Multiple Open Windows
One Window per Day
Some businesses work in separate blocks in a single day. A restaurant might take breakfast orders from 7 AM to 10 AM and dinner orders from 4 PM to 8 PM, with a gap in between.
OrderRules gives each day one open window. In Schedule, each day is Custom hours (one opening and one closing time), Open all day, or Closed all day. A Calendar special date also sets one window for its date, and replaces that day's weekly hours rather than adding a second window.
So OrderRules can't block checkout only during a midday gap. Here's what you can do instead.
Option 1: Set the Widest Window
Set one continuous window that covers both periods:
Open: 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM
This doesn't stop orders during the gap. Use it when a few orders placed in the gap are fine, because you fulfill them in the next service.
Option 2: Control the Fulfillment Window with Time Slots
Often the gap matters for fulfillment, not ordering. You don't mind an order placed at 2 PM, as long as it isn't collected or delivered then.
On the Advanced plan, add time slots to delivery or in-store pickup. Shoppers pick a slot, and you only offer slots in the windows you work:
Morning slots: 7:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Afternoon slots: 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM
No slots: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Each slot can carry its own cap ("Cap/day"), so a busy service can't take more than you can handle.
Two ways to handle split hours
| Approach | How | What it controls |
|---|---|---|
| One wide window | A single window in Schedule covering both periods | When orders can be placed, but not the gap |
| Time slots (Advanced) | Delivery or pickup slots only in your service windows | When orders are collected or delivered, with a cap per slot |
Customer Experience
During your open window, shoppers can check out. Outside it, they see your closed banner and checkout is blocked.
Use your closed message and product page copy to explain your services: "We take morning orders until 11 AM and afternoon orders from 3 PM."
Tips
- Keep your schedule simple when possible -- customers appreciate predictable hours
- If you use time slots, test on your storefront that only your service windows show
- Windows can run past midnight, for example 4:00 PM to 2:30 AM