Pre-order: what it means for a restaurant, and how to take them
Updated October 20, 2026
A pre-order is an order a customer places now for a later time they choose: tomorrow's 12:30 lunch, Friday's pizza at 7, a pie for Thanksgiving. It is also called a scheduled order, an advance order or "order ahead." The restaurant knows what's coming before the rush, and the customer skips the wait.
In short
- ASAP order = cook it now. Pre-order = cook it for a set time later.
- Three rules make pre-orders work: the slots you offer, how much notice you need, and how far ahead customers can book.
- Some dishes need more notice than others. A sandwich needs none; a whole-cake order may need two days.
- On Menuthere pre-orders start on the Lite plan (US$17 a month) and print the booked time on the kitchen ticket.
Pre-order vs ASAP vs catering order
| ASAP order | Pre-order | Catering order | |
|---|---|---|---|
| When it's for | As soon as possible | A date and time the customer picks | An event date, often days away |
| Typical size | One person or family | Same as ASAP, or a holiday item | 10 to 200 people |
| What the kitchen needs | Capacity now | A list of what's due and when | A quote, headcount, often a deposit |
| Can be placed while closed? | No | Yes, for a time you're open | Usually by phone or form |
The settings that make or break pre-orders
- Slots. Fixed windows ("lunch 12:00–2:00, dinner 5:00–9:00") or rolling slots counted from now ("ready in 30 minutes"). Fixed windows are easier for a small kitchen to plan.
- Notice. The earliest a customer can book. An hour for a café; a day or two for a bakery's custom orders.
- Booking horizon. How many days ahead people can order. A short horizon stops orders you can't plan for yet.
- Per-dish notice. Holiday items, whole cakes and party trays usually need more notice than the rest of the menu.
- Payment up front. For big or one-off orders, taking card payment at checkout cuts no-shows.
A worked example: Thanksgiving pies
A bakery sells pumpkin and pecan pies for pickup on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. It switches on pre-orders with fixed 30-minute pickup slots from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., sets the two pies to need two days' notice, and requires online card payment for pickup orders.
| Phone and paper | Pre-orders online | |
|---|---|---|
| Orders taken | Calls during the lunch rush | Any time, also overnight |
| Pickup times | Whatever the caller asked for | 30-minute slots, inside opening hours |
| Notice | Remembered by whoever answered | Enforced: no pie order for tomorrow |
| No-shows | Unpaid pies left over | Paid at checkout |
With 120 pies across 16 slots, the bakery plans about 7 or 8 pickups per slot and bakes to the list. (Illustrative figures.) For a paper version of the same idea, see the free holiday order form.
How Menuthere handles pre-orders
- Customers choose at checkout. With Prebooking on, customers pick a date and a slot. Customers pick can be Date & time, Date only or Time only, and Make prebooking optional lets them choose between "now" and "later."
- Your rules. Earliest booking time (in minutes, hours or days), Book up to a number of days ahead, Today only or a date range, and Start from tomorrow if you don't take same-day orders.
- Fixed or rolling slots. Set times such as lunch and dinner, or slots counted from now. See fixed or rolling slots.
- Never outside your hours. Every slot offered falls inside your working hours and your delivery and takeaway hours.
- Orders while you're closed. The menu keeps its Add buttons when you're shut, so a customer can order at 10 p.m. for 8 a.m. See take pre-orders while closed.
- Notice per dish. Limit pre-orders to chosen dishes and the days they're made, so a whole cake can need a day's notice and a sandwich none. See dishes that need notice.
- The kitchen knows when to start. Pre-orders sit in a Prebookings tab with the ones due within the hour at the top. They ring on the partner app when they arrive, and the kitchen order ticket shows the booked time in bold.
- Dine-in too. Guests can book a table for a date and time and pre-order the dishes you allow.
- Plan: from Lite (US$17 a month, 7-day trial with a card). On Free, customers order for as soon as possible.
What it doesn't do: there are no booking deposits or no-show fees, and no table plan or waitlist. To cut no-shows, take card payment up front for pre-ordered food.
Take tomorrow's orders tonight, with slots and notice rules you set. 0% commission.
Related terms
- Kitchen order ticket (KOT): where the booked time prints.
- Dayparting: showing dishes only at the hours you sell them.
- Average order value: holiday pre-orders usually carry bigger baskets.
FAQs
What does pre-order mean at a restaurant?
A pre-order is an order placed now for a later date or time the customer chooses, for pickup, delivery or with a table booking. The restaurant prepares it for that time instead of as soon as possible.
What is the difference between a pre-order and a scheduled order?
They are the same thing. Pre-order, scheduled order, advance order and order ahead all mean an order placed now for a set time later.
Can customers pre-order when the restaurant is closed?
Yes, if your ordering system allows it. On Menuthere the menu stays orderable while you're closed, and customers can only pick a slot inside your opening hours.
How much notice should a restaurant require for pre-orders?
It depends on the dish. Everyday items can be booked an hour or less ahead, while whole cakes, pies and party trays often need one or two days. Set the notice per dish so the menu enforces it.
Is pre-ordering on Menuthere's Free plan?
No. Pre-orders and table booking start on the Lite plan at US$17 a month, which has a 7-day free trial with a card. On Free, customers order for as soon as possible.
Sources (2)
- Menuthere help: Prebooking: scheduled orders, updated 15 Oct 2026 (Enable Prebooking; Make prebooking optional; Customers pick Date & time / Date only / Time only; Earliest booking time; Today only, Date range, Start from tomorrow, Book up to; slots cut to working and delivery/takeaway hours; Free shows the switch locked): https://menuthere.com/docs/hours/prebooking-scheduled-orders (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Menuthere help: Kitchen tickets (KOT) (booked time in bold on a pre-order): https://menuthere.com/docs/printing/kitchen-tickets-kot (accessed 20 Oct 2026)