Load Balancing

During busy service periods, load balancing can simplify the management of incoming orders by helping to avoid overloading at a single station. Orders can be dispersed across multiple stations evenly. This optional feature can be configured in routing rules, applied to specific channels, and controlled from the Kitchen iQ onsite screen menu.

Load balancing rules will accompany existing routing rules, matching will occur by setting a ‘Primary Station’ identical to an existing routing rules ‘To Station’. Once the rule is configured, access can be granted to the site-level from the Channel settings. Site-level users can then manually control Load Balancing from the screen menu, enabling and disabling rules when required. When enabled, incoming orders will reach their defined routing rule ‘To Station’ and be distributed evenly in a round robin process between primary and secondary stations, defined in the load balancing rule.

Adding New Load Balancing Rules

Load balancing rules are managed in the routing rules tab

Follow these steps to add a new load balancing rule:

Click Add
Enter the following details, Rule Name | select the Primary Station and Secondary Station

One or more Secondary Stations can be added to control more load balancing across stations
Adjust the rule order as required with the up / down arrow buttons
Click Save

Routing Rules with Filter conditions can match and function with Load Balancing

Load Balancing will ignore Routing Rules with the following conditions:

"To Station" has multiple Entry Points
"To Station" is an Exit Point
Split Stations, Split Items, Split Tickets and / or Station Dish Allocation are configured

Load balancing rules are assigned within Channel configuration - a channel can be configured to have multiple rules applied, allowing onsite users to swap to the rule on screen as required

Routing Rules

For more information on routing rules view the help topics here.

Field Settings & Information

Load Balancing

Load balancing enables the distribution of orders between stations during busy periods.

The following table of information describes each of the load balancing fields:

Field	Description
Rule Name	Input to define the title of the load balancing rule, the name is used when applying to a channel and will be displayed on the screen menu, allowing onsite users to enable it
Primary Station	Drop down to define a station that will match the load balancing rule to an existing routing rule. The primary station should be identical to a routing rules ‘To Station', incoming orders routed to this station can then be distributed by load balancing. This will be the first Station that an incoming order will be distributed to, followed by secondary stations
Secondary Station	Drop down to define the stations where additional orders will be distributed, multiple can be applied Additional orders will be sent to secondary stations after the initial order is sent to the primary station. When an order is sent to the final secondary station listed in the load balancing rule, the next order is assigned to the primary station and the distribution cycle continues

Field

Description

Rule Name

Input to define the title of the load balancing rule, the name is used when applying to a channel and will be displayed on the screen menu, allowing onsite users to enable it

Primary Station

Drop down to define a station that will match the load balancing rule to an existing routing rule.

The primary station should be identical to a routing rules ‘To Station', incoming orders routed to this station can then be distributed by load balancing. This will be the first Station that an incoming order will be distributed to, followed by secondary stations

Secondary Station

Drop down to define the stations where additional orders will be distributed, multiple can be applied

Additional orders will be sent to secondary stations after the initial order is sent to the primary station. When an order is sent to the final secondary station listed in the load balancing rule, the next order is assigned to the primary station and the distribution cycle continues