Editing Menu Properties
Note: Prior to making any edits to the menu properties, it is highly recommended to make a copy of the existing menu so that it is available as a backup to reimplement if necessary.
To edit the properties of an existing menu:
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Open the menu to the menu day view.
- Click the Edit Menu Properties button. The Edit Menu slide-out panel appears with the Menu Properties tab open.
- Make your edits as necessary and click the Save button when complete. See the section "What Can I Edit in Menu Properties?" below for more information on what can be edited, and explanations of what occurs to the menu when certain edits are made.
What Can I Edit in Menu Properties?
The following menu properties can be edited:
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Name - Name of menu.
- For an Also Available menu, the House Fallback option is available. If selected, then the menu items are offered as substitutes when menu validation logic excludes an item for the person and there is no personal substitute. For more information, see Menu Item Selection Logic.
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Duration (Weeks) - The cycle (number of weeks) the menu supports (up to 13).
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Extension Type - Extended menu or not? An extended menu supports therapeutic substitutes extended to diet orders for its menu items. Note the following:
- If changing the menu from Extended Menu to No Extensions, any menu item-level extensions will be cleared (i.e., lost). If you subsequently change the menu back to Extended Menu, then only the recipe level-extensions will be loaded as the menu item-level extensions.
- If changing the menu from Extended Menu to No Extensions, and upon clicking Save, the confirmation message below appears for you to first type "Delete" to set the menu with no extensions.
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Extension Editor (applicable if menu is an extended menu):
- 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 - Choices per category. Note the following:
- When reducing the choices on the menu, and upon clicking Save, then the confirmation message below appears prompting you to type "Delete" and then click the appropriate button to decide what happens with items that no longer have an assigned choice. You can either remove such items, or leave them on the menu and unassigned from a choice. If unassigned to a choice, then such items can subsequently be manually assigned to the appropriate choice as needed, or removed from the menu.
- If the menu has no extensions, then the No Choice option is available to make the menu a "no choice" menu, which is typically used in cafeteria and catering environments. Upon doing so, the following message will appears to state that the only forecasting method that can be applied is Total Needed. (See Total Needed Forecasting (for Cafeteria Environments for more information).
Note: When an item is unassigned to a choice, it can be found in the menu day view when viewing by menu categories (via display options). An item unassigned to a choice states Nothing Selected in the choice field, as per screenshot below.
- When reducing the choices on the menu, and upon clicking Save, then the confirmation message below appears prompting you to type "Delete" and then click the appropriate button to decide what happens with items that no longer have an assigned choice. You can either remove such items, or leave them on the menu and unassigned from a choice. If unassigned to a choice, then such items can subsequently be manually assigned to the appropriate choice as needed, or removed from the menu.
- 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 (breakfast, lunch or dinner) 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 (breakfast, lunch or dinner) 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, if serving a lunch holiday meal, then you would select the Lunch check box and clear the Breakfast and Dinner check boxes. On the day the 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.
- Also Available (AA) menu - select if the AA menu is a single day menu or a weekly menu via the Single Day Menu option or Weekly Menu option, respectively. Then select the meal periods the AA menu supports by selecting/clearing the check boxes as needed.
Note that when deactivating meal periods and then clicking Save, a warning appears stating that the menu items will clear from those meal period and day combinations, and as such you will be required to confirm by typing Delete.
Note: You cannot change a non-liquid menu to a liquid menu. To create a new liquid menu, see Creating a Liquid Menu.
FAQs
Can a menu type be changed? For example, how do I change a Standard menu to an Also Available menu?
The menu type cannot be changed after the menu is created. You will be required to create or copy a menu of the desired type and then modify the newly-copied menu as needed. See Menu Templates and/or Making a Copy of a Menu for more information.