FAQs: Placing Orders with the Portal App – MealSuite

Placing Paid Orders on the Portal App
Placing Non-Paid Advanced Orders on the Portal App
General Questions
Payments
Reporting
- What reports are available to view transaction activity done in the Portal App?
- Is there a report that specifically captures if orders were received from the Portal app?

Placing Paid Orders on the Portal App

What menu items are available to order for paid orders?

If the Portal app is configured to place paid orders (i.e., Portal for POS), then only menu items of the regular diet type and regular texture type from the Standard menu and Also Available (AA) menu are supported (i.e., available to order via the Portal app). Extended substitute items are not available to order, nor are any personal menu customizations (e.g., personal menu items or substitutes), even with the Use resident personalized menus option selected. Special Event menus are not supported.

Note that for the Also Available menu items to be shown in the Portal app, the POS grid tiles for the items' categories must be enabled to support the Also Available menu (screenshot below). Click here for instructions on editing a POS grid tile to support the Also Available menu.

Can maximum item limits be allowed for Portal paid orders?

Yes, maximum item limits can be configured for Portal paid orders via a configuration option on the user's assigned meal plan. See Setting Maximum Item Limits for Paid Orders in the Portal App for more information and instructions.

Can nutritional information be displayed for a menu item?

Yes. Nutritional information is available for menu items on the Portal app. By tapping the See Full Details link, a separate window appears displaying a larger-sized recipe image, menu item description, ingredients, serving size (i.e., portion size), and nutrition facts.

Note: For the Portal app for paid orders, because personal menu customizations are not reflected, then any serving size adjustment on the personal menu is therefore not shown.

Are portion sizes for menu items displayed?

Yes. The portion size for an item can be viewed by tapping the See Full Details link, which opens a separate window displaying a larger-sized recipe image, menu item description, ingredients, serving size (i.e., portion size), and nutrition facts.

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?

Yes. A product configured to be automatically added when a meal plan is used will be added to the order for a Portal app user.

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 a resident modify a paid order?

No. A paid order, once checked out (i.e., paid and sent to production), cannot be modified.

Can a resident cancel a paid order?

No. A paid order, once checked out (i.e., paid and sent to production), cannot be cancelled by the resident. A POS operator will have to cancel and refund the order, which can be done via the To Go Order screen.

If the order has not been checked out by the resident, then they can cancel it as follows:

Tap the Home screen icon at top left of screen.
A message appears asking if you want to cancel the order.
Tap Yes to the message. The order is cancelled.

Another method to cancel an order prior to check out is as follows:

Tap View My Cart.
Tap the Cancel Order button. A message appears asking if you want to cancel the order.
Tap Yes to the message. The order is cancelled.

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.

Non-Paid Advanced Orders on the Portal App

What menu items are available to order for non-paid advanced orders?

The items available to order by a resident/patient are from that resident/patient's personal menu in the Core system. In other words, meals are personalized to a resident/patient's dietary and therapeutic needs, and will include personal menu items.

Can maximum item limits be allowed for Portal non-paid advanced orders?

No, at this time, the maximum item limits that can be configured for ordering (AO and IO) in the Touch app do not apply to ordering in the Portal app.

How many days in advance can you place an advanced order in the Portal app?

If using the Portal app to place advanced order (i.e., non-paid orders), the number of days in advance an order can be placed can be adjusted by MealSuite Support. If you are MealSuite Support, see the following internal article to adjust the days: Configuring the Portal App for Advanced Orders (i.e., Non-Paid Orders) (INTERNAL).

The Place Order and Refuse buttons are not available for a meal period?

This most likely indicates that the meal period is past its cutoff time.

This could indicate that the preparation time that is set for the meal period (breakfast, lunch, dinner) exceeds the last delivery time available for the meal period.

When I tap a meal period (breakfast, lunch, dinner), there are no items to order from (screen is blank)?

This most likely indicates that the resident/patient is set up with "no meal service" for the meal period (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and day of the week.

A menu item is missing for a resident/patient? Why is a resident/patient not receiving a menu item?

The items available to order for a resident/patient are taken from their personal menu in the Core system. If a menu item is missing for a resident/patient on the Portal app, see the following FAQ from the personal menu FAQ article: A menu item is missing for a resident/patient? Why is a resident/patient not receiving a menu item?

Apart from that, it could be the result of a change to the main menu in which that item was dropped or replaced; see What happens if a menu changes or is updated after a resident/patient places an advanced order? below.

It could also mean that the diet order changed for the resident, and the AO configuration settings are set up with the Drop Non Compliant option; see Managing AO Orders if Person's Diet Order Changes.

How do I edit an advanced order after it is placed?

For an advanced order that has already been placed, you can edit it prior its preparation time. See Modifying an Existing Non-Paid Order.

How do I cancel an advanced order after it is placed?

