Advanced Ordering Service Type: Item Selection Logic for a Personal Menu

• Advanced Ordering (AO) Service Type: Item Selection Logic for a Personal Menu
• Reusing of Past Orders
  • Can the Reused Order Feature be Disabled?
• How Does a Production Report Determine what AO Items to Generate?
• FAQs
  • If a resident is assigned the advanced ordering service type, does that prevent or impact if they can order from a POS station?
  • When placing an order in the POS for pickup or delivery, does the resident need to be assigned the advanced ordering service type?
  • What happens if a resident/patient does not place an advanced order for a meal period?

Advanced Ordering (AO) Service Type: Item Selection Logic for a Personal Menu

When a resident/patient's profile is set up with the Advanced Ordering service type, the menu items available for selection on their personal menu are based on their assigned diet order and allergens, and personal menu “do not serve” customizations.

When a resident makes a selection from the available items on their personal menu, then those items will be included on production reports. However, if a resident does not place an advanced order for a meal period (breakfast, lunch, dinner), then the system will automatically make the selection for them based on the item selection logic, and will include those items on production reports. 

The selection logic to determine items available on a personal menu for the advanced ordering service type is as follows: 

1. The system determines if a choice 1 item can be served.
   
   
2. If the choice 1 item is a do-not-serve, the system looks sequentially at the next choice items, if available (i.e., choice 2, 3, 4, 5).
   
   
   
   
3. If a next choice item cannot be served, the system will look if an Also Available (AA) menu configured as a house fallback is scheduled. If so, then the system chooses an item from the AA menu, looking in the day, meal period, and menu category. An AA item appears in orange text on a personal menu and underlined on a Tray Menu ticket. 
   
      
   
   
4. If an AA menu is not scheduled or an AA menu item cannot be served, the system looks if a fallback substitute is assigned. A fallback substitute appears in purple text on a personal menu and underlined on a Tray Menu ticket.
      
   
   
5. If a menu item cannot be served after the selection logic is performed above, the system indicates in red font “Sub Needed [menu category name]”. You can either add a specific substitute (see Replacing Item with Specific Substitute) or a personal menu item (see Adding a Personal Menu Item).
   
    

Reusing of Past Orders

If a resident/patient with the advanced ordering service type misses placing an order, the system will reuse the same order from the previous same menu week/day/meal service, assuming that all the same menu items from the past order can still be served (some of the reasons a menu item may no longer be served include a diet order change, a diet restriction, a menu item change (including a menu item replacement), and a specific substitute in the personal menu).

The reuse of past orders by the system is illustrated in the following scenario:

• Assume there is a four-week menu and it is week 1 of the menu cycle.
• Jill places an advanced order for Wednesday dinner.
• Four weeks pass, and the menu cycles over to week 1 again.
• Jill does not place an order for Wednesday dinner.
• The system will reuse the same items that were ordered by Jill four weeks ago for Wednesday dinner. 

When an order is reused, the personal menu displays the "reused" icon () for the items being reordered (first screenshot below). And if a tray menu ticket is generated, it displays "Reused order" and the "reused" icon (second screenshot below).

Note: When an item is from a reused order, it is only indicated as such in the core system (with the "reused order" icon), and not in the Touch app. 

Can the Reused Order Feature be Disabled?

The reused order feature is set by default in the system, and at this time there is no option to disable it.

Note: In the Touch Admin software you may notice the Allow previous preference selection setting (in Ordering Settings > Configuration). This setting serves no function; so therefore do not use it thinking you can enable/disable the reused order feature. 

How Does a Production Report Determine what AO Items to Generate?

When running a production report, the following options are available to determine the items and their serving numbers in the production report:

Use Forecast (available only if the advanced ordering census is included in forecasting) - the report will include items and their serving numbers pulled from the forecasting worksheets associated with the selected days and meal periods/snack times. Note that items on the forecasting worksheet are determined by actual orders placed; for orders not placed, the worksheet includes items that are automatically selected based on the AO item selection logic.

Use Orders - When the Use Orders option is selected, the production report will include items for the actual orders placed by resident/patients.

For those resident/patients who have not yet placed an order, then the production report will include items that are automatically selected based on the AO item selection logic.

However, if you did not want the report to include items for those resident/patients who have not placed an order, then such items can be excluded by selecting the Exclude AO People who have not placed an order option. 

FAQs

If a resident is assigned the advanced ordering service type, does that prevent or impact if they can order from a POS station?

No. A resident assigned the advanced ordering service type is not prevented or impacted from ordering from a POS station. Ordering from a POS station is to place paid orders, and therefore the resident's service type assignment of advanced ordering (which is used for non-paid orders via Touch app or Portal app) is irrelevant to place an order through a POS station. 

Note, however, that if you want the POS to display items specific to the resident's personal menu when that resident is assigned as a diner at a POS station, then ensure the POS location is enabled with the Use resident personal minus option. 

When placing an order in the POS for pickup or delivery, does the resident need to be assigned the advanced ordering service type?

No. Ordering from a POS station, regardless if the order is instant (i.e., restaurant service) or for pickup or delivery, is to place paid orders only, and therefore the resident's service type assignment of advanced ordering (which is used for non-paid orders via the Touch app or Portal app) is irrelevant to place an order through a POS station.

Note, however, that if you want the POS to display items specific to the resident's personal menu when that resident is assigned as a diner at a POS station, then ensure the POS location is enabled with the Use resident personal minus option.  

What happens if a resident/patient does not place an advanced order for a meal period?

If a resident/patient does not place an advanced order for a meal period (breakfast, lunch, dinner), then the system will automatically make the selection for them based on the item selection logic, and will include those items on production reports.