Menu planners (District Admin users) create base menus for use in copying out to buildings and building groups. As base menus are created, planned servings are entered for each entrée, side, milk, and condiment and the software adds up the planned servings of entrees to provide a Total Feeding Figure for the day. The planned servings entered in the base menus for each item are the basis for the ratio of entrees, sides, milks, and condiments applied when copied into a particular building or buildings according to that *buildings' pre-entered estimated participation numbers for each meal session. If a building doesn't have a pre-entered estimated participation number, the menu will copy with the same ratios as planned by the menu planner on the base menu.
For example: If a base menu for a serving day has a total feeding figure of 100 and the planned number of each menu item is:
- Turkey sandwich - 45 planned servings
- Chicken drumettes with chips - 55 planned servings
- Celery sticks - 35 planned servings
- Baby carrots - 40 planned servings
- Grapes - 75 planned servings
- Orange juice - 35 planned servings
- 1% white - 40 planned servings
- FF chocolate - 50 planned servings
- Ranch cup - 95 planned servings
And this base menu is copied into a building with a pre-entered participation number for lunch of 400, then the following number of each menu item will appear based on the ratios described in the base menu above:
- Turkey sandwich - 180 planned servings (45% x 400)
- Chicken drumettes with chips - 220 planned servings (55% x 400)
- Celery sticks - 140 planned servings (35% x 400)
- Baby carrots - 160 planned servings (40% x 400)
- Grapes - 300 planned servings (75% x 400)
- Orange juice - 140 planned servings (35% x 400)
- 1% white - 160 planned servings (40% x 400)
- FF chocolate - 200 planned servings (50% x 400)
- Ranch cup - 380 planned servings (95% x 400)
The purpose of this functionality to streamline the process for building managers when editing planned numbers. The software is applying logic which provides a close estimate of the number of each item on a menu that a manager is planning to serve at a particular building. Building managers will have the ability to edit the planned numbers based on their buildings actual needs.
*Participation numbers are entered during district and building setup. If you are wondering if you're district's building participation numbers have been entered so they can be applied when copying out base menus into the menu calendar, please speak with your inTEAM representative.