Description
WooCommerce Plugin
Pickup/Delivery Time Slot Throttle
Bakery opens online ordering 6 AM. Accepts pickup orders all day. Sets daily limit. Seems reasonable. 100 orders maximum per day. Operating hours 9 AM to 5 PM. Problem emerges immediately. 6:01 AM. Customer places order. Pickup time 9:00 AM. Convenient. Gets there first. 6:03 AM. Another customer. Also picks 9:00 AM. Earliest available. Makes sense. 6:10 AM. Twenty more orders. All select 9:00 AM pickup. First available time slot. Natural customer behavior. Nobody wants to wait. Everyone picks earliest option. 8:30 AM. 67 orders scheduled for 9:00 AM pickup. Staff arrives. Checks system. Realizes disaster. Cannot process 67 orders simultaneously. Physical impossibility. Have three staff members. Can handle 5 customers every 15 minutes. Total capacity 9:00-9:15 is 5 pickups. Have 67 scheduled. Math failure catastrophic. Customers arrive at 9:00. Expect their orders ready. Line forms out door. Wait time exceeds hour. Angry customers. Bad reviews. Lost business. Staff overwhelmed. Complete chaos. Problem is daily limit. Allows unlimited orders per time interval. All cluster at opening. Plugin needed. One that prevents interval overload. One that distributes orders throughout day. One that throttles per time window. Enter Slot Throttle. Configure 15-minute intervals. Set maximum 5 orders per interval. System blocks interval when limit reached. 9:00-9:15 accepts 5 orders then closes. Forces customers to 9:15-9:30. Then 9:30-9:45. Distributes load evenly. Prevents clustering. Staff handles steady stream. Never overwhelmed. Customers get accurate wait times. Everyone happy. Pure interval logic.
15-Minute Intervals
Per-Slot Throttling
Real-time Blocking
Pickup & Delivery
The daily limit disaster
Restaurant adds online ordering. Customers love convenience. Orders surge immediately. Configure delivery plugin. Set daily maximum. 200 deliveries per day. Seems conservative. Restaurant can handle it. Kitchen capacity unlimited. Wrong assumption. Capacity limited by time. Not by quantity. Monday launches. 6 AM ordering opens. Customer 1 places order. Selects 6:00 PM delivery. After work. Convenient. Customer 2 orders. Also 6:00 PM. Same logic. Customer 3 through 47. All select 6:00 PM. Peak dinner time. Everyone wants delivery same hour. System accepts all. No throttling mechanism. Daily limit nowhere near reached. 5:30 PM arrives. Kitchen checks orders. 47 deliveries scheduled for 6:00 PM. Have 4 delivery drivers. Each can handle 3 deliveries per hour maximum. Total capacity 12 deliveries per hour. Scheduled 47. Math impossible. Start calling customers. Apologizing. Pushing deliveries to 7 PM. Then 8 PM. Then 9 PM. Customer who ordered 6 AM gets delivery 9:30 PM. Furious. Expected 6 PM. Waited all day. Food cold. Experience ruined. Leaves one-star review. Restaurant learns hard lesson. Daily limits worthless. Need hourly throttling. Better yet. Need interval throttling. Slot Throttle solves this completely. Configure 30-minute delivery intervals. 6:00-6:30 PM. 6:30-7:00 PM. 7:00-7:30 PM. Set maximum 6 deliveries per interval. Matches driver capacity exactly. System blocks interval when 6 orders reached. Forces customers to later slots. Distributes load naturally. Kitchen never overwhelmed. Drivers never overloaded. Customers get accurate delivery windows. Expectations met perfectly. Restaurant reputation saved.
Granular Time Intervals
Configure 15, 30, 60, or 120-minute time intervals. Not daily limits. Not hourly limits. Precise interval control. Bakery needs 15-minute pickup slots. Restaurant needs 30-minute delivery windows. Meal prep needs 2-hour assembly blocks. Every business different. Plugin adapts perfectly.
Per-Slot Order Limits
Set maximum orders per time interval. System counts orders for each slot. Blocks slot when maximum reached. 9:00-9:15 AM accepts 5 pickups then closes. Customers must choose later slot. Prevents clustering. Distributes workload evenly. Staff never overwhelmed during any interval.
