Printer prep stations give you the ability to control which items, categories, fulfillments, or channels are printed on your receipt and label printers. Customize your printing settings to match your specific needs and streamline your operations.
Requirements To Set Up Prep Stations
An SDP label or receipt printer.
A stable internet connection (either via ethernet or WiFi)
A printer registered on the Snackpass dashboard.
How Do I Set Up A Prep Station?
To set up a prep station for your printer, follow these steps:
Log In To Your Snackpass Dashboard: Go to Snackpass Dashboard.
Navigate To Prep Stations: On the left side menu, scroll down and select Settings > Back Of House > Prep Stations.
Add A New Prep Station: Click the + Prep Station button in the upper left corner.
Configure Your Prep Station: Fill in the following details:
Name: Enter a name for your prep station (e.g., "Salad Station").
Allowed Channels: Choose the channels (e.g., App, Online Ordering) from which this prep station will accept orders.
Allowed Fulfillments: Select the fulfillments (e.g., Dine-In, Pickup) that this prep station will process.
Prep Station Configuration Mode: Choose between Inclusive (prints only the categories / items you specify) or Exclusive (prints everything except the categories / items you specify).
Allowed Categories / Rejected Categories: Based on your configuration mode, select the categories to include or exclude.
Allowed Products / Rejected Products: Specify individual products that should be included or excluded from printing.
Reject Product Override: To exclude specific products from categories you've allowed, list them here (e.g., exclude the "Maguro" salad while including all other salads).
Create The Prep Station: After configuring the settings, click Create Prep Station.
After clicking Create Prep Station, you’ll see your new prep station listed under Settings > Back Of House > Prep Stations. If you need to make changes, click the pencil icon next to the prep station to edit its settings.
Once your prep station is set up correctly, follow these steps to assign it to your printer:
Go to Device Settings: On the left side menu, select Settings > Devices.
Find Your Printer: Locate the receipt or label printer you want to assign the prep station to.
Edit Printer Settings: Click on the printer's name under the Device Name column to open the editing options.
Update Prep Station Settings:
Click Edit in the upper right corner.
Important:For receipt printers, prep stations are only compatible with the Kitchen Ticket format, so you may need to adjust your receipt printer format if necessary. For label printers, prep stations work with both condensed and full label formats.
Select The Prep Station: Scroll down to Prep Station Settings, use the drop-down menu to choose the appropriate prep station, and then click the Save button at the bottom right.
Your printer will automatically receive these changes—no need for a reset.
Important: When you make changes to your menu, especially if you create new categories, be sure to update your prep station settings accordingly. To do this, go to Settings > Prep Stations, and click the pencil icon next to the prep station name to edit and include the new categories.
KDS Prep Stations
You can now easily configure Prep Stations for all your KDS devices. Follow these steps to get started:
Access Your Snackpass Dashboard
Go to Snackpass Dashboard.Navigate To Prep Stations
In the left side menu, select SETTINGS > BACK OF HOUSE and then click on PREP STATIONS. Ensure your prep stations are correctly configured.
Assign Prep Stations To KDS Devices
After configuring your prep stations, return to SETTINGS and select DEVICES. Locate the KDS device you wish to assign a prep station to.
Edit Device Settings
Click on the name of your KDS device. We recommend naming your KDS devices based on their respective prep stations, such as "Hot Drinks KDS."
Choose The Prep Station
In the upper left corner, click on EDIT. Scroll down to PREP STATIONS SETTINGS. From the dropdown menu next to Choose Prep Station, select the desired prep station for your KDS. Once you've made your selection, click SAVE on the bottom right corner.
Restart App
To ensure your changes take effect after selecting the appropriate prep stations on the dashboard, restart your KDS devices. Simply navigate to Settings on the SnackOs home screen, then scroll down the left-hand menu and select More followed by Restart App.
KDS Prep Station Updated
Once you restart the KDS app, your KDS device will now display only the items from orders linked to the selected prep station.
For instance, if a Hot Drinks prep station is assigned to a device and a customer places an order that includes three Cappuccinos (Hot Drinks) and three Cold Brews (Cold Drinks), the KDS will exclusively display the Cappuccinos. This occurs because the device is specifically set to show only items from the Hot Drinks category.
Note: Each KDS can only be assigned to one prep station at a time; multiple prep stations per device are not currently supported.
If you have any questions or encounter issues with prep stations, feel free to reach out to our Snackpass partner support team. You can contact us via live chat in your partner app, by phone at 866-868-2146, or through email at [email protected].