Non-Select Service Type: Item Selection Logic for a Personal Menu

• About Item-Selection Logic for the Non-Select Service Type
  • Setting the Item-Selection Method for the Non-Select Service Type
• "Serve Choice 1 Items Before Other Choices" Method
  • 1 - System Attempts to Serve Choice 1 Items
  • 2 - If Appropriate Item Cannot be Found in Menu Category
  • 3 - If Appropriate Item Cannot be Found in AA Menu
• "Serve Full Choice Meal" Method
  • If More than One Full Choice is Suitable (for the "Serve Full Choice Meal" Method)

About Item-Selection Logic for the Non-Select Service Type

When a person’s service type is non-select for a meal period, the MealSuite system determines the items to serve based on the person’s diet order, any diet restrictions set against the diet type, their allergens, their personal menu customizations, and other system calculations.

To augment this logic, there are two item selection methods to determine how the MealSuite system serves items based on their choice assignment in the menu. The item selection methods are as follows:

• Serve Choice 1 Items Before Offering Other Choices - The objective of the system is to serve a meal consisting of choice 1 items from each menu category. If a choice 1 item is not suitable in a menu category, then the system will attempt to serve the choice 2 item in the menu category. See "Serve Choice 1 Items Before Other Choices" Method below. 
• Serve a Full Choice so that Items are Paired Together (default) - The objective of the system is to serve a full choice meal, as this allows a meal with items that complement each other. A full choice meal consists of all items from the same choice (i.e., all items in choice 1 equal a full choice meal; all items in choice 2 equal a full choice meal, etc.). See "Serve Full Choice Meal" Method below.

Setting the Item-Selection Method for the Non-Select Service Type

To set your item selection method for the non-select service type:

1. Select Tools & Setup > Manage Facility. The Manage Facility screen appears.
2. Click the Menu Service Location tab.
3. Select your item selection method: 
   • Serve Choice 1 Items Before Offering Other Choices
   • Serve a Full Choice so that Item are Paired Together (default)

Depending on your selection, see the appropriate topic below to understand the item selection logic on how an item is served:

• "Serve Choice 1 Items Before Other Choices" Method
• "Serve Full Choice Meal" Method

When you select the Serve Choice 1 Items Before Offering Other Choices method for the non-select service type (as per above instructions), the validation logic to determine what is served is as follows:

1 - System Attempts to Serve Choice 1 Items

The objective of the system is to serve a meal consisting of all choice 1 items from each menu category.

If there is only one choice 1 item available in a menu category, and it is not suitable to serve to a person, then the system will replace it with a choice 2 item.

Scenario 1: Assume the person has a wheat allergy. Using the table below as an example, the system will serve the choice 1 items that can be served (chicken picatta from entrée category and green beans from the vegetable category). For the starch category, the choice 1 pasta item cannot be served because it contains wheat; therefore the system will serve the choice 2 french fries from the starch category instead.

Scenario 2: In the screenshot below (right-click image and open in new tab for full size), the choice 1 beets in the vegetable category cannot be served, so therefore the choice 2 vegetable mix is served. The choice 1 oatmeal cookie in the dessert category cannot be served, so therefore the choice 2 carrot cake is served. 

If Menu Category has Items of Same Choice 

If a menu category has two or more appropriate items of the same choice, the system will serve each item. For example, if there are five condiments all of choice 1, then the system will serve all the condiments.

Menu Items Marked as Dislikes

When menu items are marked as dislikes, the following logic occurs:

Single Item in Each Choice:

Multiple Items in Choices:

Menu Items Marked as Likes

Future functionality will allow an item marked as a like in choice 2 to be given priority and served over a choice 1 item that is neutral. Until then, in order to have a choice 2 item served over a choice 1 item, mark the choice 1 item as a dislike.

2 - If Appropriate Item Cannot be Found in Menu Category

If the selection logic results in a menu category with a do not serve items, and assuming there is no personal specific substitute or personal fallback substitute, then the system will look at the house fallback also available (AA) menu (assuming a house fallback AA menu is scheduled for the menu service location) for an appropriate item, looking in the day, meal period, diet order and menu category. When the system chooses a house fallback item from the AA menu, that item appears in orange font in the menu category.

3 - If Appropriate Item Cannot be Found in AA Menu

If a menu item cannot be served in a menu category after the selection logic is performed above, the system indicates in red font “Sub Needed [menu category name]”. You can either add a fallback substitute (see Adding a Fallback Substitute) or a personal item (see Adding a Personal Item). 

"Serve Full Choice Meal" Method

When you select the Serve a Full Choice so that Item are Paired Together method for the non-select service type (as per above instructions), the objective of the system is to serve a full choice meal, as this allows a meal with items that complement each other. A full choice meal consists of all items from the same choice (i.e., all items in choice 1 equal a full choice meal; all items in choice 2 equal a full choice meal, etc.).

1. The system checks if all choice 1 items can be served, and if at least one choice 1 item cannot be served, then the system checks if all choice 2 items can be served.
2. If at least one choice 2 item cannot be served, then the system checks if all choice 3 items can be served (assuming choice 3 items exist).

Scenario 1: Assume the person has a wheat allergy. Using the table below as an example, the full choice 1 meal cannot be served because the pasta item contains wheat. The system will look at the choice 2 items, and because none contain wheat, the system will serve the full choice 2 meal.

	Menu Category
	Entrée	Starch	Vegetable
Choice 1	Chicken Picatta	Pasta (contains wheat)	Green Beans
Choice 2	Pork Chop	French Fries	Okra

Scenario 2: The system attempts to serve a full choice 1 meal. Assume, however, that the person is allergic to beets. 

 

Then the system serves the full choice 2 meal.

If More than One Full Choice is Suitable (for the "Serve Full Choice Meal" Method)

If more than one full choice meal can be served because none have do-not-serve items, then the system will evaluate the likes and dislikes applied to the items of each choice in the system to determine the full choice meal to serve. The system uses a like to dislike ratio equation to score each full choice meal, and the full choice meal with the higher score is selected to be served: The ratio equation is as follows:

• Like equals +1
• Dislike equals -1

Scenario: Assume full choice 2 has four items with likes (+4) and one item with a dislike (-1) for a score of +3. Assume full choice 1 has three items with likes (+3) and two items with a dislike (-2), for a score of +1. In such a scenario, full choice 2 with the higher score (+3) would be served over full choice 1 with the lower score (+1).