For an advanced order that has already been placed, you can cancel it prior to its preparation time. See Cancelling an Existing Non-Paid Order.

What happens if a menu changes or is updated after a resident/patient places an advanced order?

When a new menu is activated to replace the existing menu, or the existing menu is rescheduled, then the following occurs for any advanced orders already placed by residents/patients:

Any already-placed orders will not clear from the KMS and the tickets with the already-ordered items will generate/print at their scheduled preparation time.
However, in the Core system, the personal menus are replaced with items from the newly-scheduled menu, and any people and production reports generated in the Core system will generate with the current items on the personal menu according to the advanced ordering item-selection logic.

If a change to the existing menu occurs in which an ordered item is removed or replaced, then the following occurs for any advanced orders already placed by residents/patients:

The already-ordered item will not clear from the KMS and the ticket with the already-ordered items will generate/print at their scheduled preparation time.
However, in the Core system, the personal menus are updated accordingly with the replaced or removed items, and any people and production reports generated in the Core system will generate with the current items on the personal menu according to the advanced ordering item-selection logic.

Can nutritional information be displayed for a menu item?

Note: For a Portal app configured to place non-paid orders in advance, if the See Full Details link is not available, please reach out to MealSuite Support to have the link displayed. If you are MealSuite Support, enable the Allow resident/patient to view nutrient template option in the Portal advanced ordering settings to have the See Full Details link available for each menu item.

Are portion sizes for menu items displayed?

Note 1: For the Portal app for non-paid advanced orders, if the serving size (i.e., portion size) for an item was adjusted on a resident/patient's personal menu, then that adjusted serving size is shown along with the original serving size in parentheses (screenshot below).

Note 2: For a Portal app configured to place non-paid orders in advance, if the See Full Details link is not available, please reach out to MealSuite Support to have the link displayed. If you are MealSuite Support, enable the Allow resident/patient to view nutrient template option in the Portal advanced ordering settings to have the See Full Details link available for each menu item.

How do I remove a personal menu item that was automatically added to the cart/order?

When a personal menu item is added to a resident/patient's personal menu, there is the option to have it automatically be added to the order via the Select item by default in orders option. Such items are automatically added to a cart in a Portal app used for non-paid advanced orders. To remove such an item, open the cart, and tap the remove icon for the item, as per screenshot below.

If a non-paid advanced order was placed in the Touch app by a staff member, can the resident/patient view or modify that order via their Portal app?

Yes. If the resident/patient's Portal app is configured for placing non-paid orders in advance, then they can view and modify orders that were placed originally in the Touch app. The Order History section on the Portal app displays existing orders and allows them to be modified.

For each meal period, the text "You are not allowed to place an advanced order for this meal" is displayed, and the user cannot place an order?

This indicates that the resident/patient profile in the Core system is not assigned the Advance Ordering service type. In the Core system, change their service type to Advanced Ordering; see Assigning a Service Type to a Resident/Patient.

General Questions

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.

Can the order history be viewed?

Yes. The user simply taps Order History to display the Order History screen (left screenshot below). They can then filter orders by date, dining venues, and meal periods by tapping the Filters tool at top right to display and set the filters (right screenshot below).

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 (i.e., in-app payment). Other credit card payment service providers or merchant account providers (along with supported terminals such as PAX, Lane/3000 and iPP320) are not supported at this time for in-app payment.

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:

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

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.

Does the Portal app save credit card information?

The Portal app does not save credit card information. However, a user can set up their phone to save credit card information for auto population on their apps.

Configuring the Portal App

How are delivery times and pickup times configured for selection for a Portal app order?

See the following article: Configuring Delivery and Pickup (aka To Go Order) Times.

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?

If the Portal app is placing paid orders, then no, the orders do not appear on production reports (as with POS).

If the Portal app is placing non-paid orders in advance, then yes, orders to appear on production reports.

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.

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?

Yes. The sort order of categories is determined in the Core system. If needing to change the sort order, see Changing the Sort Order of Menu Categories.

What happens if there are duplicate profiles in the system?

It is highly important to ensure there are no duplicate profiles in the Core system, as the Portal app (along with the Touch app and POS) does not recognize if profiles are duplicate and as such no sort logic can be applied; therefore the profile that is selected will be random.

Reporting

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

Payment Transactions Report - provides a breakdown of transactions by payment type, POS locations, and date range.
Sales Activity Report - 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 - provides an output of all bill-to-room transactions and their associated amount.
Taxes Report - provides an output of all taxes and their associated amount.
Meal Plan Balance Report - 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 - displays order information for a specific resident or staff member.

Is there a report that specifically captures if orders were received from the Portal app?

Yes, a POS Summary reports have the Order Source filtering option to display paid orders from the Portal app.

At this time, there is no report that captures non-paid advanced orders from the Portal app.