Scheduled orders, so guests can order ahead
Let guests pick a collection time instead of only ordering for right now, so the kitchen knows the order is coming.
Steps
- 1
Ask us to switch it on
Ordering ahead is off by default and is not on your own venue settings page. Message us and tell us how many days ahead guests may book, and the shortest notice your kitchen needs.
- 2
The guest chooses in the When block
Once it is on, a When block appears on the Your Order page with two buttons: Order now and Schedule. Order now is already chosen, so nothing changes for guests in a hurry.
- 3
Pick the day, then the time
Schedule shows the days available, starting with Today, then the times left on that day in 15 minute steps. The heading reads Pick up at for a Takeaway order and Arrive at for Dine In, matching what the guest is actually doing. If the times have run out, the guest sees "No times left for this day. Please order now instead."
- 4
Paid when it is placed
By default a scheduled order is paid at the moment it is placed, and the guest is told so in a line under the time slots. That is what protects your kitchen from prepping food nobody collects.
Scheduled orders wait in EnakPOS under Scheduled in the sidebar, which only appears once the feature is on. Each card shows the time, the order number, and either Due now or the minutes until it is due. Tap Send to kitchen when it is time to cook, and only then does the ticket appear on the kitchen screen.
Good to know
A little more depth, so your team understands why, not just which button.
Why the choice of times is limited
The times offered come from your venue opening hours, cut into 15 minute steps, with the notice your kitchen needs taken off the front. The checkout screen and the server use the same calculation, so a guest can never pick a time the system then refuses.
Paying up front is the point
A scheduled order means the kitchen sets ingredients aside for a particular time. Payment up front makes that commitment go both ways, which is why it is the default setting.
Order now does not change at all
Turning scheduled orders on changes nothing for guests ordering for right now. Order now is already selected when the When block appears, so they carry straight on.
The kitchen ticket waits until you release it
A scheduled order does not go to the kitchen screen straight away. It waits on the Scheduled page in EnakPOS until your team taps Send to kitchen, so a lunch order placed at nine does not sit on the pass all morning.
Still stuck?
Our support team helps 24/7 on WhatsApp, remotely or at your venue.