Pickup & Delivery Separate
Independent settings for pickup and delivery. Different intervals. Different maximums. Different operating hours. Pickup might use 15-minute slots. Delivery uses 60-minute windows. Pickup 8 AM to 8 PM. Delivery 11 AM to 7 PM. Complete flexibility. Perfect customization.
Visual Availability
Customers see exact availability per slot. Shows “5 of 10 available” for each interval. Visual utilization bars indicate fullness. Transparency builds trust. Customers make informed decisions. Reduces support questions. Professional presentation.
The hour-long bottleneck
Coffee shop adds online ordering. Offers pickup during business hours. 7 AM to 7 PM daily. Sets up ordering system. No time slot limits. Customers can order anytime. Pick up anytime. Seems flexible. Seems customer-friendly. Reality strikes Wednesday morning. Advertising campaign launches. Local radio mentions coffee shop. Offers special promotion. Free pastry with coffee. Campaign successful. Too successful. 9:00 AM hits. 43 online orders arrive. All within 10 minutes. All request 10:00 AM pickup. Rush hour crowd. Before work. Makes sense. Problem is capacity. Shop has 2 baristas. Can make 8 drinks every 15 minutes maximum. Total hourly capacity 32 drinks. Scheduled 43 for 10:00 AM pickup alone. Plus walk-in customers. Plus regular morning rush. Kitchen completely overwhelmed. 9:50 AM. Line already forming. Online pickup customers arriving early. Want their orders. Orders not started yet. Still making drinks for 9:30 customers. 10:00 AM disaster. 43 online customers present. 20 walk-ins also waiting. 2 baristas frantically working. Average wait time hits 45 minutes. Customers complain loudly. Some leave. Demand refunds. Post angry reviews. One-star ratings flood in. Coffee shop owner realizes mistake. Daily limits useless. Hourly limits better. But still insufficient. Real bottleneck is 15-minute intervals. Solution is Slot Throttle. Configure 15-minute pickup intervals. 9:45-10:00. 10:00-10:15. 10:15-10:30. Set maximum 8 orders per interval. Matches barista capacity exactly. System blocks interval when 8 orders booked. 10:00-10:15 fills. System shows 10:15-10:30 available. Customers pick later slots. Orders distribute naturally throughout hour. Baristas handle steady stream. Never overwhelmed. Customers get accurate pickup times. Wait times minimal. Everyone happy. Problem solved permanently.
Daily limits: All orders cluster at opening time
Set 100 orders per day maximum. Ordering opens 6 AM. All customers pick earliest available time. First 67 orders select 9:00 AM pickup. System accepts all. Daily limit not reached. But 9:00 AM physically impossible. Staff cannot process 67 simultaneous pickups. Customers wait hour plus. Angry. System failed to prevent clustering. Daily limit metric wrong tool.
Hourly limits: Still allows interval bottlenecks
Better than daily. Set 20 orders per hour. But customers still cluster. Everyone picks first 15 minutes of hour. 10:00-10:15 gets 15 orders. 10:15-10:30 gets 3 orders. 10:30-10:45 gets 2 orders. Uneven distribution. Staff overwhelmed first interval. Idle remaining intervals. Hourly limit insufficient. Need interval precision.
Slot Throttle: Precise interval control with automatic distribution
Configure 15-minute intervals. Set maximum 8 orders per interval. Matches staff capacity exactly. 10:00-10:15 accepts 8 orders then blocks. Customers must choose 10:15-10:30. Then 10:30-10:45. System distributes load automatically. No clustering possible. Staff handles consistent stream. Never overwhelmed. Never idle. Perfect capacity utilization. Customers get accurate wait times. Expectations met every time. Complete solution.
📊 Real Throttling Comparison: Saturday Bakery Pickup
Daily Limit Plugin: Clustering disaster
Saturday limit 150 orders. Ordering opens 6 AM. By 6:30 AM have 89 orders. Check pickup times. 76 orders selected 9:00 AM. 8 orders selected 9:30 AM. 5 orders selected 10:00 AM. Massive clustering at opening. Shop has 4 staff. Can handle 12 pickups every 30 minutes. 9:00-9:30 capacity is 12 customers. Have 76 scheduled. Impossible. Customers arrive 9:00. Wait exceeds 90 minutes. Complaints everywhere. Staff crying. Owner panicking. Daily limit allowed disaster. Prevented nothing.
