- Creating a Points Meal Plan
- Creating a Declining Balance Meal Plan
- Creating an Unlimited Meal Plan
- Creating a Prepaid Meal Plan (i.e., One-Time Meal Plan)
- Editing an Existing Meal Plan
Creating a Points Meal Plan
A points meal plan provides a certain number of points in a given period that can be used against meal periods (breakfast, lunch, dinner) that each have a “cost” value in points. For example, breakfast costs 1 point, lunch costs 1 point and dinner costs 2 points. For a 60-point monthly meal plan, a diner can use those points as he or she sees fit until the points are depleted or the plan renews.
For a resident with a points meal plan and who has dined for multiple meals in the day, the POS automatically charges the most expensive meal of the day to the meal plan. The lesser meal charges are billed-to-room.
To create a points meal plan, complete the following steps:
- In Touch Admin, select People Management > Meals Plans. The Meal Plans screen appears.
- Click the Add a Meal Plan button. The Add a Meal Plan screen appears.
- Enter of select the following:
- Name - enter a recognizable name for the points meal plan.
- Date of First Reset - select the date of the first reset of the meal plan. After the first reset date, the meal plan follows the period that you will assign to it (step 4).
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Tender Type - select Points.
- Your next steps are to select the period of the meal plan before it resets.
- First, in the Period field, select the unit of length type: Days, Weeks or Months.
- Then in the Duration field select, select the number for the unit of length type. For example, if Period is Weeks, and Duration is 3, then the meal plan period is three weeks. Note that the plan will renew at 12:01 AM at the end of period.
- In the Quantity Per Period Points field, enter the points that can be used from the meal plan in the period.
- For the Maximum Rollover Points field, if the meal plan allows any unused points to be rolled over to the next period, enter the points allowed here.
- The following customization options are available:
-
Reactivation setting - if a resident is inactive in the system (i.e., has been archived), and then is made active again (i.e., unarchived) prior to the next reset date of the meal plan, what occurs with their existing meal plan balance?
- use_prior_balance - the resident's previous meal plan balance is continued.
- reset_balance - the resident's previous meal plan balance is not continued, and instead the balance is reset.
- Automatically pro-rate the plan... - applicable if Week or Month is selected for Period. This option allows the plan’s point value to be decreased accordingly when first assigned to a diner. For example, if the diner is assigned a 50-point plan halfway through a meal plan with a four-week period, then 25 points will be given.
- Automatically adjust the plan for months with 31 or 28 days - applicable if Month is selected for Period. The system assumes a 30-day month; therefore this option can be selected to adjust the point value accordingly for 31-day months and the 28-day month of February. For example, for a 60-point monthly plan, it will adjust to 62 points for a 31-day month and 58 points for February. If this check box is not selected, the plan has 60 points every month no matter if 28, 30, or 31 days.
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Auto-Share this plan with other residents in the same room if they do not have a valid meal plan - for more information on this check box, see the article Sharing a Meal Plan.
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Reactivation setting - if a resident is inactive in the system (i.e., has been archived), and then is made active again (i.e., unarchived) prior to the next reset date of the meal plan, what occurs with their existing meal plan balance?
- In the Meal Plan Policy Accounting section, select the accounting system parameters that the meal plan transactions will be recorded against. Note that account system parameters are set up by your MealSuite CSM (customer success manager). If you are a MealSuite CSM, see the following internal article: Setting Up Accounting System Parameters.
- Business Line
- Department
- In the Permitted People Categories section, select the diner categories for which the meal plan will be available. Only diners of a selected diner category can in turn be assigned to the meal plan.
- In the Permitted Locations section, select the POS locations the meal plan can be used at by selecting its Valid check box.
- For a meal period (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) for each selected location, enter the points value the meal plan will cover. For example, breakfast is 1 point, lunch is 1 point, and dinner is 2 points.
- By default, the meal plan applies to each category of each meal period (breakfast, lunch dinner), meaning the diner can use their meal plan for any items/products of that meal period/category. To not have the meal plan apply to a meal period/category, clear its Covered check box.
