By not forecasting a menu, its menu items will not be included in the forecasting worksheet and the production reports unless ordered.
A common scenario of not forecasting a menu is if the menu is serving residents/patients with the non-select service type. Because residents/patients do not make selections with the non-select service type, the system therefore knows the exact amounts to serve and automatically includes the numbers on production reports. As such, there is no need to estimate the servings via forecasting. Note that if forecasting is applied to a menu that serves residents/patients with the non-select service type, then the system just ignores them (i.e., they will not be included in the forecasting numbers).
Another common scenario of not forecasting a menu would be an Also Available (AA) menu that is being used to offer its items as fallback substitutes when the menu item selection logic excludes an item for a resident/patient. By not forecasting the AA menu, you ensure that its non-ordered items do not appear on the forecasting worksheet and the production reports.
To set a menu to not forecast, complete the following steps:
- On the Menus Listing screen, locate the menu you want to schedule.
- Click the cog wheel in the Action column and select Edit Start Date (first screenshot below). The Edit Menu slide-out panel appears with the Start Date & Forecasting tab automatically selected (second screenshot below).
Note: Another means to open the Edit Menu slide-out panel is to open the menu to the week-at-a-glance (WaaG) view and click the Edit Menu Properties button. Once opened, click the Start Date & Forecasting tab.
- From the Forecast By field, select the Do Not Forecast option.
- Click the Save button to close the pop-up and return to the menu.