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Queue Number Display (QND)
Set up and use the customer-facing Queue Number Display: how it mirrors the KDS order-progress statuses (Preparing / Ready), enabling it in the Portal, opening the display URL, customization (theme, banner, sound, auto-completion), and limits.

What Queue Number Display Is

Queue Number Display (QND) is the customer-facing screen - usually shown on a TV or spare tablet near the counter - that shows order queue numbers as they move through the kitchen. Customers watch their number appear under Preparing and then Ready, so they know when to collect their order without asking staff.

QND is read-only: it does not take orders or change statuses. It simply mirrors, in real time, the order-progress statuses that your KDS (or POS) advances - Received, Preparing, Ready, Complete.

When to Use It

  • Counter-service or grab-and-go venues where customers collect their own orders.
  • Any store already using KDS/EDS that wants a customer-facing 'now preparing / ready to collect' board.
  • Reducing 'is my order ready?' questions at the counter.

How It Works

Each order is given a queue number, and the display groups orders into two sections by their progress status:

  • Preparing — Orders that are Received or Preparing. A small progress bar shows how many items are done.
  • Ready — Orders marked Ready for collection, with the time they became ready ("Ready At ...").

An order drops off the board when it is Completed (collected) - or automatically after a set time, if you enable Auto Completion. The queue number is assigned per store and resets daily. Refunded and voided orders never appear. For delivery-aggregator orders (GrabFood / FoodPanda), the board shows the courier's reference number instead of an internal queue number.

Note  QND only shows movement that something else drives. Orders advance Received -> Preparing -> Ready -> Complete on the KDS (or on the POS when Action Button Status is used); the display just reflects it. If nothing advances the orders, the board stays empty. See the KDS/EDS guide for the staff-side flow.

Before You Begin

  • Queue Number Display enabled — QND is turned on with its own Active toggle in the Portal. It does not require the KDS/EDS add-on.
  • Order statuses — QND relies on the four progress statuses (Received, Preparing, Ready, Complete). Turning QND on enables these automatically (see below).
  • Something to advance orders — A KDS/EDS device (or the POS with Action Button Status) must move orders through the statuses, or the board will not populate.
  • A screen and network — A TV or tablet with a web browser and a stable internet connection to show the board.

Turning On Queue Number Display


QND is set up in the Merchant Portal.

  1. In the Portal, go to Queue Number Display.
  2. Switch the status to Active.
  3. Confirm the prompt - enabling QND also enables the order statuses Received, Preparing, Ready, and Complete.
  4. Save the page. A URL Queue Display link is then generated; use the copy button to copy it.

Note  While QND is Active, the four order statuses are locked on the Order Status settings page - you will be asked to turn QND off before editing them. This keeps the statuses that feed the board from being changed underneath it.

Opening the Display


The display is a web page, not an app you log in to:

  1. On the TV or tablet, open a web browser.
  2. Paste the URL Queue Display link (copied from the Portal) and go to it.
  3. The board loads for that store automatically - there is no login or device pairing.
  4. Tap the footer to toggle fullscreen for a clean TV view.

Note  Because browsers block audio until the user interacts, the board shows a one-time "Sound Activation Required" prompt - tap Allow so the ready-alert sound can play. An invalid or unsaved link shows a "not found" page, and an inactive board shows a "This Board Currently Inactive" message.

What the Screen Shows

  • Preparing section — Queue numbers being prepared, each with the invoice and a progress bar of completed items. (This section can be hidden - see customization.)
  • Ready section — Queue numbers ready to collect, each showing "Ready At" the time it became ready.
  • Banner & promo text — An optional rotating banner (images) and a scrolling promotional message, if configured.
  • Auto-fit — The board automatically fits as many cards as the screen size allows, so it adapts to different TVs.

Updates are real time: the board refreshes the moment a status changes, and also re-checks every 30 seconds as a safety net if the live connection drops. When an order moves into Ready, the alert sound plays.

