Setting up a Collection Display

Overview

What a Collection Display is

A Collection Display is the customer-facing screen at the front of your store that shows order numbers as they move from Preparing to Ready for collection. Customers watch for their number on the screen and come up to the counter when it appears under Ready.

When an order becomes ready, the display plays an audio announcement (e.g. "Order 215, ready for collection") so customers don't have to keep their eyes on the screen. The announcement plays every time an order moves into the Ready column.

The display is otherwise read-only for customers — they can't tap it to interact with an order. Staff mark orders ready from the POS or the KDS, not the Collection Display.

Web or Android — your choice

A Collection Display can run in two ways. Pick whichever fits the hardware you have at the counter:

Option	Best for	What you need	Audio announcements
Web browser	A spare laptop or all-in-one PC at the counter; quick proof of concept; stores that already have a screen attached to a small PC	Any modern browser (Chrome / Edge / Safari) on the device, internet access	Works — but the browser blocks audio until someone taps or clicks the screen once after each page load. In practice this means a quick tap when you open the display in the morning, and again any time you reload the page.
Android app	A dedicated TV or monitor driven by an Android box or Android TV; cleaner full-screen experience	An Android box or Android TV (Android 8+), the MyFoodFast Collection Display app from the Play Store, internet access	Works out of the box — no tap needed. Recommended if you rely on audio announcements every day.

Both options use the same 6-digit PIN generated in the Back Office — you can switch from web to Android (or vice versa) any time without recreating the display record.

Is Collection Display the right screen for what you need?

Collection Display is one of three customer-facing / kitchen-facing screens. Pick the right one before you set anything up:

You want to…	Use this	Where in the Back Office
Show order numbers to customers at the counter (Preparing → Ready)	Collection Display — this article	Setup > In-Store > Collection Displays
Show order tickets to your kitchen team to prep	KDS (Kitchen Display)	Setup > In-Store > KDS
Print order tickets to a printer in the kitchen	Kitchen Printer	Setup > In-Store > Kitchen

Check first — is a display already set up for this store?

Before creating a new one, sign in to the Back Office, pick the store from the top-right store switcher, and open Setup > In-Store > Collection Displays.

• There's already a display in the list — you only need to pair the new device using that display's existing PIN. Skip to Setup > Step 2: Pair a device.
• There are no displays yet — start at Setup > Step 1 below.

Setup

Step 1: Create the display in the Back Office

1. Select the store from the top-right store switcher.
2. Go to Setup > In-Store > Collection Displays (Store level).
3. Click + Add Display at the top right.
4. A side panel titled Add Collection Display opens.
5. Enter a Name that tells you where the display lives (e.g. Front Counter, Seating Area Screen).
6. Click Save.

A 6-digit PIN is generated automatically for the new display.

Note: PINs are masked as ------ in the list. Click the Key icon on the row to reveal the PIN.

Each display gets its own unique PIN. Don't share the PIN beyond the staff who set up the device — anyone with the PIN can pair a device to your store.

Step 2: Pair a device

Option A — Pair using a web browser

1. On the device you want to use (laptop, all-in-one PC), open a modern browser.
2. Go to myfoodfast-cd.web.app.
3. The page asks for a PIN. Enter the 6-digit PIN from the Back Office.
4. The display loads and starts showing live orders.
5. Tap or click anywhere on the screen once. This is required for the audio announcements to play — browsers block sound until they detect a user interaction on the page. Repeat the tap each morning when you open the display, and any time you reload the page.
6. Put the browser into full-screen mode (F11 on Windows, Ctrl+Cmd+F on Mac) and bookmark the page so the screen reopens to it after a reboot.

Option B — Pair using the Android app

1. Install the MyFoodFast Collection Display app on the Android box or Android TV — search the Play Store, or sideload the APK if MyFoodFast support has sent you one.
2. Open the app.
3. On first launch the app asks for a PIN. Enter the 6-digit PIN from the Back Office.
4. The app pairs to your store and starts showing live orders.

Once paired, the device remembers the pairing — you only enter the PIN once.

Step 3: Confirm orders flow through

1. Place a test order (Kiosk, online, or POS).
2. Mark it as Preparing then Ready from the kitchen.
3. The order number should appear on the Collection Display almost instantly — first under Preparing, then under Ready.

If nothing shows up, jump to Troubleshooting below.

Adding more displays

To run multiple screens at the same store, repeat Step 1 for each one and give each a clear name (e.g. Front Counter, Seating Area). Each device pairs to one display record using its own PIN. All displays paired to the same store will show that store's orders.

Use

Rename a display

1. Open Setup > In-Store > Collection Displays.
2. Click the pencil icon on the row.
3. Change the name and click Save.

Delete a display

1. Open Setup > In-Store > Collection Displays.
2. Click the trash icon on the row and confirm.
3. The web page / native app on the paired device stops receiving orders within a few seconds.

Note: Deleting a display does not uninstall the app on the Android box. The next time the app launches it will prompt for a new PIN.

Regenerate a PIN

If a PIN is lost or compromised:

1. Open Setup > In-Store > Collection Displays.
2. Click the Key icon on the row.
3. A new 6-digit PIN is generated and shown immediately.
4. Re-pair the device using the new PIN:
   • Web browser — go back to myfoodfast-cd.web.app and enter the new PIN.
   • Android app — exit the app and re-launch it (or use Re-pair if your version of the app has that option), then enter the new PIN.

The old PIN stops working as soon as the new one is generated.

Move a display to a different store

1. Delete the display record in the old store (Setup > In-Store > Collection Displays at the old store).
2. Switch to the new store in the top-right store switcher.
3. Create a new display record there.
4. Re-pair the device using the new PIN.

Troubleshooting

"Invalid PIN" on the device. PINs are 6 digits, no spaces or letters. If you regenerated the PIN, the old one is no longer valid — use the one currently shown on the displays list.

The screen is blank or "Connecting..." won't go away. Check that the device has internet. On an Android box try opening any other app (e.g. YouTube) to confirm. On a browser, try loading any other website. If the network is working but the display still won't connect, regenerate the PIN and try again.

Orders show as "Preparing" but never move to "Ready". Orders are moved by your kitchen team using the KDS or POS. If staff haven't been marking orders ready, they won't move on the Collection Display. Check Setup > In-Store > KDS to confirm the kitchen workflow is set up.

Two displays are showing different orders. Each display record belongs to a single store. Open each display in Setup > In-Store > Collection Displays and confirm both were created under the same store in the store switcher. A display paired to a different store will show that store's orders.

The web browser keeps going to sleep / locks the screen. This is a device setting, not a Collection Display setting. On Windows, set the power plan to "Never sleep" while plugged in; on Mac, disable display sleep in System Settings. Most Android boxes have a "stay awake" option in the developer settings.

The web display shows orders but doesn't play audio announcements. Browsers block audio on a page until there's been a user interaction. Tap or click anywhere on the Collection Display once — the next time an order goes to Ready, you should hear the announcement. If sound still doesn't play, check the device's system volume and that the browser tab isn't muted (right-click the tab → Unmute site in Chrome / Edge). If audio is critical to your workflow, run the display on the Android app instead — no tap required.