- About Copying a Menu
- Making a Copy of a from the Menu Listing Menu
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FAQs
- What happens to items when removing choices on a menu (i.e., single choice menu)?
- What happens to items when reducing choices on the menu?
- What is the difference between copying a menu owned by MealSuite or my parent corporate account and copying a menu template from Mealsuite or my parent corporate account?
About Copying a Menu
You can make a copy of an existing menu that exists in your account, the MealSuite database, or a corporate parent account. Once copied, you can then use the menu as a base to build a new menu.
There are two areas in the system that you can copy a menu:
- You can copy a menu from a menu template via the Menu Templates screen. See Copying a Menu from a Menu Template.
- You can copy a menu from the Menu Listing screen. See Making a Copy of a from the Menu Listing Menu below.
What is the difference between copying a menu from Menu Templates screen and the Menu Listing screen?
None. The Menu Templates screen is a means to showcase menus from MealSuite or from your parent accounts in a more detailed and organized manner. Menu templates are also available to be copied from the Menus Listing screen via the steps below.
Making a Copy of a Menu from the Menu Listing Screen
To make a copy of a menu from the Menu Listing screen, complete the following steps:
- Open the Menu Listing screen (Menus > Menu Listing).
- Locate the menu you want to copy. Use the filter tools as necessary; note that from the Owner field, you can search for menus in the MealSuite database or one of your parent corporate accounts.
- For the menu you want to copy, click its cog wheel in the Actions column and select Copy (first screenshot below). The Create a Copy of [menu name] slide-out panel appears (second screenshot below).
- Enter or select the following:
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Name - enter a name of your menu (maximum 40 characters).
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Duration (Weeks) (not applicable for special event menu or an also available (AA) menu set as a single day menu) - enter the menu cycle in weeks. If the menu template has more weeks than what you enter, then only the weeks that you enter are copied over. If you enter more weeks than the menu template has, then the additional weeks will be empty.
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Use House Fall Back (Also Available menu only) - the menu items are offered as substitutes when the menu item selection logic excludes an item for the resident/patient and there is no personal substitute.
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Extension Type:
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No Extensions - select this option if the menu items will not support therapeutic substitutes extended to diet orders. When copying a currently-extended menu to have no extensions, then any existing extensions for the menu items will be deleted. You will be prompted to type Delete to confirm that you are removing extensions.
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Extended Menu - keep this option if the menu items are to support therapeutic substitutes extended to diet orders.
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Liquid - if the menu being copied is a liquid menu, then Liquid is selected by default and cannot be changed. In the MealSuite system, a liquid menu is created as a subtype to a main menu type (standard, snack, special event, also available). When a person is assigned a liquid diet, they will not be served from the main menu, but rather from the liquid menu that is scheduled and associated with the main menu type. For more information on liquid menus, see About a Liquid Menu.
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No Extensions - select this option if the menu items will not support therapeutic substitutes extended to diet orders. When copying a currently-extended menu to have no extensions, then any existing extensions for the menu items will be deleted. You will be prompted to type Delete to confirm that you are removing extensions.
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Extension Editor (applicable if Extended Menu is selected as Extension Type):
- Auto-Open - select this option if the menu item extension grid will automatically appear when adding menu items.
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Manual - select this option to not have the menu item extension grid automatically appear when adding menu items.
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Menu Category Choices - select the number of choices (up to 5) that the menu can support for its menu items. A menu item labelled as choice 1 will be the main and a menu item labelled as choice 2 will be the first alternate, etc. For more information on choices, see Choices for a Menu Item. Note the following:
- When making a copy of a menu and reducing the choices on the new menu, then items no longer with an assigned choice are not copied over. See What happens to items when reducing choices on the menu? below for more information.
- If the menu is not to support therapeutic substitutes extended to diet orders (i.e., the Extension Type is No Extensions), the No Choice option is available, meaning your menu items will not be categorized by choices. When selecting No Choice, only items assigned to choice 1 in the original menu will be copied to the new menu (i.e. a single choice menu). See What happens to items when removing choices on a menu (i.e., single choice menu)? below. A single choice menu with no extensions is typically used in a cafeteria or catering environment. In addition, setting a menu to a single choice menu will utilize the total needed forecasting method, as indicated by message below.
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Name - enter a name of your menu (maximum 40 characters).
- In the Configuring Menus section, the available options are dependent on the menu type (standard, snack, special event, also available):
- Standard menu - select the meal periods and days of the week the standard menu supports by selecting/clearing the check boxes as needed.
- Snack menu - select the snack times and days of the week the snack menu supports by selecting/clearing the check boxes as needed.
- Special Event menu - select the meal periods the special event menu supports by selecting/clearing the check boxes as needed. A special event menu can be created for a single meal period of the day. For example, serving a lunch holiday meal. On the day such a special event menu is active, the breakfast is served from the standard menu, lunch is served from the special event menu, and dinner is served from the standard menu.
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Also Available (AA) menu - select if the AA menu is to be single day menu via the Single Day Menu option (first screenshot below) or a weekly menu via the Weekly Menu option (second screenshot below). Then select the meal periods the AA menu supports by selecting/clearing the check boxes as needed.
- Standard menu - select the meal periods and days of the week the standard menu supports by selecting/clearing the check boxes as needed.
- If your account does not have the same menu categories that the menu template has, then the Configure Menu Categories section appears (screenshot below) for you to map the menu categories over to your account’s menu categories. There is also the option to add the unassigned menu category to your account’s menu category list. If you do not want to copy a particular category, then select Do Not Copy.
- Click the Start Copy button. A progress bar appears as the menu is copied. When the copy is complete, the newly-copied menu opens to the week-at-a-glance view.
FAQs
What happens to items when removing choices on a menu (i.e., single choice menu)?
When copying a menu and removing choices on the new menu (i.e., a single choice menu), then only items assigned to choice 1 will be copied over. You will be prompted to type Delete to confirm that you are removing choices.
In the example below, Items A, B and E are assigned to choice 1 in the original menu and as such are the only items copied to the new menu that was set with no choices.
Menu with Choices:
Items | Assigned to Choices |
Item A | Choice 1 |
Item B | Choice 1 |
Item C | Choice 2 |
Item D | Choice 2, Choice 3 |
Item E | Choice 1, Choice 3 |
Item F | Choice 3 |
After Copying the Menu with Choices to a New Menu with No Choices:
Items |
Item A |
Item B |
Item E |
What happens to items when reducing choices on the menu?
When copying a menu and reducing the choices on the new menu, then items no longer with an assigned choice are not copied over. You will be prompted to type Delete to confirm that you are reducing choices.
In the example below, items F and G are assigned to choice 3 in the original menu, and are removed in the new menu that was set with only choice 1 and choice 2.
Menu with Three Choices:
Items | Assigned to Choices |
Item A | Choice 1 |
Item B | Choice 1 |
Item C | Choice 2 |
Item D | Choice 2 |
Item E | Choice 1, Choice 3 |
Item F | Choice 3 |
Item G | Choice 3 |
After Copying the Menu with Three Choices to a Menu with Two Choices:
Items | Assigned to Choices |
Item A | Choice 1 |
Item B | Choice 1 |
Item C | Choice 2 |
Item D | Choice 2 |
Item E | Choice 1 |
What is the difference between copying a menu owned by MealSuite or my parent corporate account and copying a menu template from Mealsuite or my parent corporate account?
None. Menu templates from MealSuite or a parent corporate account also are available to be copied from the Menus Listing screen via the above steps. The Menu Templates screen is a means to showcase menus in a more detailed and organized manner.