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From the Coverage Type dropdown, you can add limitations on the meal plan via the following options:
- The Max Value field for a selected meal period and category combination allows you to enter the maximum value that will be covered by the meal plan for that meal period and category. For example, assume the maximum value for the dinner/entrée category is $15. If the entrée at dinner exceeds $15, then the diner has to pay the outstanding balance by other means. Another way to think about it is that anything under $15 is “free” because the meal plan covers it.
- The Max Item field for a selected meal period and category combination allows you to enter the maximum number of items that will be covered by the meal plan for that meal period and category. For example, assume the maximum item for the entrée category is 2. If the entrée at dinner exceeds 2, then on the POS front-end the diner will be prevented from ordering those extra items.
- The Max Value field for a selected meal period and category combination allows you to enter the maximum value that will be covered by the meal plan for that meal period and category. For example, assume the maximum value for the dinner/entrée category is $15. If the entrée at dinner exceeds $15, then the diner has to pay the outstanding balance by other means. Another way to think about it is that anything under $15 is “free” because the meal plan covers it.
- Click the Create Policy button. You are returned to the main screen, where the newly-added meal plan is listed.
- Assign the meal plan to the diners (see Assigning a Meal Plan to a Diner).
Creating a Declining Balance Meal Plan
A declining balance meal plan provides a dollar amount in a given period that decreases upon each use. To create a declining balance meal plan, complete the following steps:
- In Touch Admin, select People Management > Meals Plans. The Meal Plans screen appears.
- Click the Add a Meal Plan button. The Add a Meal Plan screen appears.
- Enter of select the following:
- Name - enter a recognizable name for the points meal plan.
- Date of First Reset - select the date of the first reset of the meal plan. After the first reset date, the meal plan follows the period that you will assign to it (step 4).
-
Tender Type - select Points.
- Your next steps are to select the period of the meal plan before it resets.
- First, in the Period field, select the unit of length type: Days, Weeks or Months.
- Then in the Duration field select, select the number for the unit of length type. For example, if Period is Weeks, and Duration is 3, then the meal plan period is three weeks. Note that the plan will renew at 12:01 AM at the end of period.
- In the Quantity Per Period $ field, enter the dollar amount that can be used from the meal plan in the period.
- For the Maximum Rollover $ field, if the meal plan allows any unused amount to be rolled over to the next period, enter that amount here.
- The following customization options are available:
-
Reactivation setting - if a resident is inactive in the system (i.e., has been archived), and then is made active again (i.e., unarchived) prior to the next reset date of the meal plan, what occurs with their existing meal plan balance?
- use_prior_balance - the resident's previous meal plan balance is continued.
- reset_balance - the resident's previous meal plan balance is not continued, and instead the balance is reset.
- Automatically pro-rate the plan... - applicable if Week or Month is selected for Period. This option allows the plan’s point value to be decreased accordingly when first assigned to a diner. For example, if the diner is assigned a $300 plan halfway through a meal plan with a four-week period, then $150 will be given.
- Automatically adjust the plan for months with 31 or 28 days - applicable if Month is selected for Period. The system assumes a 30-day month; therefore this option can be selected to adjust the point value accordingly for 31-day months and the 28-day month of February. For example, for a $500 monthly plan, it will adjust to $516 for a 31-day month and $467 for February. If this check box is not selected, the plan has $500 every month no matter if 28, 30, or 31 days.
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Declining Balance Only: Charge regular taxes for transactions - select to include tax amount in a transaction.
-
Reactivation setting - if a resident is inactive in the system (i.e., has been archived), and then is made active again (i.e., unarchived) prior to the next reset date of the meal plan, what occurs with their existing meal plan balance?
- In the Meal Plan Policy Accounting section, select the accounting system parameters that the meal plan transactions will be recorded against. Note that account system parameters are set up by your MealSuite CSM (customer success manager). If you are a MealSuite CSM, see the following internal article: Setting Up Accounting System Parameters.
