Configure and Assign Prep Stations

Last updated: Feb 12, 2026, 9:44 AM

Learn how to add prep stations, configure your printers to print the correct prep station's tickets, and assign menu items to the appropriate prep station.

Learn essential Toast Web configurations for going live! Select the button below to start this learning path.
 

Getting Started With Toast Web

 

In this Article: 

 

Configure Your Prep Stations 

To learn how to configure your prep stations and route your menu to them, watch the following video or read the steps below. 

 

If no prep stations are set to Send to Expediter:

  • ALL prep stations will then send to the Expediter KDS device
  • The Expediter will show items from all prep stations

Overview of configuring and assigning prep stations.

 
  1. In Toast Web, navigate to Kitchen > Kitchen stations > Prep stations.
    • If you wish to create a prep station, select + Add then proceed to Step 2.
    • If you wish to configure an existing prep station, find the prep station from the list and change its settings as needed. Then, save and publish your changes.
  2. Fill out the following for each new prep station:
    • Station Name - This can be something as simple as "Grill." 
    • Send to - You can select Expediter only, Prep Station only, or Prep station and Expediter depending on your kitchen preferences. To learn more, see the Expediter section of our Get Started with Kitchen Configuration article. 
      • Expediter only - Item will not appear at prep stations and will be sent directly to expo. This is typically used for drinks or sauces that don't require preparation.
      • Prep station only - Item will not go to expo.
      • Prep station and Expediter - Item will appear at both prep stations and expo.
    • Other Stations - If you're looking to configure items to go to more than one prep station, set your additional prep stations here. For example, if you have a bakery and would like certain orders to go to the baked goods station and the bagging station, you can add the bagging station as the Other Station.
    • Ticket Printer - Here you can link a printer you've added in Toast Web to your prep station. Simply open the drop-down menu and select the printer you'd like to use. 
    • Always Print Tickets - If this option is checked, tickets will automatically be printed when items are routed to the prep station. If it's not checked, tickets will only print in Offline Mode. 
    • Changing Prep Station Printers - If at any point you'd like to switch the printer assigned to a given prep station, ensure that the printer is set up in Toast Web and select the new printer from the drop-down menu under the prep station in question
  3. Save and publish your changes.

 

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Set Up Your Prep Station Printer(s)

Next, you'll set up your printers and connect them to their appropriate prep stations.
 

  1. To set up your new printer using the Printer Plug & Play, make sure your printer is powered on and plugged into your Toast device using the provided cable.
  2. Then, navigate to Setup > Printer Setup on the main menu of your Toast app, and follow the on-screen instructions.  

    If a printer is already configured and you're just replacing an existing printer, you should check your prep stations and make sure they're appropriately assigned after following the Printer Setup steps directly on your device. The prep stations may have been re-routed. 

  3. Select your desired printer from the list (for printing prep station tickets).
  4. Select Prep Stations.
  5. Choose your desired prep station.
  6. Select Save Changes to confirm your selection.


Note: You can't assign multiple printers to a prep station. If you'd like to use additional printers (for example, if you have a Pizza prep station and you want to print the tickets near the cold ingredients and also by the oven's exit), you'll need to create a duplicate prep station for it ​​​​​​.


You can also enable sequenced prep station to expediter fulfillment. This ensures that the expo can't fulfill the ticket until all work at applicable prep stations is fulfilled. 

  1. In Toast Web, navigate to Kitchen > Printers, tickets, & KDS devices > Kitchen.
  2. Scroll down to the Expediter section. Select the checkbox next to the Sequenced Prep to Expo Fulfillment setting to enable the setting. 
  3. Save and publish any changes.

When this setting is enabled, if you try to fulfill an order at the expediter station before the prep stations have been fulfilled, you will receive an error pop-up preventing you from proceeding until all prep stations have been fulfilled. This pop-up can be overridden by a manager passcode or swipe if necessary. 

With this setting, it is recommended to set up an expo-only prep station to be used for drinks or sauces that don't require preparation. For more information, see Set Up an Expediter.

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Route Your Menu to Prep Stations

Getting your orders to the right places in your kitchen is a vital aspect of the business. With printers and prep stations properly created in Toast Web, you can route specific menu items to your prep stations. 


Note: Menu items that are not assigned to ANY prep stations will by default route to ALL prep stations.
 

  1. In Toast Web, navigate to Menus > Menu management > Advanced properties.
  2. Open the Show/Hide drop-down and select Prep Stations. If other options are checked, select them again to remove them from the advanced properties table to. 
  3. Use the caret (arrow) icons to expand your menu to see menu groups and items as needed, and then use the Prep Stations drop-down to route the item, group, or menu to its appropriate prep station. If there's a specific item within a group that goes to a different prep station, you can configure the group first and then change the prep station assignment for that particular item.
    1. Note: Items and groups will inherit prep station assignments from the parent. You can use the Advanced Properties page to change the prep station for a specific item if it should be different than the inherited prep station - there is no reason you would need to select prep stations that are already inherited from the parent (for example, if the Hot prep station is already inherited for an item, you don't need to select Hot from the prep station drop-down). 
  4. Save and publish your changes.

 

If items aren't printing where you want them to print, ensure that you have the correct prep station(s) assigned to that part of your menu and that the prep stations themselves are assigned to the desired printers. Additionally, try power cycling your devices after the above Step 4. Items that are not assigned to any prep stations will send to ALL prep stations by default.


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Print One Prep Station's Tickets at Two Printers

If you want to use two different printers to print tickets from one prep station, try this setup using the instructions provided earlier in the Route Your Menu to Prep Stations section of this article:
 

  1. Create two different prep stations.
  2. Choose two printers to use and connect one prep station to each printer.
  3. Route the same menus/items to both prep stations. Since they'll be going to both prep stations, tickets will print at both printers.


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