---
title: How to take December holiday tray orders on your own checkout
date: 2026-10-25
updated: 2026-11-03
canonical: "https://oneshopfront.com/blog/holiday-catering-trays-own-checkout"
---
December tray orders are bigger and the deadlines are tighter. Here's how to take office, party, and family tray orders on your own checkout, with a lead time for each tray, a party bundle, clear cut-offs, pickup windows, and local delivery.

Category: For shop owners
Tags: catering, holiday orders, December, pickup, local delivery, own checkout, lead time, order note, countdown banner, bundles

![How to take December holiday tray orders on your own checkout](https://oneshopfront.com/storage/platform/posts/fv6LP2WeXZsS1mDshNFO81RHSOutQH69JeCDQBew.jpg)

December brings a different kind of order. Offices want trays for the last team lunch before the break. Families want food for a gathering without cooking every dish. Friends ask if you can do a platter for a holiday party or New Year's Eve.

Most shops can make the food. The hard part is the order itself. Someone has to know what was ordered, who paid, when it's ready, and whether it's pickup or delivery.

This post shows a simple way to run December tray orders through your own order link, with your own checkout, pickup windows, and local delivery.

## What does a busy December week look like?

The shop below is a fictional example. It is not a OneShopFront customer.

Picture a small bakery in Calgary that already sells sandwiches and cookie boxes. In early December, it gets three requests in one afternoon through Instagram messages:

1. An office wants two sandwich trays for its holiday lunch on December 18 at noon.
2. A condo board wants a dessert tray for its holiday party on the evening of December 20.
3. A family wants a breakfast tray to pick up on December 24.

Requests like these often end up spread across message threads, screenshots, and payment notes. A pickup time gets missed. A customer asks to swap an item after the kitchen has already prepped it.

With an online checkout on the shop's own site, each request becomes a real order. The order shows the items, the total, pickup or delivery, and a time window the kitchen can plan around. If the customer adds an order note at checkout, such as a room number or a name for the bag, the note shows on the order too.

The owner also sets a lead time for each tray on the tray's Inventory tab, in the lead time section. The sandwich tray and the breakfast tray need two days, so customers see "Needs 2 days notice" on the tray's page and in the cart. The dessert tray takes longer to decorate, so the owner sets it to three days. When a cart holds more than one tray, checkout offers only pickup or delivery dates that give the longest notice in the cart. Checkout also says which tray sets the earliest date.

For holiday parties, the owner adds a party bundle on the Bundle or box tab. The bundle holds one sandwich tray, one dessert tray, and a dozen cookies, and it sells at one price. The bundle page shows "Includes…" with what's inside, the value if bought separately, and how much the customer saves. Stock goes down for each item inside the bundle, so the tray counts stay right whether a tray sells alone or in the bundle. On the packing slip, the bundle shows "Contains: …" with each item, so the kitchen packs the right trays. For example, the condo board could order the party bundle for its December 20 party instead of choosing each tray.

## Why do December tray orders need more planning?

Holiday trays cost more than a weekday lunch, and the deadlines are tighter. If a tray is late, a whole party or family meal is affected.

That means the steps after the order matter as much as the menu:

- Customers order ahead, so the kitchen can plan prep instead of rushing.
- Pickup happens at a set counter or shelf, so trays leave cold and intact.
- Local delivery is offered only inside the delivery area you set.

Delivery apps can still bring you new customers. Many holiday tray orders, though, come from people who already know your shop. Those orders can go through your own link.

## When should you set cut-off dates?

Cut-off dates protect your kitchen. Post them in December's first week and repeat them on every channel.

Here is an example schedule you can adjust to your shop:

| Order by | For pickup or delivery on |
| --- | --- |
| December 11 | Office lunches and parties from December 15 to 19 |
| December 18 | Family pickups from December 22 to 24 |
| December 28 | New Year's Eve and New Year's Day trays (December 31 and January 1, if you're open) |

These dates are examples only. Choose dates that match your staff, your oven space, and the days you're closed.

You can also show the next date on your shop with the order-by countdown banner. It's an optional add-on, and it stays off until you turn it on. Set it to your next order-by date, for example December 11, so customers see how much time is left. When that date passes, set it to December 18, and then to December 28.

## What should you put on your holiday tray page?

Keep the page short and clear:

- Name each tray and say how many people it serves, for example "Office sandwich tray, serves 8 to 10".
- State the cut-off in plain words, for example "Order by December 18 for pickup December 22 to 24".
- Add allergens and substitution rules as short notes.
- Show how much notice each tray needs. The lead time you set on the tray's Inventory tab shows on its page, for example "Needs 2 days notice".
- Ask customers to use the order note at checkout for details like a room number or the name of the person picking up. A note can be up to 500 characters.
- Use a photo of the tray you actually pack, not a stock photo.

Then choose how orders leave your shop:

1. [Pickup with time slots](https://oneshopfront.com/pickup). The customer picks a window, and you stage trays labeled with their name.
2. Local delivery. OneShopFront delivers by default, for example with an Uber Direct courier (Uber Direct is a delivery service for businesses, separate from the Uber Eats app). Or your own team delivers, and you keep the delivery charge. If your team delivers, offer it only to addresses you can cover that week.

## How should you pack and hand off trays?

Customers who review takeout often mention cold or soggy food and slow pickup. Use those common complaints to plan your packing and handoff.

For trays:

- Pack wet and dry items separately when you can.
- Label each bag with the customer's name and pickup time.
- Pack from the packing slip. It shows the order note and what each bundle contains.
- Keep finished trays away from the lunch rush line.
- Confirm the pickup window in the order confirmation the customer receives.

Good packing is not a software feature. It is one reason customers come back next December.

## Where does OneShopFront fit?

OneShopFront gives local shops these tools for holiday trays:

- Your own customer checkout on your storefront
- [Pickup with time slots](https://oneshopfront.com/pickup)
- A lead time for each product, so customers can only pick pickup or local delivery dates that give you enough notice
- Party bundles at one price, with what's included and the value if bought separately
- An order note at checkout, of up to 500 characters
- An optional order-by countdown banner for your next cut-off date
- Local delivery in a delivery area you set. OneShopFront delivers by default, or your team delivers and you keep the delivery charge.
- Card payments through Stripe or Helcim, or Interac e-Transfer (Canada only)

Starter is $20 CAD a month or $200 a year, and Growth is $50 CAD a month or $500 a year. A platform fee, currently 1% per sale, applies to the merchandise subtotal after discounts, plus your payment processor's fee. For Stripe and Helcim payments, the platform fee is taken at checkout. For Interac e-Transfer orders, it is added to your monthly invoice. No card needed to sign up.

## What can you do this week?

1. Pick three trays you can reliably make in December, and set a lead time for each one.
2. Write the serving sizes and cut-off dates on one page, and set the countdown banner to your first cut-off.
3. If parties often order more than one tray, set up a party bundle.
4. Decide whether you'll offer pickup only, or pickup plus local delivery in a set area.
5. Put one order link on your Google Business Profile, your Instagram profile, and your counter.
6. To set up a storefront for holiday orders, [register for OneShopFront](https://oneshopfront.com/register). Plans and prices are listed above.

When tray orders arrive through one link with clear cut-offs, December prep is easier to plan.