Menu Item Reservation
What It Does
Menu Item Reservation allows customers to pre-order and guarantee specific menu items before they are available for standard ordering. Instead of hoping a product is in stock when they arrive, customers reserve it in advance — selecting a pickup date, time slot, and completing payment upfront.
This feature is designed for situations where demand is predictable but supply is limited: seasonal campaigns, exclusive product launches, high-traffic events, or cultural moments where a specific meal has elevated significance.
Why It Exists
Some menu items — particularly limited-edition products or culturally significant meal sets — generate demand that far exceeds a restaurant's real-time fulfillment capacity. Without a reservation system:
- Customers arrive to find items sold out
- Restaurants are overwhelmed by unpredictable walk-in demand
- Marketing campaigns drive intent that the ordering system can't capture
Menu Item Reservation converts that demand into confirmed, scheduled orders — giving customers a guarantee and giving restaurants the visibility to prepare accurately.
How It Works
The reservation flow has four steps:
1. Browse → Customer discovers a reservable item (product page, homepage banner, promo)
2. Reserve → Customer selects pickup date and time slot, confirms quantity
3. Pay → Full or partial payment is taken upfront to hold the reservation
4. Collect → Customer arrives at the restaurant, presents reservation confirmation
Reservation Window
Each reservable item has a configured reservation window — the period during which pre-orders are open. Outside this window, the item appears as a standard menu product (if available) or is hidden entirely.
Time Slots
Restaurants are configured with available pickup time slots per day. Each slot has a capacity limit, preventing overbooking. Once a slot is full, customers are offered the next available time.
Payment
Pre-payment is required to confirm a reservation. This reduces no-shows and ensures the restaurant only prepares confirmed orders. Cancellation and refund policies are configured per market.
Configuration
Menu Item Reservation is enabled at the product level via Contentful (for web) and the market configuration layer. Operators can configure:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Reservation window | Open date and close date for pre-orders |
| Pickup dates | Which dates reservations are accepted for |
| Time slots | Available pickup windows and per-slot capacity |
| Deposit / full payment | Whether full payment or a deposit is charged at reservation |
| Cancellation policy | Whether customers can cancel and under what conditions |
| Max quantity per order | Limit on how many a single customer can reserve |
Platforms
| Platform | Support |
|---|---|
| iOS | ✅ |
| Android | ✅ |
| Web | ✅ |
Menu Item Reservation is a market-activated feature. Contact KFC Global Enablement and Market Success to enable it for your market and configure the reservation parameters.