Source: https://wpinplate.com/en/docs/schedule/ # Schedule and ordering hours You set the schedule in **InPlate → Schedule**. The manager can also change it from a tablet, in the **Schedule** tab of the [manager panel in the KDS](/en/docs/manager-panel/). The schedule separates two things: - **when customers can place orders** – the order-taking hours, - **what times they can order for** – the fulfillment windows. Example: you take orders 8:00–11:00, and pickup and delivery happen 12:00–14:00. This is a typical setup for a lunch ordered in the morning. ## Online order-taking hours During these hours customers place orders on your website: for pickup, delivery and to eat in. Outside them, placing an order isn't possible. - The “from” and “to” times apply on all days your venue is open. Days without orders are marked as [closing days](#regular-closing-days). - **“To” is the last moment to place an order,** not the time the customer orders the food for. It is the time ordering closes (in the wizard: the “To” field of the online order-taking hours). The default is 00:00–11:00, i.e. orders until 11:00. - **Past midnight:** if “from” is later than “to” (e.g. 17:00–01:00), order-taking lasts until the “to” time on the next day. Useful for a late-night kitchen. - If “from” and “to” are the same, online ordering is off. ## Ordering hours at tables (QR code) Separate hours for guests who order with the QR code at their table. They work independently of online orders, e.g. online until 20:00 and at tables until 21:00. The same rules apply (past midnight, the same times = off). ## Fulfillment methods The options a customer can choose when ordering online: - **Pickup** - **Delivery** – requires at least one active [delivery zone](/en/docs/delivery-zones/) - **I'll eat here** Every method is a card with a checkbox, an icon and a short description. An unticked method disappears from the choice. At least one must stay on. **Your own names:** the pencil icon changes the name customers see when ordering and in emails, e.g. “Collect at the venue” or “From the hatch”. An empty field means the default name. The kitchen display always shows the standard names, so your team doesn't get confused. ## Fulfillment windows The times a customer can order pickup, delivery or a meal to eat in for – separately for each method. They apply on all days your venue is open. **Times every** is the interval between the times in the list, e.g. every 15 minutes: 12:00, 12:15, 12:30. You set it separately for each method. The list always starts at the “from” time and goes at the set interval: an 11:10–15:00 window every 15 minutes gives 11:10, 11:25, 11:40… throughout the day. ## Switching off single times At peak hours you can switch off only selected times instead of closing the whole day. Example: between 16:00 and 18:00 your dining room is full, so you no longer accept “eat in” orders for those times, while pickup and delivery work as usual. 1. In the **Fulfillment windows** section, in the row of the chosen method (next to the times and the interval), click the highlighted **Switch off selected times** button. 2. The window shows today's times for that method, as the customer sees them. Click a time to switch it off (it is struck through, marked “off”), click again to switch it back on. Clicking with **Shift** switches a whole range off or on, e.g. 16:00–18:00. Times that have passed are greyed out. 3. Choose how long the change lasts: - **Today only** – tomorrow all times come back by themselves. For a window past midnight (e.g. 18:00–02:00) “today” lasts until the end of that window. - **Until resumed** – every day, until you click **Reset**. 4. Click **Apply**. The change works straight away – there is no need to click **Save schedule**. Every method has its own switched-off times. A method with switched-off times shows a badge next to the button, e.g. “3 off · today” or “5 off · until resumed”, and the whole row has a dashed border. **What customers see:** switched-off times are greyed out in the list, marked “unavailable”, and can't be chosen. When you switch off all of today's remaining times, the method behaves as after its window has ended: the customer can order for tomorrow (if [ordering for the next day](#ordering-for-the-next-day) is on) or sees a message that orders with this option are unavailable today. **Orders already placed** for switched-off times stay unchanged. A customer who had the order summary open before a time was switched off can't place an order for it – they see a message and the current list of times. **Reset** (in the same window, with a confirmation) brings back all times of the method straight away. ### What is locked while times are switched off The switched-off items are specific times in the list, and the list depends on the “from” time and the interval. That's why, for a method with switched-off times, the **“from”** field and **Times every** are inactive. To change them, first click **Reset**, then change the times and save the schedule. You can change the **“to”** time – e.g. when you work longer today. The **Switch off selected times** button works on the saved schedule. If you changed this method's times, click **Save schedule** first. ## Preparation time How much time you need from an order being placed to handing it over (default 30 minutes). The earliest time a customer can choose is: **now + preparation time, rounded up to the nearest time in the list**. Example: an order placed at 12:07, a preparation time of 30 minutes, times every 15 minutes → 12:45 at the earliest. The list has values from 10 to 120 minutes. The last item, **Custom…**, shows a field where you enter any number of minutes, e.g. 180 for catering orders. When the preparation time reaches beyond today's window, the earliest time falls on the next day (if ordering for the next day is on). ## Delivery window Delivery only. Default 20 minutes. The customer sees a range instead of a single time: the chosen time plus the given number of minutes. E.g. 30 minutes → “12:45–13:15”. The **No window** setting shows a single time, e.g. 12:45. The list has values from 10 to 60 minutes. **Custom…** lets you enter any number of minutes. ## Regular closing days Click the days your venue is closed every week. **By default Saturday and Sunday are ticked as closed** – untick them if you work at weekends. On closed days it isn't possible to place an order or choose a fulfillment time. This applies to all channels, QR tables too. Hours that run past midnight (e.g. Saturday 17:00–01:00) work until their end, even when the next day is closed. ## Holidays and closures Single dates when your venue is closed: public holidays, time off, renovation. They work like regular closing days, but only on the chosen dates. Add a date with the **Add date** button, and finally click **Save schedule**. For a sudden, short break (a breakdown, a missed delivery) you don't have to change the schedule – use [pausing orders](/en/docs/manager-panel/#pausing-orders) in the KDS. When you are short of capacity only at some times, [switch off single times](#switching-off-single-times). ## Ordering for the next day When today's fulfillment window has already passed, the customer can choose a time on the next day, if your venue is open then. You turn this behavior off in the schedule form, in the **Fulfillment windows** section: switch off **Let customers order for the next day** and save the schedule. The same option is in the schedule in the [manager panel](/en/docs/manager-panel/#schedule). After you switch it off, the customer sees a message that orders with this option are no longer available today. Orders for the next day are marked with their fulfillment date everywhere: in the KDS (highlighted when it isn't today), in the courier app, on the label, in notifications, in the list of orders in the dashboard, on the thank-you page and in emails. ## Time zone All times follow the time zone set in WordPress (**Settings → General → Timezone**). Check it before you start taking orders, e.g. “Warsaw”. ## Warnings in the form The schedule form warns you when the times look unusual, e.g. when “from” and “to” are the same (ordering is off) or when “from” is later than “to” (order-taking past midnight). The save button is always visible at the bottom of the screen.