Kitchen add-on for BNM Billing
KOT billing software for restaurant kitchens
Next update Coming in the next update of BNM Billing for Windows, Mac and Linux: every dish goes to the screen of the kitchen counter that cooks it, and parcel bills print a token slip for each counter.
Not yet in the app. The Kitchen add-on comes with the next BNM Billing update as a paid add-on, and its price is not announced yet. Table orders will show on kitchen screens; they will not print. Restaurants can already use BNM for counter GST bills and WhatsApp orders: see BNM for restaurants.
The basics
What is a KOT (kitchen order ticket)?
KOT is short for kitchen order ticket. In a restaurant or hotel, it tells the kitchen what to cook: the table or token number, each dish and how many, and the time the order came in. Many restaurants still write KOTs by hand or print them on a small KOT printer, and make the bill separately when the guests are done.
A KOT is not the bill. It has no prices or GST, and one table can have several KOTs as guests order more. A kitchen display system (KDS) shows the same tickets on a screen in the kitchen instead of on paper. A BOT (bar order ticket) is the same idea for the bar.
- KOT full form: kitchen order ticket, the same in a hotel or a restaurant
- Who reads it: the cooks at each kitchen counter
- What it has: table or token number, dishes, quantities and time
- What it does not have: prices or GST, which go on the bill
Coming in the next update
How the KOT system will work in your restaurant
Two ways an order reaches the kitchen: from a table, or from a parcel, takeaway or delivery bill.
Dine-in tables
Open the table
Seat the guests and add their dishes on a BNM Billing computer, or let guests order from the QR code on the table.
Dishes reach the right counter
Each dish goes to the screen of the counter that cooks it, such as tandoor, Chinese or juice.
The supervisor marks it ready
One kitchen supervisor screen shows every dish by counter. Cooks do not have to touch a screen.
Serve, then one bill
Mark dishes served as they go out. When the guests leave, the Bill table button makes one GST bill for the whole table.
Parcel, takeaway and delivery
Save the bill
Bill the order at the counter as usual. It gets a token number that every billing counter shares and that starts again each day.
A slip for each counter
Each kitchen counter's KOT printer, or the bill printer at the billing counter, prints a slip with the token number and that counter's dishes.
Call the token
A token board on a TV shows which tokens are being prepared and which are ready to collect.
Kitchen add-on
KOT software features in the Kitchen add-on
Next update means it comes with the next BNM Billing update. Coming soon means it is planned for a later update. None of it is in the app yet.
Dishes go to the right kitchen counter Next update
Set up counters like tandoor, Chinese or juice, and each dish goes to the counter that cooks it, by item or by category.
Kitchen display system (KDS) for each counter Next update
A monitor or TV connected to the billing computer shows each counter what to cook first and what is next, with timers.
Kitchen supervisor screen Next update
One person sees every dish by counter, moves dishes, cancels with a reason and marks them ready. Late dishes turn red.
Token system with a token display board Next update
Every billing counter shares one token series that starts again each day, and a TV shows which tokens are being prepared and which are ready.
Token slip for each kitchen counter Next update
When a parcel, takeaway or delivery bill is saved, each counter's KOT printer, or the bill printer at the billing counter, prints its own slip. Slips come with BNM Billing itself; the add-on adds the token number every counter shares.
Tables with one bill Next update
A table runs as one order from the first dish to the last, and the Bill table button makes one GST bill when the guests leave.
QR code menu ordering at the table Next update
Guests scan the QR code on the table, order from their own phone with no app to install and follow each dish. It needs internet at the restaurant and on the guest's phone; the bill comes from your staff.
Runs on your restaurant's Wi-Fi Next update
Counters and kitchen screens talk over your own Wi-Fi or network, so dishes keep moving when the internet drops. Table QR orders still need the internet.
Waiter (captain) app on Android Coming soon
Waiters will take table orders on an Android phone, and kitchen screens will run on an Android TV box.
Self-service kiosk Coming soon
Guests will place their own parcel orders at a kiosk screen and get a token.
Kitchen reports and ready times Coming soon
See how long each counter takes, and tell guests when their food will be ready.
Set-up
What you will need
For the Kitchen add-on, coming in the next update.
A computer for BNM Billing
Windows, a Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or newer), or Linux. It runs the kitchen for the whole restaurant.
