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Adding and Configuring Dining Areas

Kevin U
  • Updated

About Dining Areas

There are two types of dining areas:

  • A dining area that people profiles can be assigned to.
    or
  • A dining area that has a manual census, which is commonly used in a cafeteria type setting in which the general population is being served, such as for staff meals or non-resident clientele, or an adult day program where there is a different client mix per day. The manual census is the number of diet orders (i.e., diet type and texture type combinations) the dining area supports and must be entered by you. The manual census is used in forecasting calculations and production reports so that production staff know the servings of each menu item to produce.

When setting up a dining area, it will be assigned to a menu service location (MSL), which in turn determines the menus that are available to the dining area. 

MSL3.png

How Do I Assign People to a Dining Area?

Assigning people to a dining area is done via the People module in MealSuite. For instructions, see Assigning Dining Areas, Tables and Seats to Person.

Opening the Dining Areas Screen

  1. Select Tools & Setup > Facility Builder. The Facility Builder screen appears.
  2. Select the Dining Areas tab. The Dining Areas screen appears, listing existing dining areas and residence areas enabled as a dining areas for in-room service.

    dining_area_screen.png

Seeing the Menu Service Location a Dining Area is Assigned To

When you open the Dining Areas screen (as per above steps), the menu service location(s) that a dining area is assigned to is displayed in the Menu Service Location column. The menu service location determines the menu that will be available for the dining area (see above for more information). To change the menu service location of a dining area, see Editing an Existing Dining Area below. 

When a Residence Area is Enabled as a Dining Area

Note that when a residence area is enabled as a dining area (to allow meal delivery to rooms), it appears on the Dining Areas screen in italics and preceded by a dash, along with the bed icon (icon_residence_area.png) in the Type column. 

 

diningarea2.png

Adding a Dining Area

  1. Select Tools & Setup > Facility Builder. The Facility Builder screen appears.
  2. Select the Dining Areas tab. The existing dining areas are listed.
  3. Click the Add Area button. The New Dining Area slide-out panel appears.

    new_dining_area.png

  4. In the Name field, enter the name of the dining area.
  5. From the Menu Service Location field, select the menu service location (MSL) to assign the dining area to. The MSL determines the menus that are available to the dining area. If your MealSuite account only uses one MSL (i.e., the default MSL), then select it.

    MSL.png

  6. Complete the sections on the slide-out panel as per the instructions below.

Manually Entering Diet Order Census for Dining Area (Optional)

About the Manual Census Check Box

If your MealSuite account does not have the People module, then the Manual Census check box is selected and locked by default for you to manually enter the diet order census for the dining area (see Configuring the Diet Order Census Method below). The diet order census is the number of diet orders (i.e., diet type and texture type combinations) the dining area supports and is used in forecasting calculations and production reports so that production staff know the servings of each menu item to produce.

If your MealSuite account does have the People module and you want the dining area to be available to assign the people profiles to, then do not select the Manual Census check box.

If your account does have the People module, but the dining area will not be available to assign the people profiles to, such as a dining area for staff meals or non-resident clientele, or an adult day program where there is a different client mix per day, then you can select the Manual Census check box and manually enter the diet order census for the dining area (see Configuring the Diet Order Census Method below).

manual_census.png

Configuring the Diet Order Census Method (if Manual Census check box selected)

If the Manual Census check box is selected, then configure the appropriate diet order census method from the available drop-down.

  • Simple Census - this option is used to enter the census of the regular diet type/regular texture type diet. In the Enter Census Total field enter a single census number, which is applied across all menu items in each meal period/snack time.

    simple_census.png

  • Census by Meal - this option is used to enter the census of the regular diet type/regular texture type diet by meal period and snack time. A separate census field for each meal period and snack time is displayed for you to enter a different census number for each. Note: If a meal period or snack time is not to have a census number, then enter 0 instead of leaving it blank. 

    census_by_meal.png

  • Census by Diet Order - displays the diet order extension grid for you to enter the census numbers for each diet type/texture type combination, which is applied across all meal periods and snack times. Note: If a diet type/texture type combination is not to have a census number, then enter 0 instead of leaving it blank.

    census_by_diet_order.png

  • Census by Meal and Diet Order - displays a diet order extension grid for each meal period meal period and snack time for you to enter the census numbers for each diet type/texture type combination of each meal period and snack time. Note: If a diet type/texture type combination is not to have a census number, then enter 0 instead of leaving it blank.

    census_by_meal_diet_order.png

Dining Room with Manual Census not available for Assignment

When a dining room is enabled with manual diet order census, it is not available to be assigned to people profiles. This is because it is assumed such a dining room is for staff meals or non-resident clientele, or an adult day program where there is a different client mix per day.

Tutorial Video - Manual Census (2:15)

Enabling Service Types for a Dining Area

In the Enabled Service Types section (screenshot below), select the the service types that the dining area supports:

Table Side Select - orders are placed at the table side, as per traditional restaurant service.

Advanced Ordering - orders are placed in the MealSuite Touch app ahead of designated meal times. When the Advanced Ordering check box is selected, the slide-out panel refreshes with the Advanced Ordering Settings section to configure the time period of the wave in a meal period (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and the number of meals that can be served in the wave. 

dining_area_service_types.jpg

Note: If the dining area is set up with a manual census (as per above), there is no need to enable advanced ordering for the dining area, as such a dining area cannot be assigned to people profiles because the dining area is to be used for staff meals or non-resident clientele, or an adult day program where there is a different client mix per day.

