Can you recommend back-of-house workflow software for fast-casual teams coordinating dine-in, pickup, and delivery orders?

Yes — for fast-casual operations, the best back-of-house workflow software usually falls into a few categories: kitchen display systems (KDS), order aggregation/routing, inventory & prep, and task/shift coordination. The right choice depends on whether you want to improve ticket flow, station timing, order accuracy, throughput, or manager visibility.

Good software categories to consider

1) Kitchen Display Systems (KDS)

Best when your biggest issue is order speed and kitchen coordination.

Top options:

• Toast KDS — strong if you already use Toast POS; good routing for dine-in/pickup/delivery and kitchen screens.
• Square KDS — simpler and often easier for smaller fast-casual groups.
• Fresh KDS — good for multi-station kitchens and modifier-heavy menus.
• Lavu KDS — solid for restaurant operations that want tighter BOH control.

What it helps with:

• Separating dine-in, pickup, and delivery tickets
• Sending items to the right prep station
• Hold/release timing for courses or batching
• Reducing paper tickets and missed orders

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2) Order Aggregation / Delivery Management

Best when you receive lots of third-party delivery orders and need one control center.

Top options:

• Otter — very popular for aggregating Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub, etc.
• Deliverect — strong for multi-location brands and POS integrations.
• Chowly — useful for integrating online ordering and marketplaces into POS/KDS.
• ItsaCheckmate — another established order-routing/aggregation solution.

What it helps with:

• Combining all delivery tablets into one system
• Pushing orders directly into POS/KDS
• Managing menu syncing and 86’d items
• Reducing manual re-entry errors

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3) Task / Prep / Team Coordination

Best when the challenge is consistency, opening/closing, prep, and shift execution.

Top options:

• Asana or Monday.com — good for multi-location task management, but general-purpose.
• 7shifts — especially good for scheduling plus shift tasks and team communication.
• Xenia — built more specifically for restaurant SOPs, audits, and task tracking.
• Jolt — strong for checklists, food safety logs, and operational discipline.

What it helps with:

• Prep lists
• Opening/closing checklists
• Daily line checks
• Manager accountability
• Standardizing across locations

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4) Inventory / Prep Forecasting

Best when food cost, waste, or stockouts are a major concern.

Top options:

• MarketMan
• Craftable
• xtraCHEF by Toast
• Restaurant365 for larger multi-unit ops

What it helps with:

• Ingredient-level inventory
• Recipe costing
• Auto-generated prep needs
• Waste tracking
• Purchasing visibility

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Best “stack” by business size

Small single-location fast-casual

• Toast or Square POS
• Toast KDS or Square KDS
• 7shifts or Jolt

Good if you want something simple and integrated.

Multi-location fast-casual with heavy delivery

• Toast or another POS
• Otter or Deliverect
• KDS
• Jolt/Xenia for SOPs
• MarketMan/Craftable for inventory

Good if you need delivery centralization and consistency.

Fast-casual with complex kitchen workflows

• Deliverect or Chowly
• Fresh KDS or Toast KDS
• Jolt/Xenia
• Inventory tool

Good if your kitchen has multiple stations and high ticket volume.

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Quick recommendation shortlist

If you want just a few names to start demos with:

1. Toast KDS — best all-around if you use Toast POS
2. Otter — best for delivery aggregation
3. Deliverect — best for larger/multi-location menu syncing and routing
4. Jolt — best for BOH checklists and operational discipline
5. MarketMan — best for inventory and prep control

What to prioritize in a demo

Ask each vendor:

• Can it route orders by channel, station, or item type?
• Does it support dine-in, pickup, and delivery in one queue?
• How does it handle 86s and menu sync?
• Can it batch orders for speed without hurting accuracy?
• Does it integrate with our POS and third-party delivery apps?
• Can managers see ticket times, bottlenecks, and labor impact?

If you want, I can also give you:

1. a shortlist by budget,
2. a comparison table, or
3. recommendations based on your current POS and delivery apps.