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# How Does Takeaway Preparation Time Affect Scheduled Orders?

# How Does Takeaway Preparation Time Affect Scheduled Orders?

|| The Default Preparation Time and Minimum Time in Advance settings both affect takeaway scheduling, but they serve different purposes.

## Preparation Time

The **Default Preparation Time** defines how much time your restaurant generally needs to prepare a takeaway order.

For example:

**Preparation Time: 30 minutes**

This indicates that your restaurant normally needs 30 minutes to prepare the order.

You can configure this under:

**Settings → Takeaway → Time & Charges**

## Minimum Time in Advance

The **Minimum time in advance** setting controls how soon a customer can schedule a takeaway order.

For example:

**Minimum Time in Advance: 30 minutes**

This prevents customers from scheduling an order too close to the current time.

You can configure this under:

**Settings → Takeaway → Scheduling**

## Difference Between the Two

| Setting | Purpose |
| ---- | ---- |
| **Default Preparation Time** | Defines the restaurant's expected preparation time |
| **Minimum Time in Advance** | Defines how soon customers can schedule an order |

### Example

Suppose you configure:

**Default Preparation Time:** 30 minutes

**Minimum Time in Advance:** 45 minutes

The preparation time tells the system that your restaurant generally needs **30 minutes** to prepare an order.

The scheduling setting requires customers to schedule their order at least **45 minutes in advance**.

## Important

||| These settings are configured separately and should be set according to your restaurant's actual preparation and scheduling requirements.

For example, if your restaurant needs more time to prepare orders during busy periods, you can increase the preparation time or minimum scheduling advance accordingly.

### Quick Summary

* **Preparation Time** = How long your restaurant needs to prepare the order.
* **Minimum Time in Advance** = How soon the customer can schedule the order.
* Both settings help manage takeaway orders and scheduling more effectively.