Orda now supports assigning preparation time on a per-category basis. This feature is available to businesses on the Enterprise Plan and is designed to accommodate menus that require longer lead times for fulfillment, such as catering or custom orders.
This enhancement gives merchants greater flexibility in managing their operations by ensuring customers are provided with accurate availability timelines for each category, directly within the online ordering and mobile app interfaces.
Category-level prep time is essential for operations with varying preparation workflows. For example:
A Catering Menu that requires 12 hours of preparation can now reflect that requirement in the ordering interface.
A Holiday Menu that is made-to-order and requires 1-day notice can be scheduled accordingly.
By using this feature, merchants ensure customers cannot place immediate orders for items that require advance planning, thus improving kitchen efficiency and managing expectations.
To apply category-specific prep time:
Navigate to the Orda Admin Dashboard
Go to Catalog
Select the desired Category
Click Advanced Configuration
In the “Prep time for this category” section, input the required lead time:
Days: Number of full days needed in advance (e.g., enter 1 for 24 hours)
Hours: Number of hours needed in addition to the days
Minutes: Additional minutes, if applicable
For example:
To require a 12-hour prep time, enter 12 in the "Hours" field and leave Days and Minutes as 0.
To require a 1-day prep time, enter 1 in the "Days" field and leave Hours and Minutes as 0.
This configuration will impact both online and mobile ordering experiences by blocking order times that do not meet the required lead time.
Follow this guide to publish your update. This will only work in the app after you have upgraded and paid the setup fees in the first step above.