Slot Throttle: Perfect distribution
Configure 30-minute pickup intervals. Set maximum 12 orders per interval. Matches staff capacity perfectly. Saturday morning unfolds smoothly. 9:00-9:30 accepts 12 orders then blocks. System automatically shows 9:30-10:00 as next option. Accepts 12 orders. Blocks. Shows 10:00-10:30. Pattern continues all day. Orders distributed evenly across intervals. No clustering possible. 9:00 AM arrives. Exactly 12 customers present. Staff handles them calmly. All customers served within 20 minutes. Next interval 9:30. Another 12 customers. Same smooth process. Entire day runs perfectly. Staff never overwhelmed. Customers never waiting. Mathematical precision. Complete success.
⏰ Interval Precision Example
Without throttling: 10:00 AM gets 47 orders. 10:30 AM gets 3 orders. 11:00 AM gets 2 orders. Unbalanced. Chaos at 10:00. Staff idle at 11:00. Terrible experience.
With 30-minute throttle (max 8): 10:00-10:30 accepts 8 orders then blocks. 10:30-11:00 accepts 8 orders. 11:00-11:30 accepts 8 orders. Even distribution. Consistent workload. Perfect capacity match.
Result: Staff handles steady 8 customers every 30 minutes all day. Never overwhelmed. Never idle. Customers get accurate pickup windows. No surprises. No waiting. Professional operation.
Complete feature set
Granular time interval throttling with separate pickup and delivery controls. Prevents order clustering and distributes workload evenly throughout operating hours.
⏱️ Time Interval Options
• 15-minute intervals
• 30-minute intervals
• 60-minute intervals
• 120-minute intervals
• Configurable per type
• Pickup different from delivery
• Precise capacity control
• Matches operational reality
🚫 Automatic Slot Blocking
• Real-time order counting
• Blocks when max reached
• Updates availability instantly
• Prevents overbooking
• Distributes load naturally
• No manual intervention
• Works 24/7 automatically
• Zero admin work required
🔄 Pickup & Delivery Control
• Separate pickup settings
• Separate delivery settings
• Independent intervals
• Independent maximums
• Independent hours
• Enable one or both
• Complete flexibility
• Perfect customization
📅 Operating Hours Config
• Set start time
• Set end time
• Different per type
• Pickup 8 AM to 8 PM
• Delivery 11 AM to 7 PM
• Slots auto-generate
• 14 days advance booking
• Zero manual slot creation
📊 Customer Experience
• Visual slot selector
• Availability display
• “5 of 10 available”
• Utilization bars
• Color indicators
• Mobile responsive
• Theme color inheritance
• Professional presentation
⚙️ System Features
• Custom database table
• Order metadata storage
• Auto slot release on cancel
• Admin settings page
• WooCommerce integration
• Checkout validation
• PHP 8.2+ compatible
• Production-grade code
Perfect for
Bakeries & Cake Shops
Custom cake decorating takes time. Cannot frost 50 cakes simultaneously. Need 15-minute intervals. Max 3 custom orders per interval. Matches decorator capacity. Prevents clustering. Distributes orders throughout day. Staff never overwhelmed.
Restaurants & Food Services
Kitchen prep takes time. Cannot make 40 orders at once. Need 30-minute delivery windows. Max 8 orders per window. Matches kitchen capacity. Prevents dinner rush overload. Smooth operation all evening.
Coffee Shops
Baristas handle limited drinks per interval. Morning rush critical. Need 15-minute slots. Max 10 drinks per slot. Prevents 9 AM disaster. Distributes morning orders. Customers get accurate pickup times.
Meal Prep Services
Assembly line capacity fixed. Can pack 12 meals every hour. Need 60-minute intervals. Max 12 orders per hour. Matches production capacity perfectly. Prevents overload. Ensures quality control.
