variants, making it easier for kitchen staff to read each modifier clearly.
On your POS, 'Settings', 'Printer', 'Kitchen Docket Settings' also shows 'Print other kitchen stations'. It is only for products sent to more than 1 kitchen station, which is available for selected merchants. If you're interested in this feature, contact StoreHub Support via live chat. See 'Send 1 Product to Multiple Kitchen Stations' below.
Group or Ungroup Multiple Items
This controls whether multiple orders of the same item are grouped on one line or printed separately.
2. Scroll down to the 'Group Multiples of The Same Item' section. Select one of the following:
Option | What it means |
Group | Multiple orders of the same item are combined into one line (e.g. "3x Nasi Lemak"). |
Ungroup | Each order prints as a separate entry (e.g. "Nasi Lemak" appears three times). |
3. Click 'Save'.
Set Up Multiple Docket Printing (Tokens)
You can print multiple dockets for a single product. This is useful for items like beer sets, where each docket acts as a token for the customer to redeem one portion at a time.
Note:
This feature requires POS version 1.43.0 or above.
1. In your BackOffice, go to 'Products' and select the product you want to set up (or click 'Add Product' to create a new one).
2. Scroll down to the 'Kitchen Station' section. Under 'Station', select the kitchen station for this product.
Its dockets print on the printer that has this station turned on.
3. Tick the 'Print Additional Kitchen Docket' checkbox.
4. In 'Number of dockets to print', enter the number of dockets to print for this product. The minimum value is 1.
5. Select a 'Docket Expiry' option:
Option | What it means |
No expiry (Default) | The customer can redeem the docket at any time. |
Same as printed date | The docket expires on the same day it was printed. |
Customise period(days) | The docket expires after a set number of days (e.g. if set to 10 days and printed on 1 June, it expires on 11 June). |
6. Scroll to the bottom and click 'Save'.
Note:
If you are using the XPrinter CP-Q3 receipt printer, do not print 40 or more dockets at one time. Print 20 dockets separately twice to avoid errors.
What the Dockets Look Like
When an order is placed, the kitchen receives the standard kitchen docket, and the additional dockets are printed for the customer. Each docket includes:
Table number
Docket number in sequence (e.g. 1/5, 2/5, 3/5, 4/5, 5/5)
Date and time of the order
Employee or waiter's name
Product name
Expiry date (if you set one)
Note:
If the customer orders via QR Order and Pay, the docket shows 'QR Order and Pay' in place of the employee or waiter's name. No QR code is printed on the docket.
Print the Same Docket on Multiple Printers
You can print the same kitchen docket on more than one printer at the same time. This is useful if you want both the kitchen and bar to receive a copy of the same order.
1. On your POS register, go to 'Settings', then tap 'Printer'.
2. Tap on the first printer and toggle on the kitchen station you want it to print (e.g. 'Kitchen').
3. Tap on the second printer and toggle on the same kitchen station (e.g. 'Kitchen').
4. When a kitchen order comes in, the same docket will print on both printers.
Send 1 Product to Multiple Kitchen Stations
Note:
This feature is available for selected merchants only. To turn it on for your account, contact StoreHub Support via live chat.
Every POS register needs StoreHub POS 1.121.0 or later.
If you use a KDS, every KDS needs KDS 1.13.0 or later.
A product can go to more than 1 kitchen station. Each station gets the full item, with its modifiers and notes, on its own kitchen docket.
For example, a chicken sandwich is fried at 'Fry' and finished at 'Sauce', so both stations need it. This works with kitchen printers, a Kitchen Display System (KDS), or both. To print 1 station's docket on 2 printers instead, see 'Print the Same Docket on Multiple Printers' above.
Assign More Than 1 Station to a Product
1. In your BackOffice, go to 'Products' and select the product.
2. Scroll to the 'Kitchen Station' section and make sure 'Print Kitchen docket' is ticked.
3. Under 'Station', select every station that prepares this product. Select the main station first (e.g. 'Fry', then 'Sauce').
4. Click 'Save'.
5. Sync every POS register.
Notes:
To use your default kitchen station, leave 'Station' empty.
The note under 'Station' names the first station you selected. An older POS sends the item to that station only.
When you open the product again, the stations may be listed in a different order. The first station you selected stays the same.
If 'Print Additional Kitchen Docket' is ticked, the extra dockets print once, at the first station.
Order changes (added, reduced or voided items) and manual reprints go to every station of the item. Retrying a failed docket reprints only the station that failed.
Print the Other Stations on Kitchen Dockets (Optional)
Each station's docket can also list the other stations making the same item.
1. On your POS register, go to 'Settings', tap 'Printer', then tap 'Kitchen Docket Settings'.
2. Turn on 'Print other kitchen stations'.
Kitchen dockets from this register then print "Also at:" with the item's other stations. For example, the 'Fry' docket says "Also at: Sauce".
A printer that prints for 2 of the item's stations prints it twice, once for each station. Turn this setting on in that case, so staff can tell the dockets apart. Each POS register keeps its own setting.
