Tomer Molovinsky demos Per Diem's Capacity Management feature, which prevents kitchen overload by automatically throttling orders and extending prep times during demand spikes. You can set thresholds by order volume, items, or dollar amount, apply rules to specific hours or locations, and manually trigger Instant Busy Mode to show longer wait times at checkout instead of blocking orders outright.
When demand spikes, your kitchen feels it first. Capacity Management is how Per Diem protects your team during the rush, letting you control order volume, extend prep times automatically, and keep service quality high even when the orders pour in. Here's how it helps. First, it prevents kitchen overload. Per Diem can automatically throttle incoming orders the moment you hit a volume threshold. A number of orders, a number of items, or a dollar amount within a time window. Second, it extends prep times dynamically. Instead of shutting orders off completely, you add 15, 30, or 60 minutes to prep when a threshold triggers, giving your team breathing room while you keep taking orders. Third, it targets specific hours and categories. Run different rules for the lunch rush, for weekend brunch, or for high-prep items like catering. And fourth, you always have a manual override. Activate Instant Busy Mode anytime with one click, a 15-minute, 30-minute, or 1-hour extension. So what does the customer experience? When a capacity rule kicks in, they simply see a longer prep time at checkout, or if you choose to block them, certain time slots become unavailable. It all happens behind the scenes. No error messages, no confusing blocks, just the next available slot that fits your updated prep time. Setting it up? You'll find everything under Operations, Order Placement, Order Throttling. For Instant Busy Mode, it's 4 quick steps. Toggle Busy Mode on, select your duration—15 minutes, 30, or an hour. Pick your locations, and save. For recurring capacity rules , you build a rule: 1. Create it and give it a name, like "Saturday Brunch Throttle." 2. Choose your target locations and categories, or leave them blank to apply everywhere. 3. Add one or more time slots. Set the days of the week, the start and end time, and your interval size. 15, 30, or 60-minute buckets. 4. Set your capacity thresholds: max orders, max items, or max dollar amount per interval. You need at least one. 5. Define the busy time extension that applies when a threshold is breached. 6. And optionally, set the rule to block all future time slots once a threshold is met. Then save. You can run multiple rules at once, and the most restrictive one always wins. That's capacity management—automatic protection for your kitchen, so a busy day never turns into a broken one. Link below to see it live.