Common use cases
Use Case 1: Saturday bakery pickup rush
Configure 15-minute pickup slots. Operating hours 8 AM to 6 PM. Set max 5 pickups per 15-minute interval. Saturday opens. 8:00-8:15 accepts 5 orders then blocks. 8:15-8:30 accepts 5 more. 8:30-8:45 accepts 5 more. Pattern continues all day. Orders distributed perfectly. Staff handles consistent 5 customers every 15 minutes. Zero clustering. Zero chaos. Professional operation.
Use Case 2: Restaurant dinner delivery
Configure 30-minute delivery windows. Hours 5 PM to 9 PM. Max 8 orders per window. Dinner rush begins. 6:00-6:30 PM fills with 8 orders. Blocks. System shows 6:30-7:00 available. Fills. Shows 7:00-7:30. Kitchen handles steady 8 orders every 30 minutes. Never overwhelmed. Drivers have reasonable routes. Customers get accurate delivery windows. Smooth dinner service.
Use Case 3: Coffee shop morning throttling
Morning rush critical. Configure 15-minute pickup intervals. 7 AM to 11 AM. Max 10 drinks per interval. Pre-work crowd hits. 8:45-9:00 fills. 9:00-9:15 fills. 9:15-9:30 available. Orders spread across morning. Baristas maintain quality. Customers get drinks hot and fresh. No 45-minute wait disasters.
Use Case 4: Cancellation handling
Friday 3:00-3:30 PM delivery slot full. 8 orders maximum reached. System blocking new orders. Customer cancels order 2:00 PM. System automatically releases slot. Friday 3:00-3:30 now shows 7 of 8 filled. New customer can book. Automatic capacity management. Zero manual intervention.
🚀 Setup Process
Step 1: Install plugin (WooCommerce required)
Step 2: Go to WooCommerce > Time Slot Throttle
Step 3: Enable pickup and/or delivery slots
Step 4: Set interval duration (15, 30, 60, 120 minutes)
Step 5: Set max orders per interval
Step 6: Configure operating hours
Step 7: Slot selector appears on checkout automatically
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from daily/hourly limits?
Daily limits allow unlimited clustering within day. Hourly limits better but still permit interval bottlenecks. This plugin throttles by precise intervals. 15, 30, 60, or 120 minutes. Prevents clustering completely. Distributes load throughout operating hours. Matches actual operational capacity.
Can pickup and delivery have different settings?
Yes. Completely independent. Pickup might use 15-minute intervals. Delivery uses 30-minute windows. Pickup max 8 orders per slot. Delivery max 6 orders. Pickup 7 AM to 7 PM. Delivery 11 AM to 8 PM. Complete flexibility.
What happens when slot fills up?
Slot automatically disappears from customer options. Cannot be selected. System shows next available slots. Visual indicators show remaining capacity before blocking. Customers see “3 of 10 available” and can choose earlier slot before it fills.
Do cancelled orders free up slots?
Yes. Automatic. When order cancelled, refunded, or fails, slot immediately releases. Becomes available for new bookings. No manual intervention required. System handles everything automatically.
Can I use custom interval lengths?
Current version supports 15, 30, 60, and 120-minute intervals. These cover vast majority of use cases. Custom intervals can be added if demand exists. Most businesses find 30-minute intervals optimal.
Does this work with my theme?
Yes. Uses currentColor for styling. Inherits theme colors automatically. Compatible with all properly coded WooCommerce themes. Tested with Astra, Divi, Flatsome, Storefront. Mobile responsive. Works all devices.
Can customers see slot availability?
Yes. Each slot shows remaining capacity. “5 of 10 available” displayed clearly. Visual utilization bars indicate fullness. Color changes as slot fills. Transparency helps customers choose optimal time. Reduces support questions.
Is there really no subscription?
Correct. One-time purchase. Lifetime updates. No renewal fees. Plugin never expires. Use indefinitely. Fair pricing model. Better than monthly SaaS. Simple honest business.
Technical requirements
WordPress
6.0 or higher
WooCommerce
8.0 or higher
PHP
8.2 or higher
Browser
Modern browser with JavaScript enabled
