Scheduled orders let a customer book a collection or delivery time for later instead of ordering for right now. This article covers the setting: the toggle that turns it on and the two numbers that control how it behaves. For what a scheduled order looks like to the customer and how it reaches your kitchen, see Scheduled orders.
The setting is per location, so one branch can take pre-orders while another doesn't.
Open the setting
- In the sidebar, open Settings → Ordering.
- Scroll to Scheduled orders.
The three controls
Accept scheduled orders is the master toggle. With it on, customers can pick a future slot at checkout. With it off, the two fields below it are greyed out and every order is for as soon as possible.
Max days ahead sets how far in advance a customer can book, from 1 to 30 days. A figure of 3 lets them order up to three days out.
Promote to Waiting (minutes before slot) sets how long before the booked time the order moves into your kitchen's Waiting tab so staff can start preparing it. The range is 5 to 240 minutes. Set it to 50 and a scheduled order surfaces 50 minutes before its slot.
Fill in the fields and press Save changes. If you enter a number outside the allowed range, the form blocks the save and tells you the valid range.
Choosing the numbers
- Max days ahead is about how far you're willing to commit the kitchen. Three days suits most; a venue taking party orders might stretch it.
- Promote to Waiting should roughly match how long your busiest orders take to prepare. Too short and the kitchen is rushed; too long and orders pile up early.
Related articles
- Scheduled orders (how they behave)
- Collection and delivery
- Checkout and tipping settings
- Order status flow
Need a hand?
If customers can't pick a future time even with the toggle on, the cause is usually opening hours rather than this setting: slots only appear within your open hours, and none show while a location is temporarily closed. The behaviour article Scheduled orders covers that. Still stuck? Email support@menudock.co.uk with your store name.