Menu Summary
There are multiple ways for which to create menus in CulinarySuite. You can choose from a Concept Menu, Repeat Cycle Menu or Monthly Menu. If you are creating similar menus or you want to upload menu templates, you can utilize our Suggested Menu option to add a preset menu for your locations. This user manual will walk you through how to create, configure, and personalize your menus.
Menu Navigation
Hover over the Menu icon on the navigation menu. The Menu Icon expands to display subfunction list.
Select Menu Summary. This screen will display all the previous menus created for the account.
Menu Summary: Field Outline
The Menu Summary screen displays all menus created for your accounts. From this screen, you can create new menus, view existing menus in the calendar month view, edit menus, delete menus, export the list to Excel, and use advanced search to filter results. CulinarySuite supports multiple menu types including Monthly, Repeat Cycle, Concept, Dietary Cycle, and Static Menu.
Navigation: Culinary > Menu > Menu Summary
Use the toolbar at the top of the grid to perform actions:
- Advance Search: Click to open the advanced search panel and filter menus by additional criteria. Program Type, Meal Type, Product & Recipe are dropdown filters.
- Show past records: Check this checkbox to include expired or past menus in the grid.
- Clear Filter: Click to reset all applied column filters and restore the full list.
- + Add: Click to open the Menu Creation screen and create a new menu.
- Export To Excel: Click to download the current grid view as an Excel spreadsheet.
Use the filter icon on any column header to narrow the results by that column's values.
Use the Action icons in the last column to interact with a specific menu:
- View (eye icon): Opens the menu in the read-only Month View.
- Edit (pencil icon): Opens the menu in the editable Month View where you can add, modify, or remove menu items.
- Delete (trash icon): Deletes the selected menu. A confirmation prompt will appear before the menu is permanently removed.
Use the pagination controls at the bottom of the grid to navigate between pages. You can also change the number of items displayed per page using the Items Per Page dropdown.
| Field | Type / Values | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Account | Text (filterable) | The account name associated with this menu. |
| Type of Menu | Text (filterable) | The menu type: Monthly, Repeat Cycle, Concept, Dietary Cycle, or Static Menu. |
| Always Available | Yes / No / NA | Indicates whether the menu is always available. A value of Yes displays an infinity symbol (∞) in the Split column. When enabled, the menu does not have an end date. |
| Location Name(s) | Text (filterable) | The location name(s) and grade level(s) associated with this menu. |
| Program Type | Text (filterable) | The program type assigned to this menu (e.g., Regular, NSLP, CACFP, 1800 Calorie). |
| Meal Period | Text (filterable) | The meal period for this menu (e.g., Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, or a combination). |
| Menu Name | Text (filterable) | A user-defined name for this menu. |
| Start Date | Date (sortable) | The start date of the menu period. |
| End Date | Date (sortable) | The end date of the menu period. Displays ∞ if the menu is Always Available. |
| Split | Icon | Displays a split icon if the menu spans a calendar boundary, or ∞ if Always Available. |
| Action | Icons | View (eye), Edit (pencil), and Delete (trash) icons for managing the menu. |
The grid is sorted by Start Date in descending order by default, showing the most recent menus first.
Create a Monthly Menu
A monthly menu is a format that will display the entire calendar month of the menu on one page. If your location was setup to create a monthly menu in the location menu setup screen then you can follow the steps below to create a monthly menu:
- Hover over the Menu icon on the navigation menu. The Menu Icon expands to display subfunction list.
Select Menu Summary. This screen will display all the previous menus created for the account.
On the Menu Summary screen, click ADD to add a new menu.
On the Menu Creation screen:
Select Account from the drop down menu. You can only choose from the accounts which you have access to.
Select Menu Type from the drop down menu. Menu types that are setup in the Location Menu of all the locations in the selected account will be displayed.
Select a Start Date for the menu. If starting on the first, the end date will populate. Note that you cannot create a menu for the current month or a previous month.
Select Program Type. CS will show the program types that are setup on the Location Menu Setup for the locations in the selected account that have the selected menu time and are applicable to the selected timeframe.
Select Location Types (You can select more than one type). System will display location types that are setup on the Location Menu setup for the selected account, menu type, date range and program type.
Select Meal Period. CS will only display the meal periods that are setup in the location menu setup for the selected account, menu type, date range & location types.
Select Weekdays, one at a time Note: You can type start typing the first letter of the weekday name in the box and it will filter the options for you to make it quicker
Click on Search. CS searches the location menu setup of each location in the account to determine which ones are available to have a menu created.
The Choose Location Section (left) will display matching records in the results grid. To choose one or more locations for your menu, click and drag the location from the left to the right Choose Locations section.
Choose an option in "How Do You Want to Start?" (in our example above we selected "Start New")
- Start New means that the user will start with a completely blank menu
- Load Previous will allow the user to select an applicable menu that was previously created and will load all of those items into the new menu. Note: recipes on the original menu must have at least one option in each sequence available to the account in order to carry over to the new menu. Purchased products on the original menu must be present on the order guide in order to carry over. If these conditions are not met, the system will create the new menu but will omit these items.
- Suggested Menu will look for an applicable menu (from the suggested menu setup) and load those items in to the menu being created (provided that the items are available to your account). User has the option of modifying everything on the menu no matter how they choose to start.
Click Next. A popup menu will appear asking if you want to continue creating more menus or go the summary screen to edit menus that were created previously. In our example, we are creating a new menu.