- Business Line
- Department
- In the Permitted People Categories section, select the diner categories for which the meal plan will be available. Only diners of a selected diner category can in turn be assigned to the meal plan.
- In the Permitted Locations section, select the POS locations the meal plan can be used at by selecting its Valid check box.
- By default, the meal plan applies to each category of each meal period (breakfast, lunch dinner), meaning the diner can use their meal plan for any menu items items/products of that meal period/category. To not have the meal plan apply to a meal period/category, clear its Covered check box.
- Click the Create Policy button. You are returned to the main screen, where the newly-added meal plan is listed.
- Assign the meal plan to the diners (see Assigning a Meal Plan to a Diner).
Creating an Unlimited Meal Plan
An unlimited meal plan does not provide value limits or time period limits, but maximum values can be applied to specific meal item categories and meal periods (breakfast, lunch, dinner) at specific POS locations. To create an unlimited meal plan, complete the following steps:
- In Touch Admin, select People Management > Meals Plans. The Meal Plans screen appears.
- Click the Add a Meal Plan button. The Add a Meal Plan screen appears.
- In the Name field, enter a recognizable name for the unlimited meal plan.
- In the Tender Type drop-down, select Unlimited.
- In the Meal Plan Policy Accounting section, select the accounting system parameters that the meal plan transactions will be recorded against. Note that account system parameters are set up by your MealSuite CSM (customer success manager). If you are a MealSuite CSM, see the following internal article: Setting Up Accounting System Parameters.
- GL Account
- Business Line
- Department
- In the Permitted People Categories section, select the diner categories for which the meal plan will be available. Only diners of a selected diner category can in turn be assigned to the meal plan.
- In the Permitted Locations section, select the POS locations the meal plan can be used at by selecting its Valid check box.
- By default, the meal plan applies to each category of each meal period (breakfast, lunch dinner), meaning the diner can use their meal plan for any menu items/products of that meal period/category. To not have the meal plan apply to a meal period/category, clear its Covered check box.
- For each selected meal period/category/location combination, you can set the maximum value that can be applied towards it from the meal plan. For example, if the maximum value is $15.00 for the lunch entree category at “East Dining Room” and the ticket comes to $20.00, then the meal plan would cover $15, and the diner would have to cover the remaining $5.00. At another location, the max value for entree can be less or more.
- Click the Create Meal Plan button. You are returned to the main screen, where the newly-added meal plan is listed.
- Assign the meal plan to the diners (see Assigning a Meal Plan to a Diner).
Creating a Prepaid Meal Plan (i.e. One-Time Meal Plan)
A prepaid meal plan is a one-time meal plan that is assigned to a diner and credited with cash or points (depending on the type of meal plan). When the meal plan reaches 0 points or dollars, the plan is expired.
Creating a Declining Balance Prepaid Meal Plan
A declining balance prepaid meal plan provides a dollar amount for the diner that decreases upon each use. To create a dollar prepaid meal plan that can be assigned to diners, complete the following steps:
- In Touch Admin, select People Management > Meals Plans. The Meal Plans screen appears.
- Click the Add a Meal Plan button. The Add a Meal Plan screen appears.
- In the Name field, enter a recognizable name for the prepaid meal plan.
- In the Tender Type drop-down, select Declining Balance.
- In the Period drop-down, select Prepaid.
Note: Ignore the Quantity Per Period Points field. You will instead enter the dollar amount after the meal plan is created and then assigned to the diner.
- If a resident is inactive in the system (i.e., has been archived), and then is made active again (i.e., unarchived) prior to the next reset date of the meal plan, then from the Reactivation setting drop-down, select what occurs with their existing meal plan balance:
- use_prior_balance - the resident's previous meal plan balance is continued.
-
reset_balance - the resident's previous meal plan balance is not continued, and instead the balance is reset.
- In the Meal Plan Accounting section, select the accounting system parameters that the meal plan transactions will be recorded against. Note that account system parameters are set up by your MealSuite CSM (customer success manager). If you are a MealSuite CSM, see the following internal article: Setting Up Accounting System Parameters.
