- About Total Needed Forecasting
- Note the Following
- Diagrams: How it All Fits Together for Total Needed Forecasting
About Total Needed Forecasting
Forecasting is required in a cafeteria or catering environment where you are serving the general population, and therefore production staff just need to know the total amount of servings to produce. This is accomplished with total needed forecasting.
Total needed forecasting applies to a menu that is non-extended (i.e., does not support therapeutic substitute recipes) and has no choices, which is commonly used in cafeteria or catering environments.
- In your account, the Total Needed Forecast Method must be configured with default required serving amounts. You either enter a single serving number that applies across all menu categories (e.g., 50 servings needed), or you enter a serving number for each menu category (e.g., 40 servings for appetizer, 50 servings for entrée, 40 servings for dessert, etc.). See Configuring the Total Needed Forecast Method to enter the default amounts for the Total Needed Forecast Method, and Scheduling a Menu to apply the Total Needed Forecast Method to a menu that is not extended and has no choices.
- The Total Needed Forecast Method allows you to configure "forecast exceptions" with different default amounts for a special event menu, an also available menu, or a liquid menu. See Creating "Forecast Exception" for Special Event, an Also Available, or a Liquid Menu to create a forecast exception.
Note the Following:
- When a menu is assigned total needed forecasting, you will then have the ability to adjust the default amounts with customized amounts. See Adjusting Total Needed Forecasting Amounts on Menus or Manually Adjusting Serving Amount on a Worksheet for instructions.
Diagrams: How it All Fits Together for Total Needed Forecasting
The first diagram below illustrates how the Total Needed Forecast Method is applied to a menu with no choices.
The second diagram below illustrates how the Total Needed Forecast Method can be set up with forecast exceptions with different default amounts to apply to a special event menu, an also available menu, or a liquid menu.
The connections shown in the diagrams are listed below, each linking to its respective help topic.
- Table select and advance ordering service types are assigned to people profiles.
- People profiles are assigned to dining area(s) that allow people profile assignments.
- Dining area(s) with people profiles are assigned to the menu service location (MSL).
- Dining area(s) with manual diet order censuses can also be assigned to the MSL.
- A menu with no extensions and no choices is assigned to the MSL when that menu is scheduled.
- The total needed forecast method is assigned to the menu when that menu is scheduled.
- Create “Forecast Exception” for Special Event, an Also Available, or a Liquid Menu.