Service Types for Residents/Patients: Table Select, Advance Ordering, Non-Select – MealSuite

Table Select Service (TSS) Type (aka Instant Ordering)
Advance Ordering Service (AO) Type
Non-Select Service Type

Table Select Service (TSS) Type (aka Instant Ordering (IO) )

The table select service type, also known as instant ordering (IO), is for residents who sit at a table and decide what to order from choices offered on their personal menu. The orders are recorded in the MealSuite Touch application (see Instant Ordering (IO) in the Touch App).

What is Instant Ordering?

Instant ordering is another term for table select ordering. The term instant ordering is used in the Touch App; see Instant Ordering (IO) on the Touch App.

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

No. A resident assigned the table select 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 table select (which is used for non-paid orders via the Touch app) is irrelevant to place an order through a POS station.

Does a resident need to be assigned the table select service type to place paid orders through the Portal app?

No. The service type (table select, advanced ordering, non-select) assigned to a resident/patient is not a factor to be able to place paid orders through the Portal app, as long as their residence location is configured to place paid orders through the Portal app (configured via MealSuite Support). Any resident/patient assigned to the residence location will be placing paid orders when they log into the Portal app.

Advanced Ordering Service (AO) Type

The advanced ordering (AO) service type is for residents/patients who place orders in advance from choices offered on their personal menu. A staffer records advanced orders in the MealSuite Touch application (see Advanced Ordering (AO) in the Touch App), or a resident/patient can use the Portal app to place advanced orders.

Note that multiple steps are required in the system to fully set up advanced ordering; refer to the following article: Setting Up Advance Ordering (AO).

If your facility has not purchased the AO service type, the AO service type can still be assigned to resident/patient profiles in the core system to allow your facility to print the following reports for you to manually select a resident's/patient's choices:

Once the choices have been selected, you can then inform the kitchen to produce the items.

By running the above reports, the facility will be well-prepared for when they do subsequently purchase AO. Advanced orders cannot be placed in the Core system alone. The Touch app or the Portal app is required to place advanced orders.

If a resident is assigned the AO service type, does that prevent or impact if they can place paid orders from a POS station?

No. A resident assigned the AO service type is not prevented or impacted from placing a paid order from a POS station. Placing paid orders via a POS station is not prevented due to the resident/patient being on the AO service type.

If a resident is assigned the AO service type, does that prevent or impact if they can place paid orders from the Portal app?

A resident assigned the AO service type is not prevented or impacted from placing a paid order from the Portal app assuming their residence location is set up to accept paid orders (configured by MealSuite Support). Note, however, if their residence location is set up to accept non-paid advanced orders, (configured by MealSuite Support), then when logging into the Portal app, they will automatically be placing non-paid advanced orders.

What if a resident places an order, and then their service type changes to the table select or non-select service type?

The advanced orders will be removed for that resident/patient.

For a resident on the AO service type, does it matter if they have in-room service or dining room service?

No. A resident on the advanced ordering service type can have either dining room service or in-room service.

Non-Select Service Type

The non-select service type is for a resident/patient who is unable to make day-to-day decisions on what to eat (e.g., Alzheimer patient), or for a setting where the food service does not offer choices (e.g., hospital).

With the non-select service type, the system automatically determines the items to serve on the personal menu of a resident/patient based on their assigned diet order, allergens, and any items manually marked as do not serve.

Non-select orders are automatically included on production reports. Therefore the resident/patient is not represented on a Touch app ordering screen for a server to select items for, which in turn means non-select orders are not sent to a KMS to display onscreen and/or print as a ticket.

If necessary for a server or production staff to see items for a non-select resident/patient, you are required to print tray menu tickets; see Tray Menu Tickets Report (People) - for Non-Select & Advance Ordering.

In addition, because non-select orders are automatically included on production reports, the system does not apply any forecasting calculations to them. In other words, if forecasting is applied to a menu, any residents/patients with the non-select service type are ignored in forecasting calculations.

Are orders from the non-select service type sent to the KMS to display onscreen and/or print?

No. Non-select orders are automatically included on production reports. Therefore the resident/patient is not represented on a Touch app ordering screen for a server to select items for, which in turn means non-select orders are not sent to a KMS to display onscreen and/or print as a ticket.

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

If the POS location is enabled with the Use resident personal menus option, then yes, the system will prevent any menu items appearing for a resident/patient with the non-select service type when their name is assigned as a diner at a POS station.

If a resident is assigned the non-select service type, does that prevent or impact if they can place paid orders from the Portal app?

Also note that if the POS location is enabled with the Use resident personalized menus option, it does not prevent a resident/patient with the non-select service type from placing paid orders with the Portal app.

What is the method to cancel a meal for a resident/patient on the non-select service type?

Use the Service Dashboard to enter a meal refusal for the resident/patient.