Fresh KDS

POS Cafe integrates with Fresh KDS, a kitchen display system that replaces traditional paper tickets with digital order screens. This streamlines prep workflows by sending orders directly to kitchen or barista screens.

To open the Fresh KDS settings, go to Apps → POS Cafe → Settings → Integrations → Fresh KDS. The page is titled Fresh KDS Integration.

Step 1: Connect Your Fresh KDS Account

Enter your API key in the Fresh KDS API Key field. You can find your API key in the Fresh KDS settings.
Click Save & Verify, then click Add in the Add API Key window. POS Cafe checks the key and securely links your Fresh KDS account.

Once connected, the key is shown (masked) as Current API Key. To replace it, click the pencil icon, enter the key in New API Key, click Save & Verify, then click Update. To disconnect, click Remove, then Remove again to confirm.

Step 2: Link Your Shopify Locations

Once your account is connected, you must link each of your Shopify locations to the correct Fresh KDS location.

In the Connected Devices table, use the dropdown in the Linked Fresh KDS Location column to assign a Fresh KDS location to each Shopify location, then click Save changes.
Each Fresh KDS location can only be linked to one Shopify location. To undo a link, choose Unlink KDS Location.
Only linked locations will be able to send order data to Fresh KDS.

Step 3: Set Up Fresh KDS Devices

After linking locations, you can view and configure KDS devices connected to each one.

Click the device count under KDS Devices in the Connected Devices table to open the Fresh KDS Devices page. The count becomes a link once the location link is saved. You can also reach it from a location’s page: Apps → POS Cafe → Locations → [your location] → Fresh KDS Screens.
Each device shows its Device, Type, Version, IP Address and Prep Area.
Use Select Prep Areas to choose which prep areas (e.g., Barista, Kitchen, Smoothie Bar) each screen receives. You can select more than one prep area for a single screen. Click Save device settings to save your choices.

How orders appear on Fresh KDS

POS Cafe splits each order into tickets by prep area and order type. Each screen receives the tickets for the prep areas selected for it, and an order with mixed order types (for example, For Here and To Go items) arrives as separate tickets for each order type.

For online Drive Thru and Curbside orders, POS Cafe also sends any vehicle make, model and colour the customer entered (see Asking for vehicle details). The car also leads the order’s note on your Fresh KDS screens, for example “Vehicle: Blue Toyota Corolla”, followed by any note the customer left, so staff see it on every Fresh KDS view. Vehicle details never hold up an order: if Fresh KDS refuses them, POS Cafe sends the ticket again without them, with the customer’s original note, so it still reaches your screens.

Troubleshooting

Your screens don’t appear on the Fresh KDS Devices page

POS Cafe shows the screens Fresh KDS has for the linked location. Check that the Shopify location is linked in the Linked Fresh KDS Location column (step 2), and that the screens are set up under that location in Fresh KDS.

Fresh KDS tickets aren’t appearing

Check each of the following:

Your API key is connected (it shows as Current API Key on the Fresh KDS Integration page).
The Shopify location that took the order is linked in the Linked Fresh KDS Location column.
The screen has the item’s prep area selected under Select Prep Areas on the Fresh KDS Devices page.
The item has the correct prep area in POS Cafe (see the Prep area column in Cafe Collections).
The item was added through POS Cafe. Other Shopify products only reach Fresh KDS if you’ve set them up with Native Product Routing.