--- title: "ConnectSmart® Kitchen Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra" description: "With the help of Capterra, learn about ConnectSmart® Kitchen Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Food Service Management products and more." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/119321/ConnectSmart-Kitchen/" page_type: "product" language: "en" publication_date: "2026-10-19" --- # ConnectSmart® Kitchen Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on October 19, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[FAQs](#faqs)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews) ConnectSmart® Kitchen ## What is ConnectSmart® Kitchen? ConnectSmart Kitchen® (CSK) is the industry leading kitchen display system (KDS), with more than 80,000 global installs. Trusted for more than 24 years, start slashing your ticket times, boosting food quality, and reducing waste. Recent enhancements include off-premise dining add-ons and more than 80 POS integrations. CSK is trusted by restaurants in all segments, ranging from independents to international chains. Learn more today! ## What is ConnectSmart® Kitchen used for? [Restaurant Management](https://www.capterra.com/restaurant-management-software/)[Food Service Management](https://www.capterra.com/food-service-management-software/) Top alternative Featured Overall rating Based on 15 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive \- Neutral \- Negative \- ### Starting price Free trial not available Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Do you work for ConnectSmart® Kitchen?[Manage this product listing](https://www.g2.com/products/crunchtime-kitchen/claim_requests/new?auto=true) ## Compare with a popular alternative Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status. ### ConnectSmart® Kitchen 4.6 (15) VS. [4.1 (555)](https://www.capterra.com/p/136301/Toast-POS/reviews/) Starting Price Contact vendor Starting Price $69 Flat Rate, Per Month Free Trial Free Version Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version Ease Of Use 4.0 (15) Ease Of Use 4.2 (216) Value For Money 4.1 (14) Value For Money 3.8 (187) Customer Service 4.5 (15) Customer Service 3.7 (208) ## ConnectSmart® Kitchen alternatives [3.8 (733)](https://www.capterra.com/p/152638/Epos-Now/reviews/) Starting price $349.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 68% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars Highest Rated [4.4 (243)](https://www.capterra.com/p/96371/Acumatica-Cloud-ERP/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 92% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Lightspeed Restaurant](https://www.capterra.com/p/211849/Lightspeed-Resturant/) [4.4 (216)](https://www.capterra.com/p/211849/Lightspeed-Resturant/reviews/) Starting price $69.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 86% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/211849/Lightspeed-Resturant/) [Gofrugal](https://www.capterra.com/p/71693/GoFrugal-POS-Software/) [4.4 (199)](https://www.capterra.com/p/71693/GoFrugal-POS-Software/reviews/) Starting price $7.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 87% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/71693/GoFrugal-POS-Software/) ## FAQs about ConnectSmart® Kitchen Overview ### Which roles and teams benefit most from ConnectSmart® Kitchen? ConnectSmart® Kitchen is most used by IT operations, infrastructure, systems, and retail technology teams managing kitchen and POS environments. Technology directors, analysts, engineers, and administrators use it to monitor system performance, support deployments, resolve operational issues, and maintain connectivity. Executives, consultants, distribution leaders, and financial teams use its data to guide operational decisions. Answer based on 15 reviews Overview ### What company size and specific industries is ConnectSmart® Kitchen built for? ConnectSmart® Kitchen is designed for food service businesses ranging from single-unit operators to national chains, making it suitable for small independent locations as well as large multi-unit restaurant operations. Features and Usability ### What are the key features of ConnectSmart® Kitchen? ConnectSmart® Kitchen includes kitchen/menu management, order management, order tracking, and online ordering for restaurant operations. It also offers point of sale (POS) integration, inventory management, receipt management, and recipe management, plus activity dashboards, real-time analytics, and reporting/analytics for monitoring orders and performance. Getting Started and Support ### What training and onboarding options does ConnectSmart® Kitchen offer? ConnectSmart® Kitchen provides in-person training, live online sessions, webinars, and documentation to help teams get started. In-person and live online formats support guided instruction, webinars offer scheduled group learning, and documentation gives written reference material for self-paced review and ongoing use. Getting Started and Support ### What customer support options does ConnectSmart® Kitchen offer? ConnectSmart® Kitchen provides Email/Help Desk and 24/7 Live Rep support. No reviewer feedback about support is available, so customer experience details such as response speed or helpfulness cannot be confirmed from user comments. ## Features AI summary Based on 1,457 Food Service Management reviews Capterra reviewers highlight these as the features buyers care about most when choosing restaurant management software: - **Order Entry** (**53%** of reviewers rated this feature as critical) - **Order Management** (**45%**) - **Online Ordering** (**46%**) ConnectSmart® Kitchen includes **Order Management** and **Online Ordering**, giving restaurants tools to track orders accurately and accept digital orders across channels. However, it does not include **Order Entry**. Instead, it offers **Reporting/Analytics** (**40%**) and **Kitchen/Menu Management** (**45%**), which can help teams monitor performance trends and manage kitchen operations and menu updates more effectively, helping businesses improve day-to-day coordination and order flow. Activity Dashboard Dashboard to view the status of ongoing processes, identify current incidents and track past activities Inventory Management Track and manage inventory levels to maintain proper supply Kitchen/Menu Management Allows users to view inventory and build a menu that's appropriate Online Ordering Tracks and processes online orders Order Management Manage and track customer orders for goods, investments, or any other purchases Order Tracking Track orders throughout the fulfillment process ConnectSmart® Kitchen 9 features ### All Features - Activity Dashboard: Dashboard to view the status of ongoing processes, identify current incidents and track past activities - Inventory Management: Track and manage inventory levels to maintain proper supply - Kitchen/Menu Management: Allows users to view inventory and build a menu that's appropriate - Online Ordering: Tracks and processes online orders - Order Management: Manage and track customer orders for goods, investments, or any other purchases - Order Tracking: Track orders throughout the fulfillment process - Point of Sale (POS): Accept and process customer payments for products or services using hardware and software - Real-Time Analytics: Analyze and gain insights into data in real-time - Reporting/Analytics: View and track pertinent metrics to find patterns and gain insights from data --- Get Advice We can help you find the software with the features you need. Features 4.4 (15) 4.4 Based on 15 reviews ## Pricing Value for money 4.1 (14) ### Starting price Free trial not available Value for money 4.1 (14) 4.1 Based on 14 reviews Connect with a Capterra advisor for a free 15-minute consultation Get a personalized software list aligned to your business needs with guidance from our expert advisors. Our team has helped 1 million+ businesses like yours find options that fit their needs. ## Support, customer service and training options Customer Service 4.5 (15) Support - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat Training - In Person - Live Online - Webinars - Documentation - Videos Deployment - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad Typical users - Freelancers - Small businesses - Mid size businesses - Enterprises Customer Service 4.5 (15) 4.5 Based on 15 reviews ## User reviews Overall rating 4.6 Based on 15 reviews Filter by rating Counts reflect reviews available in this feed. 5(9) 4(6) 3(0) 2(0) 1(0) Mentioned topic Recent reviews first, then most helpful RE Reviewer Retail Systems Engineer Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Great People, Great product" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 March 9, 2020 I think it is great, the team there, \[SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN\] have supported us since early 2000's and are great partners who understand the product inside and out and can make great recommendations. The team we worked with for CSK8 upgrade did an amazing job, \[SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN\] and enjoyed working with them. I dont have to interact with support much as the software is steady and runs without technical errors. Pros I am able for the most part to make changes and understand what those changes are going to do without too much help from QSR. It is intuitive so I can try things on my own and see if they work. Cons There are some features that have multiple options and some that could use another option. For example Concepts feature we use to signify an item has to go to another station to be sold. However the feature is only able to be used with plu numbers and there are only a few spaces so editing the xml is the only way to manage it and I have to add each item every time we add a new item. I would like the ability to use a different method, like a print route (qsr calls it Department) then I would only have to set that up once and its done. I dont like managing the differences between our sites, but that isnt qsr fault. I have 3 different datasets and to manage it, I have to send down individual files to each site, well all the files are named the same so I get confused. I have to change the datasets on different days to differentiate which file goes where. I dont like the kitchen console being in the cloud as the managers would like to have to have the ability to delete stuck checks if needed, but since it is by ip address, it is something that would be site specific. If it was something that had a GUI where the Kitchen Console had a link on the local side, but you could use a drop down box to assign the ip automatically so you are sure you have the correct IP per site. Because once you do get to kitchen console, it doesnt say which site you are in, and it could be possible to be deleting checks from another location, so we are not able to allow them to use that feature Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RE Reviewer Dir. of Technology Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "A versatile solution for all types of restaurant operations" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 March 12, 2020 Pros The best thing about Connect Smart Kitchen is its versatility. I hvae used the solution in full service dining restaurants with 300-600 seats as well as fast casual restaurants with the majority of the business coming from digital channels and the food being consumed off premise. The product is so flexible that you can solve for almost any operational situation you can think of. I have you used several other kitchen management products from major POS providiers and none can match Connect Smart Kitchen Cons The Con, comes as a price for the solution being so flexible. It is not easy to configure. I have been using the solution for over six years now and feel like I am still a novice. I rely on my sales engineer to help with most of the configuration. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RE Reviewer Director, Distribution & Equipment Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Need a Quickservice Option" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 3/10 March 16, 2020 Pros The new graphics capabilities compared to KDS. Cons We are a quick service chain with no need for 90% of the functionality of ConnectSmart yet we need to purchase the full package just to get the speed of service data. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RE Reviewer IT Data Analyst Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "QSR Connect Smart Review" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 2.0 2.0 Features 3.0 3.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 March 6, 2020 Overall using Connect Smart Kitchen has completely transformed our kitchen performance. Our cook times have dropped considerably and the overall noise level in the kitchen has dropped. Pros I really like the cloud based management ability in the QSR portal it gives me the ability to easily manage the QSR platform for 35+ locations from my office. The portal also gives me the ability to view reports of ticket times and metrics on different stations by location to be able to identify bottlenecks or issues in the restaurant. Cons The portal can be confusing because of all the features that this software has. I think the layout of the management portal could be redesigned for ease of use with dropdowns or check boxes. This software is not for someone who is not tech savvy. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RE Reviewer Systems Administrator Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "KDS Works" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 March 9, 2020 We have been fine with it. Seems to be the main player in the market. Pros The ability to space out the timing on our stations and correctly design plays based on it. Cons the inability to upgrade old versions to new versions Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RE Reviewer Information Services Manager Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "I Implement our QSR solution - Its a great product, getting better all the time!" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 July 13, 2017 many. timing/routing of items, reporting, Micros integration - cloud integration with other QSR products Pros CSK delivers the solution we need for our restaurant. The design and functionality meet professional standards and are easy to use. Updates for feature requests are frequent. Support for this product is excellent. Cons Some design elements of the Builder need attention. Manual TeamAssist db distribution (hope to resolve this in 2.0) Few complaints, but have a couple of feature requests that can resolve all claims. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RE Reviewer Senior IT Manager Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "QSR KDS" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 March 27, 2020 Little rough in the first year or so. Now can't see opening a store without it. Pros We have used it for so long that the implementation is so much easier now and we can get through almost any issue pretty quickly. Cons That I forget some of the easy steps to get things dealt with. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RE Reviewer CEO Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Great solution for my Operations" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 August 23, 2018 I'm very happy with QSR as a customer for the last 5 years. I strongly recommend the solution for restaurant industry Pros Improvement of my Operations standards Monitoring of my Back of House Higher my quality of service, speeding delivery to the table Constant improvment and new releases Cons Working in Italy, the support is a bit too far Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RE Reviewer Director of Infrastructure & IT Operations Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Review of KDS" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 March 9, 2020 Pros Features and above store management is key Cons Overall the platform is stable and works great. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RE Reviewer POS Technical Analyst Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Great Product! Great Support!" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 July 25, 2017 Improves efficiency in the kitchen! Pros Software is very customizable and the support for the product is tremendous! Our current dataset has a lot going on and the support staff is very knowledgeable and has the experience to dissect issues specific to our environment. Cons Only knock is the maintenance for bin counts is only maintainable at the site level in our current version of CSK(3.8) Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. [View all Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/119321/ConnectSmart-Kitchen/reviews/) ## Top-rated software of 2026 ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.