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FAQs: MealSuite Portal App

Kevin U
  • Updated

Accessing the Portal App

Where can I download the app?

The MealSuite Portal app is available to download from the Apple Store and the Google Play Store 

Can I access the Portal app through a web browser?

Yes; you can access the Portal app through a web browser via the following link: https://portal.mealsuite.com. 

Accessing the Portal app through a browser allows it to be displayed on a larger device that anyone in your community can access. 

A user (resident) is receiving a 403 error when attempting to log in to the Portal app? A user cannot sign in?

In scenarios in which a 403 error is returned, and you are sure that the Portal app is configured correctly, and the diner profile has a PIN and is not archived in the Core system, contact MealSuite Support to investigate the issue.

For MealSuite Support: It could be that the residence area was created after the Portal configuration was completed. Therefore, disable the residence area and then re-enable it; click here for more information. 

Logging in for first time

When a Portal app user logs in for the first time, they will be prompted for their location code. Depending on the account's system domain, a prefix may have to be entered in front of the location code: 

  • Synergy domain - preface the location code with "C". For example, C12345.
  • dineOS domain - preface the location code with "US". For, example, US12345.
  • Revera domain - preface the location code with "R". For example, R12345.  
  • MealSuite domain - no prefix is required; enter the facility code as is. For example, 12345. 

Can residents create their own custom PIN codes so they are easier to remember?

Yes. See Allowing a Resident to Create Their Own PIN.

Where can I find the resident's current PIN?

The current PIN for a resident can be seen in the Portal PIN Code field of the POS diner profile. A POS diner profile is accessed via the Touch Admin software; see Opening a POS Diner Profile. 

What if a resident forgets their PIN?

The current PIN for a resident can be retrieved from their POS diner profile; see Opening a POS Diner Profile. The PIN is located in the Portal PIN Code field.

If required to reset the PIN for a resident, then this can be done by creating a new PIN for a resident (see Creating a New PIN for a Resident) or having the resident create their own PIN (see Allowing a Resident to Create Their Own PIN).

Placing Orders Through the App

What menu items are available to order?

At this time, only menu items of the regular diet type and regular texture type are available to order. Extended substitute items are not available to order, nor are any personal menu customizations (e.g., personal menu items or substitutes). 

Can products that I manually create in Touch Admin be ordered in the Portal App?

Yes. Products that you manually create in Touch Admin can be ordered in the Portal App. If you are not seeing the product available to order in the Portal App, refer to the following article: Troubleshooting Why a Product/Service is Not Appearing on the POS.

If a product is configured to be automatically added when a meal plan is used, will that product be automatically added if the Portal app is used?

No. A product configured to be automatically added when a meal plan is used only appears on POS locations (dining room, quick service, and self-service kiosk), and not the Portal app. 

If a product is configured to be a stand-alone product on a POS grid, will that product appear in the Portal app?

No. A product that is configured to be a stand-alone product on a POS grid will not appear in the Portal app. A product will appear on the Portal app via the category it is assigned to (i.e., the category must be a tile on the POS grid). 

How do you set up modifiers on the Portal app?

A modifier grid is not available on the Portal app. However, modifier prompts (i.e., forced modifiers) are available on the Portal app. 

Because modifier prompts are created via the POS Manager module, and the POS Manager module is not available from the Portal app, you must therefore create the modifier prompts via the POS Manager module on either the POS dining room location or POS quick service location (see Creating Modifier Prompts (aka Forced Modifiers) ).

When placing an order and there are multiple dining locations to order from, do you select the dining location before you choose the date, meal and time?

Yes; there is an option for the resident to select the dining location before ordering.

Can users make modifications to an existing order?

No. An order, once placed, cannot be modified. However, an order can be cancelled, and a new order made. 

What happens when a paid order is never picked up or missed for delivery? 

It will remain on the To Go Orders screen until the POS operator closes the ticket. 

How long before changes that I make to my menu are seen in the Portal app?

Changes that you make to a menu will trigger to the Portal app when the menu is closed.

After closing the menu, it should not take more than 20 minutes for the change to be reflected. 

To "force" the changes to be applied before the 20-minute mark, please contact MealSuite support for them to manually trigger the update. 

Note that if menu items are changed (in the core system), no notification is sent to the Portal app to indicate menu item changes. 

What if a menu item or product is removed after an order is placed from the Portal app? 

If a menu item or product is removed between the time the order is placed and when it is picked up/delivered, there is no any proactive alert at this point. Staff will be required to notify the customer if there is a change in availability of their items and offer to change their order or issue a refund.

When viewing the shopping cart of items, an item with modifiers does not have the quantity adjustment tool (i.e., portion size modifier). Why is that?

At this time, an item with modifiers does not present with the quantity adjustment tool. If a user wants to add more than one of the item, they will have to exit the shopping cart (by tapping X at the top left corner), and then tap the Add button of the item.  

portion_size_adjustment.png

Payments

How is payment handled?

For pickup orders, items covered by meal plans are automatically covered. Remaining items can be charged to the room or paid for upon pickup via the payment tender types supported for the POS station (cash, credit, gift card). Note that if your facility uses Stripe as its payment service provider, then residents can pay for their orders with their credit card number in the Portal app. 

