Overview
Order Throttling is a way to limit the amount of orders your location/s will be able to accept in a set amount of time. For example, if you have a maximum of $500 for Catering orders with an interval of 60 minutes, the store will only accept up to $500 worth of Catering orders in a 60-minute time frame. Any orders placed after that will be pushed back 1 hour.
This feature is used by chains to avoid a location having orders over-placed and could help to prevent poor customer experience when picking up food (Not ready, long lines, etc)
Note: Order throttling works in conjunction with a location’s current lead/prep time rules, so those rules will still apply while ordering.
Setting Order Throttling Rules
To add an Order Throttling Rule, under the appropriate section (Global or Local):
Proceed to the 'Order Processing' tab and select 'Order Throttling Rules'.
Choose either 'Global Rules' or 'Local Rules' (Global Rules will apply to all of the chain's locations)
Select the Service Types that you would like the rule to apply to from the dropdown
Note - If multiple service types are selected, when the rule is met, all service types selected will be throttled appropriately.
If you wish to set the same rule for all service types, but do not want throttling to be affected by other ST's orders, select 'Apply to all'
Enter the Maximum Sales $ amount (maximum amount of sales for the specified service types in the entered time frame)
Enter the Maximum # Orders amount (maximum amount of orders for the specified service types in the entered time frame)
Enter the Interval in Minutes (the number of minutes that correspond with the service type and maximum sales $ in the previous steps)
Click “Add Rule” next to the appropriate section
Add Global Rule adds a throttling rule for all locations
Add Local Rule adds a throttling rule for a specific location
Note: The Global Throttling Rules will only be available for configuration by users wtih Chain Admin access.
Order Throttling On 3PD
Order Throttling for 3rd Party Marketplaces are handled differently than online orders. When a 3rd Party Marketplace order is received by the Lunchbox Dashboard, and the throttling threshold has been met the order is not sent to the POS, nothing prints to the kitchen and the following occurs…
Step 1: Lunchbox will submit an updated time to the 3rd Party Marketplace.
Note: The 3rd Party Marketplace does NOT remove the timeslot off their site. The updated time that is sent occurs AFTER the order is sent from the 3rd Party Marketplace. This offers more control than before and helps avoid angry guests and drivers waiting for an order.
Step 2: The updated time is received by the 3rd Party Marketplace.
Step 3: The 3rd Party Marketplace updates the driver and the customer on the 3rd Party Portal of the pick up time adjustment (App) through a text or push notification. (Web) comes through an email.
What does it look like to the guest when an order is throttled?
Grubhub/Seamless: Sends the guest a text message.
Doordash/Caviar: Notifies via a push notification.
Doordash Drive: Notifies via a text message.
Ubereats/Postmates: Notifies via a push notification.
Step 4: If the provider is willing to accept the order - they'll resubmit and we'll have the order in our system.
Step 5: Order is sent to the kitchen and the food is prepared with the updated time.
Important Note: The updated time may sometimes be rejected by the provider. When this happens, the order is canceled by the provider and refunds/voids the transaction. The guest receives a cancellation email and text or push notification. The order is not re-submitted to Lunchbox. When this occurs there is no record of anything past the time not available. The order will not show in Lunchbox.
We update time based on… throttling & prep times
What does it look like to the guest when an order is cancelled?
Grubhub Seamless: Sends a text message & email.
Doordash/Caviar: Notifies via a push notification and email.
Doordash Drive: Notified via a text message.
Ubereats/Postmates: Notifies via a push notification & email.