On the Menu Summary screen, locate the menu you want to work on and click the Edit button (pencil). Use the filters on the top of each column to find the specific menu that you want to edit.
- You cannot create a menu for the current month or a previous month for Monthly menu types.
Menu Month View and Tool Kit
The Menu Month View displays a monthly calendar for a selected menu. Each day on the calendar represents a service day where you can add, edit, or remove menu items. The Tool Kit panel on the left side provides 14 tools for formatting, publishing, and managing the menu. The view also includes language toggle buttons (Spanish/English), size controls (Small/Medium/Large), and Rules compliance indicators.
Navigation: Culinary > Menu > Menu Summary > View (eye icon) or Edit (pencil icon)
- On the Menu Summary screen, locate the menu. Click the View (eye) icon to open in read-only mode, or click the Edit (pencil) icon to open in edit mode.
- The Month View screen displays a monthly calendar. The menu name and period appear at the top.
- Use the language buttons in the top-right corner to toggle between Spanish and English.
- Use the Small, Medium, and Large buttons to adjust the calendar display size.
- Click the Back button to return to the Menu Summary screen.
- Click the + icon on any open calendar day to add a menu item.
- The Rules column on the right side of the calendar displays compliance indicators for each week:
- Red dot: One or more menu rules are not met for this week.
- Yellow dot: Some menu rules are partially met or have warnings.
- Green dot: All menu rules are met for this week.
Tool Kit (14 Tools)
| Tool | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Shapes | Tool Kit button | Adds a geometric shape element to a selected menu day for visual formatting. |
| Image | Tool Kit button | Inserts an image into a selected menu day. Supports common image formats (JPG, PNG). |
| Text | Tool Kit button | Adds a text block to a selected menu day for custom text annotations. |
| Connector Text | Tool Kit button | Adds connector text that links a text element to a specific menu item on the calendar. |
| Marketing Promotion | Tool Kit button | Applies a marketing promotion message or badge to a selected menu day. |
| Copy | Tool Kit button | Copies a selected day's menu items to another day on the calendar. |
| Close Days | Tool Kit button | Marks a selected day as closed, indicating no food service on that date. |
| Signage | Tool Kit button | Generates and prints menu signage for the selected day or date range. |
| Create PDF | Tool Kit button | Exports the current monthly calendar view as a PDF file for printing or distribution. |
| Post To Web Page | Tool Kit button | Publishes the menu to a connected web portal so it can be viewed externally. |
| Food Bar | Tool Kit button | Adds and manages self-serve food bar items on the selected menu day. |
| Print Specs | Tool Kit button | Prints product specification sheets for items on the selected menu day. |
| Replace / Delete Item | Tool Kit button | Replaces or removes a specific menu item across multiple days within this menu. |
| Daily Chef's Menu | Tool Kit button | Creates a daily special or chef's menu for the selected day. |
The Tool Kit is available in both View and Edit modes. Some tools (such as adding items, replacing items, and closing days) require Edit mode to make changes.
Add Menu Items
Click on a menu day that is not closed. The Menu Details screen will be displayed. On the left side, - Select Product or Recipe (Product will search for purchased products that can be menued directly [like whole fruit or beverages]; Recipes will search through recipes) - Type one or more words into text box and click Search.
Select Product or Recipe (Product will search for purchased products that can be menued directly [like whole fruit or beverages]; Recipes will search through recipes)
Type one or more words into text box and click Search.
NoteLeave the search field blank and select Search to view all available items. Use broader search terms for more results or specific terms to narrow your search..
All of the products and recipes that appear in the results contain items that are in the Order Guide. Items that are not in the Order Guide for your account will not appear.
Drag and drop the desired product to the Menu Details screen on the right. The product will be listed as a menu item.
Continue to add items.
- Select the Recipe option to search for recipes to add to your menu.
- Drag and drop the desired menu item to the Menu Details on the right.
To find recipes featuring a specific ingredient, use the Advanced Search function.
Drag and drop the desired recipe to the Menu Details screen on the right. The product will be listed as a menu item and a popup window appears displaying the ingredients.
Drop-down fields contain substitute items (called variants). If a variant is selected, the cost per portion and crediting will reflect the change. CS will suggest that you purchase ingredients that are selected in the recipe.
- If a recipe as multiple Ingredients, you MUST choose the correct ingredients from the popup window to get the correct nutritional value and purchase selection. Note you can only choose from items in your Order Guide.
- By default, CS will load the first ingredient but if a change is required, you should select a different option from the dropdown menu.
- Remember changes to the ingredients in a recipe also change the meal cost.
Click the Update button. You will see the message, "Recipe Components Added Successfully." The menu item appears on the screen. You can change the variant selection by clicking on the pencil icon next to the recipe.
Enter the ADP for each of the locations on the menu. Type into the empty box below the name of the location.
ADP (Average Daily Participation) determines the number of people who will be getting food from the cafeteria on this date. Once data is collected into CS, CS will start to generate a suggested ADP. This will be calculated by taking the average total based on data entered into the production record by weekday. It will discard days which have a participation 25% above or below the average. For the first menu, you will need to enter the ADP.
Enter the number of portions forecasted for each of the items and each of the locations on the menu. Note the checkbox to close a specific location for the day also appears on this screen.
Repeat this process until the day is complete. To show items on the menu, click the box. Scroll to the bottom and click Save.