For delivery orders, items covered by meal plans are automatically covered. Remaining items are charged to the room. 

Note the Portal app can be configured to allow/disallow the following tender types: bill to room, meal plan, and pay at pickup. Reach out to MealSuite Support to allow/disallow the tender types as needed. If you are MealSuite Support, see the following internal article: Configuring the Portal App for POS Orders (INTERNAL).

If taking a paid pickup or delivery order over phone, can the resident provide a credit card number for manual entry?

For a Lane/3000 or iPP320 PIN Pad, yes. 

To allow credit card numbers to be manually entered on a Stripe reader, please reach out to MealSuite Support. If you are MealSuite Support, please enable the option Allow manual card transactions on pin-pad when permitted in the POS Location settings. 

Once the option has been enabled, the means to manually enter a credit card number in a Stripe reader is as follows: 

  1. After selecting Credit Card as the payment option, select the Manual Credit Card Entry check box, and select the Stripe Payment terminal. 
     
  2. Tap Make Payment, and the Stripe Credit Card Transaction window appear for you to enter the credit card number and other details. 

    stripe_manual_CC2.png

    stripe_manual_CC.png

Note: When manually entering a credit card number, the Stripe transaction fee will be higher than when made with the physical card. See the following Stripe proprietary article for more information: https://stripe.com/en-ca/resources/more/what-are-card-not-present-transactions#cnp-transaction-processing-fees-and-costs. 

Can residents add to their meal plan funds through the app?

No; just view their balance, history, and reset date.

Configuring the Portal App

Can individual items be hidden (i.e., removed) to prevent them from being ordered?

There is no means to hide/remove individual items from the Portal app.

However, you can configure the Portal app to hide a category, which will therefore hide the assigned items in that category from view. Hiding a category from view hides it from all meal periods (breakfast, lunch, dinner) to which that category is assigned. You cannot hide a category specific to a meal period. 

To hide a category from view in the Portal app, see Hiding a Category from the Portal App.

Can meal periods (breakfast, lunch, dinner) be hidden (i.e., removed) from the Portal app?

There is no means to hide/remove a specific meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner) from the Portal app. 

Are order times required (i.e., service interval increments or "waves")?

Yes; this is required for to be able to schedule orders for future days or meals. Contact MealSuite Support for any changes you may need to your service interval increments. If you are MealSuite Support, see the following article on setting service interval increments: Entering Service Interval Increments (i.e., Waves) for a Dining Area.

The Portal app is being used to place non-paid orders in advance (i.e., advanced ordering). Where do I set the cut off times?

Cut off times for advanced orders are set in the overall advanced ordering configuration in the Touch Admin software. See the following article to set cutoff times for advanced orders: Setting Up Cutoff Times for AO Orders.

Do orders placed on the Portal app appear in MealSuite Core to help drive accurate production, such as the case with Advance Ordering? 

No; there is no tie to core production (similar to POS).

Do staff who want to use the Portal app require a profile in the MealSuite Core system?

No. Staff do not require profiles in the MealSuite Core system to use the Portal app. For staff to use the portal app, they do require to be set up with a diner profile in the system. To add a staff diner profile in the system, see Entering Staff Member as a Diner in the POS System/Portal App.

How do I add a delivery fee?

Please reach out to MealSuite Support to have a delivery fee automatically added to orders.

If you are MealSuite Support, click here for instructions on adding a delivery fee. 

What if I have automatic discounts configured?

If automatic discounts are configured (see Configuring Discounts in the POS), then those discounts are automatically applied to the applicable item.

If an ordered item is discounted, it presents with the Discount tag that indicates the amount being discounted. 

If a declining balance meal plan is also associated with the item, then the discount will be applied. For a points meal plan or unlimited meal plan, the discount will not be applied. 

discount_items.png

Is there a limit to the days in advance that a reservation can be placed in the Portal app?

No. At this time there is no limit to the days in advance that a reservation can be placed in the Portal app.

Can the MealSuite Portal app be configured for 15" ELO screens and use RFID readers?

No. External screens and RFID readers are not supported on Portal since this is built with personal mobile devices in mind. However, self-ordering kiosk (SSK) does support RFID, so therefore it is recommended to use SSK for common areas. 

Can the sort order of categories be changed for a meal service in the Portal app?

At this time, the sort order of categories in the Portal app is determined by the system and cannot be changed. 

Reporting

What reports are available to view transaction activity done in the Portal App?

  • Payment Transactions Report (run from Touch Admin) - provides a breakdown of transactions by payment type, POS locations, and date range.
  • Sales Activity Report (run from Touch Admin) - provides an output of all ticket line items where the tickets have been paid and closed out, and is sortable by POS location and categories.
  • Bill to Room Report (run from Touch Admin) - provides an output of all bill-to-room transactions and their associated amount.
  • Taxes Report (run from Touch Admin) - provides an output of all taxes and their associated amount.
  • Meal Plan Balance Report (run from Touch Admin) - provides an output of a diner's meal plan usage by meal period (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and day for a calendar month, including starting/ending balance.
  • Order History Report (run from Touch Admin) - displays order information for a specific resident or staff member. The report contains the following: