Fresh pasta shop: how to organise Christmas orders without losing your mind

For a fresh pasta shop, December is worth two or three normal months. The problem isn't the amount of work: you're prepared for that. The problem is that orders arrive from every direction, in person, by phone, in a notebook, and on 23 December you find yourself with a queue outside and a few orders written down wrong.

This guide helps you organise the holidays starting in October, when there's still time to do it calmly.

1. Decide when to open orders

Opening too early means orders that later change; too late means a phone ringing non-stop in mid-December. For many pasta shops the right moment is the second half of November. Choose a date and announce it: "From 20 November you can order your Christmas pasta".

2. Do the maths on your capacity

Before opening, estimate how many orders you'll receive, looking at last year, and how many collection days you offer. Then divide by the time slots. The result tells you how many orders you can accept every half hour without creating a queue.

3. Set a limit per day and per slot

Everyone wants 23 and 24 December. If you don't set a limit, you end up with twice the orders on the last two days and the first ones almost empty. With a limit per day, when the 23rd is full the customer chooses the 22nd, without having to call and ask.

Early collection works well for fresh pasta: it keeps in the fridge or can be frozen, and you can say so clearly on the product page.

4. Prepare a short holiday catalogue

At Christmas you don't need to put everything you make during the year online. A shorter catalogue, with the holiday products and the sauces, makes orders simpler and production tidier.

• Price per kilo for fresh and filled pasta.
• Minimum quantity, for example 250 or 500 grams, to avoid 100-gram orders.
• Products priced per item for sauces, lasagne and jars.
• Allergens clearly shown: eggs, gluten, milk, tree nuts in the fillings.

5. Get everything in writing

An order written down with weights, day and collection slot removes most mistakes. The customer puts it together from the catalogue, and you receive it on WhatsApp already in order.

6. Turn orders into a production list

Every morning you need just one thing: to know how much to make for the next day's collections. If the orders are written and tidy, the total per product takes a moment.

7. Prepare collection like a production line

• Pack the orders the day before, with a label showing name, slot and total.
• Arrange the packs by time slot, not in alphabetical order.
• Have one person dedicated only to handing over orders, separate from whoever serves at the counter.
• For the largest orders, consider a deposit at the time of ordering: it reduces forgotten collections.

8. Let customers know, before and after

A message to your regulars a few days before orders open, only to those who have given consent, is worth more than any sign. And after the holidays a thank-you message, perhaps with January's product, brings back into the shop those who only came by for Christmas.

9. Decide the rules for changes and cancellations

In December orders change: an extra guest arrives, dinner moves to a relative's house. If you don't have clear rules, every change becomes a phone call. Write them in the catalogue, under the products:

• Changes up to 48 hours before collection, by replying to the confirmation message.
• After that, additions only, if products are still available.
• Cancellations by a specific date, for example 18 December.
• Uncollected orders: say how late you stay open and what happens afterwards.

10. Prepare the messages in advance

In December you won't have time to write calmly. In October, prepare the three messages you'll need.

For the opening of orders, to customers who have given consent:

🎄 From tomorrow you can order your Christmas pasta! Agnolotti del plin, tajarin, ravioli di magro and our sauces. Choose your collection day from 20 to 24 December: places for the 23rd go quickly. [link]

As an order confirmation:

Thank you Giovanna, your order is confirmed for Monday 22 at 10:00. You can change it until Saturday by replying to this message.

In January, to bring back those who only came by for the holidays:

Thank you for choosing our pasta for Christmas! In January the pumpkin ravioli are back, on Fridays only. We look forward to seeing you.

Mistakes to avoid

• Accepting every order for the 23rd and 24th: it's the main cause of queues and mistakes.
• Products with no minimum quantity: a hundred 200-gram orders take the same work as a hundred one-kilo orders.
• The notebook alongside the online system: all orders, including those taken at the counter, go in the same place.
• No rule on changes: without a deadline, changes arrive right up to the evening before.

The calendar in brief

How to do it with NovaMenu

With NovaMenu you publish your catalogue with prices per kilo, receive orders on WhatsApp with a collection day and slot, set a limit for each day and let your regulars know. See the page for fresh pasta shops or book a demo before November arrives.