Prep time: how to promise a realistic ETA and reduce delays
Too optimistic an ETA leads to angry customers and bad reviews. See how to measure your real prep time, promise an honest window, and cut down on delays.
In delivery, the time you promise becomes the customer's expectation. Promised 30 minutes and delivered in 60? Angry customer and a low rating — even if the food is great. The good news: timing is management, not luck. Here's how to get it right.
Why the ETA matters so much
Satisfaction in delivery is the gap between what you promised and what you delivered. An honest window, even a longer one, makes the customer happier than a short one you don't meet.
Measure your real time
Stop guessing. For a week, log the end-to-end time at different hours:
- Prep: from accepting the order to it being ready.
- Queue: how long it waits when several orders pile up.
- Delivery: from "out for delivery" to "delivered."
The realistic sum of the three is your ETA — not the best-case scenario of a slow day.
Under-promise, over-deliver
Promise with a buffer. If your real time is 40 minutes, promise 50. Delivering early becomes a positive experience; delivering late becomes a complaint. The buffer is your insurance against the unexpected.
Adjust by time and peak
The classic mistake is using the same ETA all day. During the rush (Friday night, lunch), raise the ETA automatically. A customer told it will take a bit longer accepts it; a surprised customer complains.
Attack the bottlenecks
- An item that takes forever and jams the kitchen? Reassess it or prep part of it ahead.
- Kitchen and delivery out of sync? Match the prep to the rider's departure.
- Peak catching you off guard? Staff up for the hours you already know fill up.
Communicate the status
Half of the customer's anxiety disappears when they know what's happening: "order confirmed," "being prepared," "out for delivery." Communication reduces the perception of delay — and the number of "where's my order?" messages.
How Quickap helps
In Quickap, the AI confirms the order and reports the status over WhatsApp, and the dashboard organizes the queue so the kitchen sees everything in one place. Fewer delays, fewer customers asking, more good reviews.
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