Kitchen display system review

TouchBistro KDS

Name: TouchBistro KDS
Rating: 5.8

TouchBistro's kitchen display, powered by Fresh, for restaurants on TouchBistro POS in the US and Canada. It runs on MicroTouch screens bought through TouchBistro with professional installation, and it is priced by quote.

By TouchBistroParent company: TouchBistro Inc.Verified Oct 17, 2026

RTC SCORE

5.8

#6 of 7 with enough data

TouchBistro also offers: POS systems and Reservations and waitlist

Our verdict

A kitchen display for TouchBistro restaurants that want it installed for them, with offline mode and station routing. Everything is by quote; compare that quote with Fresh KDS bought directly, which runs the same technology on your own tablet.

What we like

Offline mode: TouchBistro says the KDS keeps working when the internet is temporarily down.
Station routing, a reporting dashboard with bump times and an optional bump bar.
Installation by a TouchBistro technician and 24/7 support.

What to watch

The KDS, the screens and the installation are all by quote.
It only works with TouchBistro POS and the MicroTouch screens it sells.
If you leave early you owe what is left of the term, including processing fees.

How the score breaks down

RTC Score5.8out of 10

Methodology v1.0.0

Data completeness61%

We could verify 61% of the scoring data

Strongest points: Keeps working without internet, Routing by station, Support 24/7
Weakest point: Published pricing

Score by criterion

12-month cost of 2 kitchen screensWeight 26%No data
Keeps working without internetWeight 9%Strongest10.0 out of 10
Routing by stationWeight 8%Strongest10.0 out of 10
Support 24/7Weight 8%Strongest10.0 out of 10
Kitchen time reportsWeight 7%10.0 out of 10
Initial termWeight 7%No data
Published pricingWeight 6%Weakest0.0 out of 10
POS systems it works withWeight 6%1.4 out of 10
Choice of kitchen screensWeight 6%5.0 out of 10
All-day item countsWeight 4%No data
Bump bar supportWeight 4%10.0 out of 10
Early termination feeWeight 4%2.5 out of 10
Notice to avoid renewalWeight 3%10.0 out of 10
Order-ready text to the guestWeight 2%No data

All the data, with sources

Each value links to its source. "Not published" means the vendor doesn't disclose it; "Unconfirmed" means we looked and couldn't confirm it. Data points we have for fewer than four vendors are left out until we can compare them.

Pricing
Data point	Value
KDS license per screen	Quote onlyVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: TouchBistro (opens in a new tab)The pricing page lists the Kitchen Display System as an add-on with a "Get a Quote" button.
How the license is charged	Quote onlyVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: TouchBistro (opens in a new tab)
Published pricing	Quote onlyVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: TouchBistro (opens in a new tab)
Kitchen screen from the vendor	Quote onlyVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: TouchBistro (opens in a new tab)
Installation fee	Not publishedVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: TouchBistro (opens in a new tab)TouchBistro says installation fees apply but doesn't publish them.

POS and hardware
Data point	Value
Type of KDS	Part of its own POS (needs that POS)Verified Oct 17, 2026Source: TouchBistro (opens in a new tab)Built on Fresh KDS and sold for TouchBistro POS. Fresh KDS bought directly from Fresh also connects to TouchBistro.
Works with these POS systems	TouchBistroVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: TouchBistro (opens in a new tab)
Kitchen screens	Only the vendor's screensVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: TouchBistro (opens in a new tab)
Runs on	The vendor's own kitchen screenVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: TouchBistro (opens in a new tab)MicroTouch touchscreens of 15.6 or 21.5 inches, bought through TouchBistro.

In the kitchen
Data point	Value
Routing by station	YesVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: TouchBistro (opens in a new tab)
If the internet goes down	In-house orders keep reaching the screens over your local networkVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: TouchBistro (opens in a new tab)TouchBistro recommends a wired connection to the router.
Kitchen time reports	YesVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: TouchBistro (opens in a new tab)
All-day item counts	UnconfirmedVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: TouchBistro (opens in a new tab)The KDS page doesn't mention an all-day count of pending items.
Bump bar support	YesVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: TouchBistro (opens in a new tab)
Order-ready text to the guest	UnconfirmedVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: TouchBistro (opens in a new tab)The KDS page doesn't mention texts to guests when an order is ready.

Contract and exit
Data point	Value
Initial term	Quote onlyVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: TouchBistro (opens in a new tab)The initial term is set in each restaurant's order and renews for the same length.
Notice to avoid renewal	30 daysVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: TouchBistro (opens in a new tab)
Early termination fee	If you end the agreement early you owe the amounts left in the current term, including payment processing fees TouchBistro would have collected.Verified Oct 17, 2026Source: TouchBistro (opens in a new tab)
How the early termination fee works	The fees left in the termVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: TouchBistro (opens in a new tab)

Support
Data point	Value
Support 24/7	YesVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: TouchBistro (opens in a new tab)

Language
Data point	Value
Website or help in Spanish for the US	UnconfirmedVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: TouchBistro (opens in a new tab)We found the KDS page only in English for the US.

More about TouchBistro KDS

How we score