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Item Availability

Feature Overview

The Item Availability screen lets kitchen managers instantly mark menu items as available or unavailable directly from the KDS display. When an item is marked inactive, it is hidden or disabled at the POS in real time — preventing servers from ordering a dish that is sold out or temporarily unavailable. This eliminates the need to communicate 86'd items verbally or through paper and keeps the front-of-house team up to date automatically.

Prerequisites / Requirements

  • The KDS app must be signed in and a prep station selected.
  • Access to Item Availability may be restricted by your manager. Confirm with your manager that your account has permission to toggle item availability.
  • An active internet connection is required — changes sync to the POS immediately.

Step-by-Step Guide

Opening Item Availability

  1. From the ticket board, tap Menu in the upper-left corner to open the navigation drawer.
  2. Tap Item Availability.
  3. The Item Availability screen loads, showing your full menu organized by category.

Reading the Item List

The screen displays menu items grouped into sections by category (for example: APPETIZERS, ENTREES, DESSERTS). Each item row shows:

  • The item name on the left.
  • A status button on the right:
    • Active — the item is currently available and can be ordered at the POS.
    • Inactive — the item is currently unavailable and cannot be ordered at the POS.

Rows alternate in background color to make scanning easier.

Marking an Item as Inactive (86'd)

  1. Locate the item you want to remove from service by scrolling through the category list.
  2. Tap the Active button on the right side of that item's row.
  3. The button changes to Inactive, and the change is sent to the POS immediately.

Restoring an Item to Active

  1. Locate the inactive item in the list.
  2. Tap the Inactive button on the right side of that item's row.
  3. The button changes back to Active, and the item becomes available at the POS immediately.

Returning to the Ticket Board

Tap Menu in the upper-left corner and select Current Tickets to return to the live ticket display.

Common Troubleshooting / FAQs

I tapped the Active/Inactive button but it did not change. If the button is grayed out, the app may be waiting for the previous update to finish processing. Wait a moment and try again. If the button still does not respond, check that the display has an active internet connection (look for the blue lightning bolt in the ticket board header).

I marked an item inactive on the KDS but servers can still ring it up at the POS. Availability changes take effect in real time, but the POS terminal may need to refresh its menu. Ask your server to close and reopen the menu screen on their POS. If the item still appears available, contact your Katalyst support team to verify the connection between the KDS and POS is functioning correctly.