What is a KOT, and why does your kitchen need one?

A KOT, or kitchen order ticket, is the slip that tells your kitchen what to cook. The waiter or cashier takes the order, and the KOT goes to the kitchen on paper or on a screen.

What goes on a KOT

• The table number or token number
• Each dish and how many
• Special requests, like "less spicy" or "no onion"
• The time the order was placed

Why it matters

Without a KOT, orders are shouted across the counter or written on scraps of paper. Dishes get missed, cooked twice, or never billed. A KOT gives the kitchen one clear list, and every dish on it is linked to a bill.

Paper or screen?

Printed KOTs work well in small kitchens with one or two stations. A kitchen screen helps when you have several stations, like tandoor, curry and bar, because each station sees only its own dishes. Cooks can mark each dish ready, so the waiter knows when to pick it up.

Watch the cancelled ones

A cancelled KOT is not always a problem, but a lot of them can be. If dishes are being cooked and then cancelled, food and money are leaving the kitchen without a bill. Check your cancelled and changed KOTs every week. On Dhaba.ai they show up on the reports dashboard every day.