Kitchen display screens
Monitors or TVs connected to that computer, one for each kitchen counter, plus one for the token board if you want it.
KOT printers, if you want slips
A KOT printer with a network (LAN) port for each kitchen counter, set up by its IP address, or just your bill printer. There is no tested printer list yet, so do a test print before your first service.
Wi-Fi, and internet for table QR
Your Wi-Fi links the billing counters and the kitchen screens. Table QR orders also need internet at the restaurant and on the guest's phone.
Good to know
What the Kitchen add-on does not do
So you know before you plan your kitchen around it.
- Print a KOT for table orders. Table dishes show on the kitchen screens instead.
- Take dish notes, such as less spicy or no onion.
- Show Swiggy, Zomato or WhatsApp orders on the kitchen screens. WhatsApp orders stay on your orders board.
- Take stock off by recipe, such as the flour and oil in each dish.
- Split, merge or move tables.
- Take table QR orders while the restaurant's internet is down.
Ready to use
What restaurants can use in BNM right away
While the Kitchen add-on is on its way, restaurants run these in the BNM Business app.
GST bills at the counter
Bill from the BNM Business app on a phone or computer, with a UPI QR for the exact amount from the Offline plan up.
Orders on WhatsApp
Customers order from your menu in the chat and pay by UPI from the chat. On the Pro plan.
One orders board
WhatsApp orders and counter bills in one list, with dine-in and takeaway stages.
Order updates on WhatsApp
Customers get a message at the stages you pick, such as ready or out for delivery. On the Pro plan.
KOT questions owners ask
What is a KOT, and what is the KOT full form in a hotel or restaurant?
KOT stands for kitchen order ticket. It is the kitchen's copy of an order: the table or token number, the dishes and quantities, and the time, with no prices. Cooks read it to know what to make.
Is a KOT the same as the bill?
No. A KOT is for the kitchen and has no prices or GST. The bill is the GST invoice the guest pays. With the Kitchen add-on, coming in the next update, a table will run as one order and get one GST bill when the guests leave.
What is the difference between a KOT and a kitchen display system (KDS)?
A KOT is usually printed on paper. A kitchen display system shows the same tickets on a screen and lets the kitchen mark dishes ready. The Kitchen add-on, coming in the next update, works like a kitchen display for table orders and prints slips for parcels.
Can I use a KOT printer with BNM?
For parcel, takeaway and delivery bills, yes, from the next update: each kitchen counter's KOT printer, if it has a network (LAN) port and is set up by its IP address, or your bill printer, will print a slip with the token number and that counter's dishes. These slips have not been tested on a real kitchen printer yet, so do a test print before your first service. Table orders will not print; they show on the kitchen screens.
Can waiters take orders on their phones, like a captain app?
Not yet. A waiter app for Android phones is coming soon. In the next update, tables are run from a BNM Billing counter, and guests can order for themselves from the table QR.
Can I add notes like less spicy or no onion?
Not yet. The Kitchen add-on has no way to type a note on a dish.
Does it work when the internet is down?
The kitchen side, coming in the next update, runs over your restaurant's own Wi-Fi or network, so dishes keep moving between the counters and the kitchen screens when the internet drops. Table QR orders are different: they reach the kitchen over the internet, so they need internet at the restaurant as well as on the guest's phone. While your internet is down, take table orders at a BNM Billing counter.
Do Swiggy, Zomato or WhatsApp orders reach the kitchen screens?
No. BNM does not connect to Swiggy or Zomato, and WhatsApp orders stay on your orders board in BNM Business. A delivery bill you make in BNM Billing will get a token and kitchen slips in the next update.
What hardware do I need for the kitchen?
A Windows, Apple silicon Mac (M1 or newer) or Linux computer running BNM Billing, monitors or TVs connected to it for the kitchen counters and the token board, and, if you want slips, a KOT printer with a network (LAN) port for each counter. Android phones and TV boxes are coming soon.
How much does the Kitchen add-on cost?
It is a paid add-on for BNM Billing, and its price is not announced yet. Counter billing and WhatsApp orders are on the pricing page.
Start with BNM for your restaurant
Sign up free on the web for GST counter bills. WhatsApp orders are on Pro at ₹499 a month + GST. The Kitchen add-on comes to BNM Billing in the next update.