Entering Start and End Times for Meal Services (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

In the grid in the Active Meal Time section (screenshot below), select the check boxes for the meal periods (breakfast, lunch, dinner) that the dining area supports and enter the start and end times for each selected meal period. Click Save at the top right of the slide-out panel to apply your changes.

dining_area_active_meal_time.png

If there is an exception to a standard meal time, then complete the following steps:

  1. Select the Add exceptions check box. The screen refreshes with a grid below the check box.
  2. From the Day field, select the day or days in which the exception applies.
  3. Select the check boxes of the meal periods (breakfast, lunch, dinner) that will have an exception.
  4. Enter the start and end times of the selected meal period exceptions.
  5. Click Save at the top right of the slide-out panel to apply your changes.
  6. To add another exception, click the Add exception link and repeat steps 2 to 5 above.

Adding Tables and Seats

The Table Configuration Grid section (screenshot below) is where you enter the tables and seats for the dining area. Each row consists of the following fields:

  • Table - enter the table number or name.
  • Shape - select the shape of the table.
  • Seats - select the number of seats for the table.

dining_area_table_configuration.png

At a minimum, one table row needs to be entered for a dining area. When you click the Add Row link, the system will automatically populate the next sequential number in the Table field. Ensure to click Save at the top right of the slide-out panel to apply your changes. Also note that another means to add tables is via the Bulk Add button, which displays the Bulk Add Tables pop-up (below) for you to enter the numbers of tables, shape, and number of seats for each table.

bulkaddtables.png

Sorting Tables in a Dining Area

You can sort the tables in a dining area, which is reflected in the people reports that are used to deliver meals to residents in a dining area (see About the Delivery Sequence for Dining Areas, Tables, and Seats). To sort tables in a dining area, complete the following steps:

  1. Select Tools & Setup > Facility Builder. The Facility Builder screen appears.
  2. Select the Dining Areas tab. The existing dining areas are listed.
  3. Click the dining area name for the tables you want to sort. 
  4. Scroll to the Table Configuration Grid section. 
  5. Hold the = icon of a table to be sorted, and drag and drop it to the appropriate spot in the table order.

    table_sort.png
     
  6. Repeat the above steps until you have your desired table order.

Advanced Ordering & POS: Entering Wave Length and Meals per Wave 

If you enabled advanced ordering for the dining area, the Ordering Settings - Advanced Ordering & POS section (screenshot below) is available to enter the service interval increment (i.e., wave) length and the number of orders that can be received in a wave. 

  • Service interval increment (i.e., wave) - for each meal period (breakfast. lunch, dinner), select the service interval increment length. For example, 15 minutes. 
  • Meals served per internal - select how many meals will be served per wave. For example, 2 meals for a wave. 

Example scenario: Assume that a wave is set for 15 minutes for breakfast, with 2 meals served per wave. If the the 9:30 to 9:45 AM wave receives two advanced orders, then the 9:30 to 9:45 wave is not available as an option when the user is placing an order from a front-end app (Touch, POS (for To Go orders), Portal). 

dining_area_advanced_ordering.png

Configure Advanced Ordering Settings for a Meal Delivery Area in the Touch Admin Site

A dining area that exists in the MealSuite core system is represented as a meal delivery area in Touch Admin. There are certain advanced ordering settings that are applied to a meal delivery area in Touch Admin. See Configuring AO Settings in Touch Admin for instructions to do so. 

Editing an Existing Dining Area

To edit an existing dining area:

  1. Select Tools & Setup > Facility Builder. The Facility Builder screen appears.
  2. Select the Dining Areas tab. The existing dining areas are listed.
  3. For the dining area to opened, click its name link in the Dining Area column. The slide-out panel specific to the dining area appears.
  4. Rather than repeat the instructions here on editing a dining area, the same details can be found on the Adding a Dining Area above (start at step 4).

Deleting a Dining Area

A dining area can be deleted if no people are assigned to the dining area. A dining area can also be deleted if assigned to a person, but the person is archived in the system. To delete a dining area:

  1. Select Tools & Setup > Facility Builder. The Facility Builder screen appears.
  2. Select the Dining Areas tab. The existing dining areas are listed.
  3. For the dining area to be deleted, click its gear icon and select Delete.

    delete_dining_area.png

  4. Click the Delete button to the confirmation message that appears. The dining area is deleted.

    Note 1: If people are assigned to the dining area, a message appears stating that the dining area cannot be deleted, and that you must first reassign those people to a different dining area.
    Note 2: Another means to delete the dining area is to open the dining area by clicking its link, and then clicking the Delete button.
    Note 3: A residence area that is enabled as a dining area does not present with the gear icon, and therefore cannot be deleted from the Dining Areas listing screen. This is to prevent the accidental deletion of residential areas. If it is required to delete a residential area, then this can be done via the Residences Builder tab (Tools & Setup > Facility Builder > Residences Builder tab). For more information see Removing Facility Unit Info. 

Sorting Dining Areas

The sort order of dining areas is reflected on the people reports that are used to deliver meals to residents in a dining area (see About the Delivery Sequence for Dining Areas), and also the dining area columns on a Kitchen Production Sheet. To sort the dining areas, complete the following steps:

  1. Select Tools & Setup > Facility Builder. The Facility Builder screen appears.
  2. Select the Dining Areas tab. The existing dining areas are listed.
  3. Hold the = icon of a dining area to be sorted, and drag and drop it to the appropriate spot in the dining area order.

    dining_area_sort.png

  4. Repeat the above steps until you have your desired order.

Video Tutorial - Dining Areas (6:02)