Overview

The Tablet Production Report gives your kitchen team a live, digital view of catering production for the day. Instead of printing Food Prep and Kitchen Production reports, your team can use a tablet or iPad in the kitchen to view orders, prep items, totals, and order changes in real time.


This report is especially helpful for busy catering teams because it keeps production details in one place, allows staff to mark items as prepped as they work, and alerts the kitchen when new or changed orders need attention.


The Tablet Production Report can be used on one tablet or across multiple kitchen stations, depending on how your team is organized.


Before You Begin

The Tablet Production Report can be used in two ways:

  • Items Only: This displays the menu items from each order without using production formulas.
  • Using Formulas: This displays the production quantities generated from your Kitchen & Production Report formulas.

If you want to use the report with formulas, make sure your Kitchen & Production Report formulas are set up in CaterZen first. Formula-based production quantities will not generate unless formulas have been configured.


If your team needs help setting up formulas, you can schedule a training session at BookTimeWithJill.com.


We recommend using an affordable tablet in the kitchen, along with a rubber-tipped stylus. This helps keep the screen cleaner when staff are working with food, packaging, or prep materials.

Accessing the Tablet Production Report

  • Log in to CaterZen from the tablet’s web browser

  • Click the More tab from the main dashboard

  • Select Reports


  • Click Tablet Production Report


Choose Your Report Settings

  • Date Selection: You can only select one day at a time for the reportLocation – Choose a specific location if you have multiple

  • Report Format/Item Display – View Items Only or Using Formulas

    • (If Using Formulas) Primary Sort Method – Show formulas under each food     category (default) or each food station.

    • (If Using Formulas) Category Breakdown – Option to group categories into stations.

    • (If Using Formulas) Category Filtering – Show all categories or select a specific one.

  • Prep Phase Colors – Choose between two-phase prep tracking or three-phase option.

  • Sorting Options – Sort by Serve Time (default) or change to Kitchen Ready Time, Driver Pick-Up Time, or Order Ready Time.

  • Time Range – Display orders within a specific range.

Once selections are made, click Show Report to generate it.


Prep Phase Colors

The Tablet Production Report supports two different prep tracking options. These colors are meant to help your team show progress as items move through your kitchen workflow. Your team can decide what each stage means based on how you prep, cook, package, and assemble catering orders.


Two-Phase Tracking

  • Yellow means the item has not been started, prepped, made, or completed
  • Green means the item has been finished based on your team’s workflow.

Three-Phase Tracking

If your team needs a middle step between “not started” and “finished,” select Prep + Assembly Colors when generating the report.

  • Pink/Red means the item has not been started.
  • Yellow means the item is in progress or has completed an intermediate step.
  • Green means the item has reached its final stage and is ready based on your team’s workflow.

The yellow stage does not have to mean “prepped” for every kitchen. It can represent whatever middle step makes sense for your operation.


For example, your team may make mac and cheese the night before, pan it up, and place it in the walk-in. That could be marked yellow to show the prep work is complete, but the item is not fully finished yet. Once the mac and cheese is placed in the oven, baked, or completed according to your process, it can be marked green.


Other examples of a yellow middle stage could include:

  • An item has been cooked but still needs to be packaged.
  • An item has been portioned but still needs to be assembled with the order.
  • A cold item has been made but still needs to be pulled, labeled, or packed.

Three-phase tracking is helpful for teams that want more visibility between the first touch and the final ready stage.

Navigating the Tablet Production Report

After the report loads, each order will display on the screen. Orders that still need work will appear in yellow. (2 color) or Red (3 color)


You can expand an order to view the production categories and prep items tied to that order. You can also expand the Ordered Items section to double-check the menu items and choices included on the order.


Below the orders, the report will display total production quantities grouped by category or station. This total section allows your team to see everything needed for the day across all visible orders.


Prepping Items for a Specific Order

To work through one order at a time:

  • Click the order you want to prep.

  • Review the categories listed under the order.

  • Click the category you are working on.

  • Mark each item as it is completed.