If You Use a KDS
Each Prep Station Display for those stations shows the full item. To choose whether each station completes its own part, or 1 bump completes it everywhere, see 'Items Sent to Multiple Kitchen Stations' in How to Set Up and Use Your Kitchen Display System (KDS).
Troubleshooting
The table below covers common problems with kitchen stations and kitchen dockets.
Issue | Solution |
Order summary is not printing correctly | Check that 'Print Order Summary To' is assigned to the correct printer in BackOffice under 'Settings', 'F & B' tab, 'Kitchen Stations' section. Click 'Save' and sync your POS. |
Duplicate order summaries are printing | Go to 'Settings', click the 'F & B' tab, scroll to the 'Kitchen Stations' section, and set 'Print Order Summary To' to a single designated printer or select '(None)'. Click 'Save' and sync your POS. |
Some products are missing from kitchen dockets | The product may not be assigned to a kitchen station. In BackOffice, go to 'Products', edit the product, scroll to the 'Kitchen Station' section, and assign it to the correct station. Make sure 'Print Kitchen docket' is ticked. Click 'Save' and sync your POS. |
Kitchen dockets are printing on the wrong printer | Check that the correct kitchen station is assigned to the product in BackOffice, and that the correct station is toggled on for the right printer in POS printer settings. Sync your POS after making changes. |
Printer not found when searching on POS | Make sure the printer is powered on and connected to the same network as your POS device. See this article for more help. |
Kitchen dockets stopped printing after I removed or renamed a kitchen station | Products that used only the removed station no longer print a kitchen docket. The product page shows that station as '(deleted)'. In BackOffice, open each of those products and click 'Save'. The product then prints at your 'Default Kitchen Station'. To use another station, choose it under 'Station' before you click 'Save'. Then sync your POS. Go to 'Settings', tap 'Printer', and check the station is turned on for the right printer. |
I removed a kitchen station by mistake | Add it again: type the same name in 'Kitchen Stations', press Enter and click 'Save'. Open the products that used it and check their 'Kitchen Station', and reassign any that changed. Then sync your POS, and turn the station back on for the right printer in 'Settings', 'Printer'. |
A product with 2 or more stations prints at 1 station only | Check that every POS register is on StoreHub POS 1.121.0 or later, then sync. An older POS sends the item only to the first station you selected. Also check that each station is turned on for a printer in 'Settings', 'Printer'. |
For a kitchen printer that is found but prints nothing, see 'Kitchen Printer Found but Not Printing' in How to Troubleshoot Common StoreHub Printer Issues.
FAQs
1. How many kitchen stations can I create?
You can create multiple kitchen stations in BackOffice. The number of stations you need depends on how many printer areas you have in your store (e.g. Kitchen, Bar, Grill).
2. Why are some products missing from my kitchen dockets?
This usually happens when a product is not assigned to a kitchen station. In BackOffice, go to 'Products', edit the product, and assign it to the correct kitchen station. Click 'Save' and sync your POS.
3. How do I print a set menu across multiple kitchen and drink stations?
Create a new kitchen station (e.g. 'SET') in BackOffice under 'Settings', 'F & B' tab, 'Kitchen Stations'. Assign this station to the set menu products, click 'Save', and sync your POS. Then on your POS, go to printer settings and toggle on the 'SET' station for both your Kitchen and Drinks printers. Each of those printers gets the whole set, because a set or combo made as a single product sends all of it to that product's station, whether it is ordered on the POS or through QR Order & Pay. To print the food at the kitchen and the drink at the bar, add them to the order as separate products, each with its own station.
4. What is the difference between "All items in one sheet" and "One item per sheet"?
"All items in one sheet" prints every item from the order on a single docket. "One item per sheet" prints each item on its own separate docket. Use one item per sheet if your kitchen separates orders by cooking station or method.
5. Can I group multiple orders of the same item on one docket?
Yes. In BackOffice, go to 'Settings', click the 'General' tab, and set 'Group Multiples of The Same Item' to 'Group'. For example, 3 orders of Nasi Lemak will appear as "3x Nasi Lemak" on one line instead of three separate entries.
6. What is the multiple docket (token) feature used for?
It prints extra dockets for a single product, which act as tokens for customers. For example, if a customer orders a 5-mug beer set, 5 individual dockets are printed so they can redeem one mug at a time.
7. What POS version do I need for multiple docket printing?
You need POS version 1.43.0 or above.
8. Can I print the same kitchen docket on two printers at the same time?
Yes. On your POS register, go to printer settings and toggle on the same kitchen station for both printers. When an order comes in, the docket will print on both.
9. Can I rename a kitchen station?
No. Add a station with the new name, remove the old one, then reassign your products and turn on the new station for your printer. Products do not move to the new name by themselves. See 'Rename a Kitchen Station' above.
10. Can I send 1 product to 2 kitchen stations?
Yes, if this feature is turned on for your account. It is available for selected merchants only. On the product page, select both stations under 'Station', click 'Save' and sync your POS. Each station gets the full item on its own docket. See 'Send 1 Product to Multiple Kitchen Stations' above. To print the same docket on 2 printers instead, see FAQ 8.
Need Help?
Contact StoreHub Support via live chat in your StoreHub app or email [email protected].
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