Customizing the Display

All customization is in the Portal (Queue Number Display), with a live preview beside the settings:

  • Show Preparing status — Toggle the Preparing section on or off (a Ready-only board is possible).
  • Theme — Choose a layout - for example Triple Column, Sidebar Content, Header Two Column, or Stacked (some themes require Preparing to be shown; there are Preparing-hidden variants).
  • Banner — Turn the banner on and upload images (up to 10; portrait or landscape depending on theme).
  • Interval timing — How fast banner images rotate (minimum 5 seconds).
  • Auto Completion After — Automatically remove an order from Ready after a set time (minimum 1 minute).
  • Starting queue number — The number the daily queue starts from (minimum 1).
  • Alert sound when ready — Choose the sound played when an order becomes Ready (with a preview).
  • Font size — Small, medium, or large.
  • Promotional text — A scrolling message (up to 60 characters).
  • Colors — Set the Ready, Preparing, text, and background colors.

Tip  Set a Starting queue number and colors that match your counter signage, and use Auto Completion so stale Ready numbers clear themselves during busy periods.

How Queue Numbers Move

  • Into Preparing — When an order is received / marked Preparing on the KDS (or POS), its queue number appears in the Preparing section.
  • Into Ready — When staff mark the order Ready, the number moves to the Ready section, the "Ready At" time is shown, and the alert sound plays.
  • Off the board — When the order is Completed (collected), the number disappears - or automatically after the Auto Completion time if enabled.

Limits and Important Notes

  • Tied to the order statuses — Enabling QND force-enables Received/Preparing/Ready/Complete, and those statuses are locked while QND is on.
  • Needs something to advance orders — The board only reflects status changes made on KDS/EDS (or POS Action Button Status); it never changes statuses itself.
  • Real-time connection needed — The display device needs continuous internet; if the live connection drops, it still refreshes every 30 seconds.
  • One configuration per store — There is a single display URL and configuration per store. Several screens can open the same URL, but they share one setup - there is no per-screen profile.
  • Queue numbering resets daily — Each new day, new orders start numbering again from the Starting Queue Number (per store, in the store's time zone). This resets the numbering only; orders still in Preparing/Ready are not cleared by the reset - they leave the board when Completed, refunded/voided, or aged out by Auto Completion.
  • Refund / void excluded; delivery shows courier reference — Refunded and voided orders never appear; GrabFood / FoodPanda orders show the courier's reference number instead of a queue number.
  • Sound needs a one-time Allow — The browser requires a single tap on the sound prompt before alerts can play.

Best Practices

  • Use a dedicated screen — Run QND on a TV or spare tablet near the collection point, in fullscreen.
  • Confirm KDS is advancing orders — Make sure staff (or the POS) actually move orders through Preparing and Ready, or the board stays empty.
  • Enable the sound — Tap Allow on first load so customers hear the ready alert; pick a sound that carries in your space.
  • Turn on Auto Completion for busy venues — So Ready numbers clear automatically and the board does not overflow.
  • Keep branding light — Use the banner and promo text for a professional look, but keep text short (60-char limit) so it stays readable.

Common Pitfalls

  • Board stays empty — Usually nothing is advancing orders (no KDS action / Action Button Status not used), or the store has no live orders in Preparing/Ready.
  • No sound when an order is ready — The one-time "Allow" sound prompt was not tapped, or the device is muted.
  • URL shows 'not found' — The link is wrong or the page was not saved yet - re-copy the URL Queue Display link from the Portal after saving.
  • Can't edit order statuses — QND is Active and locks them; turn QND off first, then edit.
  • Expecting per-screen settings — There is one configuration per store; all screens on that URL look the same.
  • Ready numbers pile up — Enable Auto Completion (or complete orders on EDS) so collected orders clear.
  • Clear leftover orders before closing — At end of day, Complete (or void) any orders still sitting in Preparing/Ready. Because queue numbering resets each day but active orders are not cleared by the reset, a leftover order from yesterday can share the same queue number as a new order today, showing a duplicate number on the board.

Quick Reference

Glossary

  • Queue Number Display (QND) — The customer-facing screen showing queue numbers under Preparing and Ready.
  • Queue number — A per-store number assigned to an order, reset daily; shown on the board.
  • Preparing / Ready — The two board sections, driven by the order-progress statuses.
  • URL Queue Display — The Portal-generated link you open on the display device.
  • Auto Completion — A setting that removes an order from Ready after a set time.
  • KDS / EDS — The kitchen and expediter displays that advance orders through the statuses feeding QND.