As items are marked complete, the color will update based on the prep phase setting being used.

With the default two-phase setting, items move from yellow to green.

With the three-phase setting, items move from reddish pink to yellow to green.


Once every item in a category is complete, the category will turn green. Once every category on the order is complete, the full order will turn green.

Using the Total Section for Batch Prep

If your team preps like items together, you can use the total section instead of opening each order individually.


For example, if multiple orders need dinner rolls, you can prep the total quantity needed for the day and mark the item complete from the totals area.


When an item is marked complete in the total section, it will also show as complete in the individual orders connected to that item. This is helpful when your team batch preps common items across multiple catering orders.

Viewing Special Instructions

Special instructions tied to menu items can appear directly on the Tablet Production Report, so the kitchen can see important order details while they are working.


If an item has special instructions, an SI button will appear beside the item. Click the SI button to open the instruction details.


This helps your team catch important notes without needing to leave the report, search the order, or ask another team member for clarification.

Examples of special instructions may include:

  • Gluten-free preparation needed
  • No onions
  • Sauce on the side
  • Label separately
  • Package cold

Special instructions are especially important for items where missing the note could affect the Customer’s experience or require the item to be remade.

Viewing Open or Custom Menu Items

Open items can also appear on the Tablet Production Report. If an order includes an open menu item that is not tied to a standard menu item or formula category, it can display in its own section so the kitchen can still see it, track it, and mark it off. This is helpful for custom requests, one-off items, or items added manually to an order that still need to be prepared or packed. The goal is to make sure those custom items do not get missed when the kitchen is working from the daily production totals.

Handling New or Changed Orders

One of the biggest benefits of the Tablet Production Report is that it updates while the kitchen is working. If a new order is placed while the report is open, the kitchen will receive an alert and the new order will revert back to the base color.


If an existing order is changed, the kitchen will also receive an alert. The changed order will flash red so the team knows it needs to be reviewed.


When quantities change, the totals section will update. Previous quantities may appear crossed out, with the updated quantities shown beside them. Once someone clicks the red or flashing order, the order will return to it's base color. This lets the team know the change has been acknowledged.

Managing Completed Orders

When an order is finished, you can move it out of the open order view.

  • Click Move to Completed on the finished order.

  • The order will move to the Completed Orders tab.

If an order needs to be moved back, open the Completed Orders tab and click Move to Open.

Turning On New Order Sound Notifications

The Tablet Production Report can play a sound when a new order is placed.

To turn on sound notifications:

  • Click the New Order Sound button.

  • Choose the sound you want to use.

  • Leave the Tablet Production Report open while your team is working.

When a new order comes in, the system will alert the kitchen using the selected sound.

Printing or Exporting the Report

Although the Tablet Production Report is designed to reduce the need for paper, you can still print or export reports when needed.

To print or export:

  • Click the Print/Export option from the report.

  • Choose the format you need, such as PDF or Excel.

  • Confirm your print or export settings.

Best Practices

Keep the Tablet in a Practical Kitchen Location

Place the tablet somewhere easy for staff to access but protected from spills, heat, and heavy prep traffic.

Use Tablets by Station When Needed

If your kitchen is organized by station, consider using separate tablets filtered by category or station. This allows each team member to focus only on the items they are responsible for prepping.

Train Staff to Mark Items in Real Time

The report is most helpful when staff update items as they work. This gives managers a live view of what has been prepped, what still needs attention, and which orders are ready.

Use the Total Section for Batch Production

For high-volume catering days, use the totals area to prep like items across multiple orders instead of working order by order.

Review New and Changed Orders Carefully

When an order appears in red or a change alert pops up, review the order before continuing production. This helps prevent missed updates and keeps the kitchen aligned with the latest order details.

Support


The Tablet Production Report gives your kitchen team a real-time production tool for managing catering orders without relying only on printed reports. It helps your team prep items, track progress,

manage order changes, and keep production organized throughout the day.


For additional help, refer to the CaterZen Support Center or contact our CaterZen Support Team.


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