- An item is not being covered by the meal plan?
- The meal plan option is not showing/not available for a diner (i.e., resident or staff member)?
- I made a change to the points meal plan. When does that change take effect?
- I made a change to the declining balance meal plan. When does that change take effect?
- Can a category (e.g., entree, vegetable, starch, etc.) or individual item be valued at a specific amount for a meal plan?
- Can a points meal plan with a daily reset be used to pay for a pickup or delivery order that is placed today but ordered for tomorrow?
- Can a resident share a meal plan?
- I can't edit fields in an existing meal plan (i.e., Tender Type, Period, and Duration)?
- There is a discrepancy between the meal plan balance shown on Touch Admin and the Portal App/POS?
- Can a product be automatically added if a meal plan is used?
- How do I print a meal plan balance report?
An item is not being covered by the meal plan?
Ensure that the category that the item is assigned to (i.e., menu category or product category) is assigned to the meal plan.
Note that when a new menu category is created in the MealSuite system or a new product category is created in Touch Admin, then that category is not automatically assigned to the meal plan (i.e., the meal plan will not cover the new category).
To access the meal plan and assign the category, complete the following steps:
- In Touch Admin, select People Management > Meal Plans. The Meal Plans screen appears
- For the meal plan you want to edit, click its Edit button. The Edit a Meal Plan screen appears.
- Scroll to the bottom of the screen where the categories and meal periods (breakfast, lunch, dinner) are listed.
- Expand the meal periods for which the category was associated with and select the check box of the category to assign it to the meal plan.
- At the bottom of the screen click the Update Policy button to apply your changes.
The meal plan option is not showing/not available for a diner (i.e., resident or staff member)?
This most likely indicates that the diner (i.e., resident or staff member) is not assigned a meal plan. For a new resident who is admitted to the system or a staff member who is entered in the system, you must manually assign them a meal plan, which is done in the Touch Admin software. See the following articles as needed:
I made a change to the points meal plan. When does that change take effect?
A points meal plan has a reset period. Apart from the name, any changes you apply to the meal plan will take effect on the next reset date. For example, if you increase the points value of a points meal plan by 5, that increase of 5 will be available on the next reset date.
I made a change to the declining balance meal plan. When does that change take effect?
A declining balance meal plan has a reset period. Apart from the name, any changes 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.
Can a category (e.g., entree, vegetable, starch, etc.) or individual item be valued at a specific amount for a meal plan?
No. At this time, a category or individual item cannot be valued at a specific amount for a meal plan.
For a points meal plan, you can enter the points value the meal plan will cover for each meal period (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
Can a points meal plan with a daily reset be used to pay for a pickup or delivery order that is placed today but ordered for tomorrow?
No. A points meal plan with a daily reset cannot be used today to pay for an order tomorrow.
Can a resident share a meal plan?
Yes. A resident can share a meal plan with another resident. See the following article Sharing a Meal Plan.
I can't edit fields in an existing meal plan (i.e., Tender Type, Period, and Duration)?
After a meal plan is created, the fields listed below are not editable, and as such you will be required to create a new meal plan if those fields require editing.
- Tender Type
- Period
- Month
There is a discrepancy between the meal plan balance shown on Touch Admin and the Portal App/POS?
When a To Go order covered by a meal plan is placed on the Portal app or the POS for the same day, the meal plan balance is automatically adjusted on the Portal app and POS, but not in the Touch Admin software until the ticket is closed (i.e., paid) in the POS.
Hence, when there is a pending ticket for a To Go order for the same day, a discrepancy will exist between the diner's meal plan balance in the Touch Admin software and the diner's meal plan balance shown on their Portal app and on the POS when that diner is assigned to a ticket. Only when the ticket is closed (i.e. paid) in the POS does the adjusted balance display in Touch Admin.
This adjusted balance is displayed on the Portal app and the POS to prevent a new order being placed that would exceed the diner's meal plan balance.
For example:
- A diner has a meal plan balance of $50.
- The diner places a To Go order for the same day costing $15.
- The meal plan balance immediately updates to $35 on the Portal app to reflect the pending deduction. In the POS, the balance is also adjusted to $35 to reflect the pending deduction.
- In Touch Admin software, the balance continues to display $50 until the ticket is closed (i.e. paid) in the POS.
Note: For future-dated orders, the meal plan balance is not adjusted until the order day so as to avoid unnecessarily restricting the diner’s balance for non-imminent transactions.
If a meal plan balance discrepancy continues to exist after the ticket is closed, ensure the following:
- No additional pending orders exist that could impact the balance.
- Ensure there are no open tickets that have yet to be closed within POS.
If issues continue, escalate to Support.
Can a product be automatically added if a meal plan is used?
Yes. The POS can be configured to automatically add a product if a resident uses a meal plan. See Configuring POS to Automatically Add Product to Meal Plan.
Note: If a resident's meal plan balance is used up or the maximum limits set for the meal plan have been met, then the POS will not automatically add a product. The product will need to be manually added by the POS operator.
How do I print a meal plan balance report?
The following meal plan balance reports are available (click a link for instructions on running the report):
-
Meal Plan Transactions Report (run from the Touch Admin software) - provides a breakdown of each meal plan transaction and the amount (or points) debited.
-
Meal Plan Balance Snapshot Report (run from the Touch Admin software) - a snapshot of a diner's meal plan balance for any calendar day, including the last reload date and reload amount.
- Monthly Meal Plan Balance Report - for Calendar Month Meal Plans Only (run from the Touch Admin software) - provides starting and remaining balance for monthly period meal plans (that begin on the 1st of the month), including transaction amounts per meal service.