Scheduled orders and Start Preparing Now

Overview

• Scheduled orders can stay in an Upcoming queue instead of appearing as immediate active work too early.
• MiniTill calculates/uses an activation or prep time so future orders automatically enter active preparation when due.
• KDS surfaces Upcoming orders and warns as the next activation approaches.
• Staff can choose Start Preparing Now when extra preparation time is needed. The scheduled customer pickup time remains unchanged.

When to use this

• Use Upcoming for future orders so the kitchen can plan ahead without mixing tomorrow/later work into the current rush.

Step-by-step

1. Open Upcoming orders.
2. Review pickup time, calculated prep start, source, and items.
3. Let MiniTill activate the order automatically when due, or choose Start Preparing Now.
4. Confirm the order enters active KDS preparation.
5. Remember that early activation does not move the customer's scheduled pickup time.

Common mistakes

• Do not change the pickup promise just because the kitchen chose to start early.
• Do not manually recreate a scheduled order as an immediate POS order.

Troubleshooting

• If a scheduled order is not active yet, compare current time with its prep/activation time.
• If it needs work earlier, use Start Preparing Now rather than changing the original order time.