Accepting pre-orders – orders for later

In the basket, under Serviceart & Zeit, your guests decide whether to order So schnell wie möglich (as soon as possible) or to pre-order for later under Datum & Zeit. Only slots that fall within your pickup or delivery times and that your preparation time – plus the travel time for delivery – still covers are offered. The time shown is initially an estimated guide value and becomes binding as soon as you accept the order in the Bestellzentrale with Annehmen & Zeit bestätigen.

What the guest sees when pre-ordering

The choice between So schnell wie möglich and a pre-order with a date and time.
Only times that are genuinely possible at your restaurant: the date picker shows entries such as Heute (today) and Morgen (tomorrow), and Weitere Tage anzeigen opens later days.
For a slot that is not possible, the reason – for example Restaurant ist an diesem Tag geschlossen., Heute nicht mehr möglich or Vorlaufzeit überschreitet das verfügbare Zeitfenster.
If the guest takes longer while ordering, the time window moves along automatically – with a note such as Zeitfenster aktualisiert auf 18:15 Uhr, damit es noch passt.

Two settings decide which slots appear

First, your opening and ordering times. You enter them per weekday under Logistik → Abholzeiten or Lieferzeiten; two time windows are possible per day, and the second must begin after the first. If a window extends past midnight, it is treated as plus one day, and a day left empty is shown to guests as Geschlossen (closed). Second, your preparation time under Logistik → Vorbereitungszeiten: the default value is 20 minutes, and a value that is not sensible is automatically reset to 20 minutes. How to maintain both is shown in Set opening and order times and Set preparation times.

Preparation and travel time are calculated separately

For delivery, the preparation time counts only the kitchen time. The travel time is added separately and results from the distance. Before completing the order the guest therefore reads a broken-down estimate – for pickup something like Bereit in ca. 20–25 Min nach Bestätigung, for delivery additionally preparation, travel time and when the kitchen starts. If the travel time cannot be calculated, it says Fahrzeit wird vom Restaurant bestätigt. You decide yourself which mode of travel is used in the calculation: car, motorcycle, scooter, bicycle or on foot. The wider picture is described on Delivery & Pickup.

How the guide value becomes a fixed slot

Pre-orders arrive in the same Bestellzentrale as every other order. The live tickets refresh about every 4 seconds and are split into the two lanes Lieferungen and Abholung; if there is nothing to do, it says Keine offenen Bestellungen. A click on a card opens the detail window with dishes, options, guest notes and a countdown. With Annehmen & Zeit bestätigen you accept – only this click makes the time binding for the guest. After that you move the order through neu and in Bearbeitung to Als erledigt markieren.

Pre-orders with payment on site

If the guest pays cash or by card on site, they leave a phone number and confirm the pre-order via a link, on request by WhatsApp. Only then does it reach you for acceptance. If the confirmation does not arrive, a reminder is sent after 10 minutes and the order is cancelled automatically after 20 minutes; once confirmed, you have 45 minutes to accept, and the alert becomes more insistent after 5 minutes. You can also step in yourself: Kunde erinnern, Manuell bestätigt if the guest has confirmed to you by phone, or Unbestätigte stornieren. Orders paid online are binding immediately and are not cancelled automatically. The matching guest page is Confirm your order.

When a slot does not work after all

You decline a pre-order with Bestellung ablehnen/stornieren, pick one of the prepared reasons or write up to 500 characters, and can send the reason to the guest as a prepared WhatsApp message – this requires a valid phone number. The order then moves to the archive Stornierte Karten. How long guests may cancel by themselves is up to you in the Storno-Fenster: the default is 10 minutes, adjustable from 0 to 240 minutes, or you choose Nein, nur telefonisch. The guest can only cancel while the kitchen has not started.

Who is this worth it for?

For kitchens with tight peak hours: if orders are spread over 18:00, 18:30 and 19:00, the kitchen works through a sequence instead of a pile. For lunch business with offices and companies that order the day before for a fixed time. For parties and larger platters where you need lead time. And for everyone who wants to replace spoken time promises on the phone: only times you have released through your opening and preparation times are offered. The orders run through your own online ordering system with 0 % Provision pro Bestellung.

Frequently asked questions

Can guests pre-order with me for tomorrow?

Yes. In the basket the guest picks Vorbestellen instead of So schnell wie möglich and sets Datum & Zeit; Weitere Tage anzeigen takes them to later days. Only slots within your pickup or delivery times are offered.

How short notice may a pre-order be?

As short notice as your preparation time allows – plus the travel time for delivery. Earlier slots are not offered at all; if a point in time is not possible, the ordering page names the reason, for example Heute nicht mehr möglich or Vorlaufzeit überschreitet das verfügbare Zeitfenster.

Is the preferred time of the guest binding for me?

The preferred time is initially an estimated guide value. The time only becomes binding when you accept the pre-order in the Bestellzentrale with Annehmen & Zeit bestätigen.

What do I do if I cannot accept a pre-order?

You decline the pre-order with Bestellung ablehnen/stornieren and choose a prepared reason or write up to 500 characters. You can send the reason to the guest as a prepared WhatsApp message; the order moves to the archive Stornierte Karten.

Does the guest have to confirm a pre-order with payment on site?

Yes. With cash or card on site the guest confirms the pre-order via a link. Without confirmation a reminder is sent after 10 minutes and the order is cancelled automatically after 20 minutes; orders paid online are binding immediately.

Can the guest cancel a pre-order themselves?

Only within the Storno-Fenster that you set: the default is 10 minutes, adjustable from 0 to 240 minutes, and only while the kitchen has not started. Alternatively you set Nein, nur telefonisch.

How does the guest know when the pre-order will be ready?

Before completing the order the estimated time is shown in the basket, for delivery split into preparation and travel time. If the travel time cannot be calculated, it says Fahrzeit wird vom Restaurant bestätigt.

More on this: Order Centre · Delivery & Pickup · Online Ordering System