- Business Line
- Department
- In the Permitted People Categories section, select the diner categories for which the meal plan will be available. Only diners of a selected diner category can in turn be assigned to the meal plan.
- In the Permitted Locations section, select the POS locations the meal plan can be used at by selecting its Valid check box.
- By default, the meal plan applies to each category of each meal period (breakfast, lunch dinner), meaning the diner can use their meal plan for any items/products of that meal period/category. To not have the meal plan apply to a meal period/category, clear its Covered check box.
- Click the Create Policy button. You are returned to the main screen, where the newly-added meal plan is listed.
- Assign the prepaid meal plan to the diners, and credit the meal plan as needed (see Assigning a Prepaid Meal Plan to a Diner).
Creating a Points Prepaid Meal Plan
A points meal plan provides a certain number of points for a diner that can be used against meal periods (breakfast, lunch, dinner) that each have a “cost” value in points. For example, breakfast costs 1 point, lunch costs 1 point and dinner costs 2 points. A diner can use those points as he or she sees fit until the points are depleted. To create a points prepaid meal plan, complete the following steps:
- In Touch Admin, select People Management > Meals Plans. The Meal Plans screen appears.
- Click the Add a Meal Plan button. The Add a Meal Plan screen appears.
- In the Name field, enter a recognizable name for the prepaid meal plan.
- In the Tender Type drop-down, select Points.
- In the Period drop-down, select Prepaid.
Note: Ignore the Quantity Per Period Points field. You will instead enter the points after the meal plan is created and then assigned to the diner.
- If a resident is inactive in the system (i.e., has been archived), and then is made active again (i.e., unarchived) prior to the next reset date of the meal plan, then from the Reactivation setting drop-down, select what occurs with their existing meal plan balance:
- use_prior_balance - the resident's previous meal plan balance is continued.
-
reset_balance - the resident's previous meal plan balance is not continued, and instead the balance is reset.
- In the Meal Plan Policy Accounting section, select the accounting system parameters that the meal plan transactions will be recorded against. Note that account system parameters are set up by your MealSuite CSM (customer success manager). If you are a MealSuite CSM, see the following internal article: Setting Up Accounting System Parameters.
- Business Line
- Department
- In the Permitted People Categories section, select the diner categories for which the meal plan will be available. Only diners of a selected diner category can in turn be assigned to the meal plan.
- In the Permitted Locations section, select the POS locations the meal plan can be used at by selecting its Valid check box.
- For a meal period (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) for each selected location, enter the points value the meal plan will cover. For example, breakfast is 1 point, lunch is 1 point, and dinner is 2 points.
- By default, the meal plan applies to each category of each meal period (breakfast, lunch dinner), meaning the diner can use their meal plan for any menu items/products of that meal period/category. To not have the meal plan apply to a meal period/category, clear its Covered check box.
- The Max Value field for a selected meal period and category combination allows you to enter the maximum value that will be covered by the meal plan for that meal period and category. For example, assume the maximum value for the dinner/entrée category is $15. If the entrée at dinner exceeds $15, then the diner has to pay the outstanding balance by other means. Another way to think about it is that anything under $10 is “free” because the meal plan covers it.
- Click the Create Policy button. You are returned to the main screen, where the newly-added meal plan is listed.
- Assign the prepaid meal plan to the diners, and credit the meal plan as needed (see Assigning a Meal Plan to a Diner).
Editing an Existing Meal Plan
To edit an existing meal plan:
- In Touch Admin, select People Management > Meals Plans. The Meal Plans screen appears.
- For the meal plan you want to edit, click its Edit button.
- Make the changes as needed.
- Click the Update Policy button at the bottom of the screen to apply your changes.
When does the change to a points meal plan or declining balance take effect?
A points meal plan and a declining balance meal plan have a reset period. Apart from the name, any edits you apply to the meal plan will take effect on the next reset date. For example, if you increase the dollar amount of a declining balance meal plan by $10.00, that $10.00 increase will be available on the next reset date.