Manage General Preparation Time

General Preparation Time helps you set a default wait or prep duration for all incoming orders—whether in-store, online, or via delivery channels. New businesses often leave this at 0, but once you start receiving orders, you can adjust it to reflect real-world kitchen or processing times.

Get Started

To access General Preparation Time, go to TechSuite management portal, then go to Manage Availability for your chosen branch. On the left side, you’ll see “General Prep Time”. If you’re new to the system, check out Manage Availability Page Overview for navigation tips.

What Is General Preparation Time?

This feature sets a universal baseline for how long orders typically take before they’re ready. For instance, if you run a coffee shop with an average 10-minute time for preparing orders, you can set it to 10 minutes so that all orders reflect that initial wait period. If your staff size grows or your average times drop, you can always reduce it.

Updating your prep time helps set accurate expectations for customers, preventing frustration if orders arrive too late or earlier than expected. It also allows your staff to pace their workflow effectively, reducing chaos during peak hours.

Edit General Preparation Time

To update your preparation time, click the Edit icon next to "General Prep Time." Then, enter the desired time in (e.g., 5, 10, 20 minutes) or a longer duration (e.g., 1 hour) if needed. Once saved, the new prep time will be applied to all future orders for this branch.

What’s Next?

If you regularly experience rush periods, consider using Busy Mode, to temporarily extend your preparation times. You can also explore Auto-Accept Orders to automatically accept incoming orders without manual intervention, helping you manage high volumes more efficiently.