Last updated: Feb 27, 2026, 2:40 PM
When using the Toast Kitchen Display System (KDS), you can send an entire order to the kitchen at once but have individual items fired to the kitchen based on their configured prep times. This ensures that all items on a single order are ready at the same time. For example:
A restaurant serves NY Strip Steak and a Crab-Stuffed Lobster Tail. The steak takes 12 minutes to cook, and the lobster takes 20 minutes. Suppose guests at the same table order these entrees, the steak should not be fired to the kitchen until 8 minutes after the lobster has been fired.
When configuring this in Toast, the item prep time for the steak should be set to 720 seconds and the prep time for the lobster should be set to 1200 seconds.
This feature only works alongside the Toast Kitchen Display System (KDS) and does not work for customers using printers/printed tickets.
Note: This feature is not available for Online Ordering. For information on configuring Online Ordering prep times, visit our article Online Ordering: Advanced Settings.
Before configuring prep times for independent modifiers, it is important to review the difference between integral and independent modifiers.
Integral modifiers have a direct effect on how long it takes to prepare the parent menu item.
An example of an integral modifier would be meat temperature. Meat temperature modifiers determine how thoroughly to cook a beef item, and the temperature selected is integral to how long the item is cooked. A hamburger that is ordered rare takes less time to prepare than a hamburger that is ordered well done. For modifiers like these, you should configure prep times that add to, or subtract from, the parent menu item's prep time. Toast combines the prep times of the modifier and the menu item to calculate the prep time for the item.
Example:
Most guests order your hamburger cooked medium, so you set the menu item to have a prep time of 460 seconds. To accommodate guests who want the item cooked to other temperatures, which take more or less time than a medium burger to prepare, the menu item has a modifier group of meat temperature options.
Toast combines the prep time of the parent menu item with the prep time of the specified integral modifier. In this example, hamburgers with the rare modifier are scheduled to take 400 seconds, with the well done modifier are scheduled to take 580 seconds, and with the medium modifier are scheduled to take 460 seconds.
When creating an integral modifier, consider the following:
Independent modifiers are prepared and served separately from the menu item. For example, an entree includes a side salad that is included with the menu item, but prepared and served before the entree. You can configure prep times for independent modifiers so that the Toast platform automatically schedules and fires independent modifiers in the same way that menu items are scheduled and fired. Toast uses the modifier prep time to schedule and fire the modifier on its own ticket.
When creating independent modifiers, consider the following:
| You must have the following access permissions to Toast Web: 4.5, Edit Full Menu and 6.2, Kitchen / Dining Room Setup. You must also enable the item fire by prep time feature. |
I
tem prep times can be configured in two locations in Toast Web:
Advanced Properties: This is helpful when mass-entering item prep times.
Note:
Directly on the item: This method might be useful if you just need to adjust prep time for a single item.
Note: Items with a blank prep time will fire right away. Items with a 0-second prep time will fire after everything else has fired. You cannot configure prep times for pre-modifiers. For more information about pre-modifiers, see this Toast Central article.
When you've added prep times to the menu items you want the system to schedule, you can enable Item Fire by Prep Time for your restaurant.
When item's fire by prep time is configured, items will appear differently on the expediter KDS screens.
Note: Prep stations will still need to fulfill items manually.
When configured, expediters can manually fire items on KDS tickets. To configure this setting in Toast Web, follow these steps:
On your expediter screen, select the ticket in question and choose which item you'd like to adjust.
No, the side will be on its own ticket, and the prep time will not be calculated based on the original order's prep time.
Servers will still need to fire individual courses manually, as prep times currently only apply to items. Prep time refers to individual items, so if you fire a cheese stick appetizer that takes 5 minutes and a steak that takes 7 minutes at the same time, they will come out together.
To learn more about how item fire by prep time works with tapas, see Get Started with Kitchen Ticket Display Customization.
Yes, you can select multiple items that have various statuses. If you select Fire, you'll only affect unfired items. Fulfill will fulfill all items, regardless of whether they've been fired.
Blank prep time items will fire right away. 0-second prep times fire at the end of the ticket time.
You can assign a negative prep time to a modifier so that its base item gets scheduled to take less time to cook. To learn how to configure modifier prep times, see the article Modifier Prep Times.
If you add a negative prep time to an item, the item's prep time will be set to zero seconds and fire at the end of the ticket (as though it takes no time at all to prepare).