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Transcript of MenuLink Client User Guide v7_3
i MenuLink Client User Guide
Client User Guide
Version 7.3
ii MenuLink Client User Guide
Copyright
Copyright ©2010, Radiant Systems, Inc. The information contained in this publication is confidential and proprietary. No part of this document may be reproduced, disclosed to others, transmitted, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language, in any form, by any means, without written permission of Radiant Systems, Inc.
Radiant Systems, Inc. is not responsible for any technical inaccuracies or typographical errors contained in this publication. Changes are periodically made to the information herein; these changes will be incorporated in new editions of this publication. Any reference to gender in this document is not meant to be discriminatory. The software described in this document is provided under a license agreement. The software may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of that agreement.
© Radiant Systems, Inc., 2010 All Rights Reserved. ALOHA® is a U.S. Registered Trademark of Radiant Systems, Inc. MenuLink® is a U.S. Registered Trademark of Radiant Systems, Inc.
Revised December 2010/ ML v7.3
MenuLink Client User Guide Inventory 3
Table of Contents
Before You Begin .......................................................................................................... 6
About This Guide ........................................................................................................................ 6
Audience ............................................................................................................................... 6
Purpose ................................................................................................................................. 6
How This Guide is Organized ................................................................................................ 7
Getting Started .............................................................................................................. 8
MenuLink Client Overview .......................................................................................................... 8
Installing MenuLink Client...................................................................................................... 8
Starting and Logging In to MenuLink Client ......................................................................... 13
MenuLink Client Main Switchboard ........................................................................................... 15
Sorting and Searching for Information ................................................................................. 16
Viewing and Printing Reports and Worksheets .................................................................... 20
Inventory ...................................................................................................................... 22
Purchasing ................................................................................................................................ 23
Creating and Managing Orders ........................................................................................... 24
Managing Vendors .............................................................................................................. 25
Purchase Order Worksheets ............................................................................................... 31
Create or Edit a Purchase Order ......................................................................................... 39
Submitting the Purchase Order ........................................................................................... 50
Converting and Managing Invoices ..................................................................................... 50
Credit Memos ...................................................................................................................... 57
Back Orders ........................................................................................................................ 57
Recalculate the Usage Per Factor ....................................................................................... 62
Viewing Purchase History ................................................................................................... 63
Purchasing Reports ............................................................................................................. 65
Inventory System ...................................................................................................................... 75
Managing Inventory Items ................................................................................................... 76
Posting Inventory ................................................................................................................ 82
Looking up a Previous Inventory ......................................................................................... 91
Transferring Inventory ......................................................................................................... 92
Creating a Transfer Entry .................................................................................................... 94
4 MenuLink Client User Guide
Entering Spoilage and Loss Information .............................................................................. 99
Inventory Worksheets ........................................................................................................ 103
Printing Inventory Worksheet ............................................................................................ 104
Suggested Prep ................................................................................................................ 112
Inventory Reports .............................................................................................................. 121
Recipes ................................................................................................................................... 129
Menu Item Recipes ........................................................................................................... 130
Prep Item Recipes ............................................................................................................. 134
Items Where Used ............................................................................................................ 139
Conversions ...................................................................................................................... 140
Recipe Worksheets ........................................................................................................... 141
Recipe Reports ................................................................................................................. 141
Sales ....................................................................................................................................... 146
Reconciling Sales .............................................................................................................. 150
Sales Mix .......................................................................................................................... 162
Forecasting ....................................................................................................................... 163
Importing information from the POS System ..................................................................... 168
Sales Reports.................................................................................................................... 170
Period End .............................................................................................................................. 180
Exporting Data .................................................................................................................. 181
Workflow ........................................................................................................................... 182
Activity Log ........................................................................................................................ 183
P and L.............................................................................................................................. 184
Period End Reports ........................................................................................................... 188
Labor .......................................................................................................................... 190
Employees .............................................................................................................................. 192
Employee Maintenance ..................................................................................................... 193
Borrowing and Transferring Employees............................................................................. 200
Payroll Export .................................................................................................................... 207
Worksheets ....................................................................................................................... 207
Employee Reports ............................................................................................................. 207
Payroll ..................................................................................................................................... 213
Shifts ................................................................................................................................. 214
Employees ........................................................................................................................ 220
Jobs .................................................................................................................................. 220
Payroll Reports .................................................................................................................. 221
Scheduling .............................................................................................................................. 229
Employee Schedule .......................................................................................................... 230
Edit an Existing Schedule .................................................................................................. 231
Daily Schedule View.......................................................................................................... 232
Weekly Schedule View ...................................................................................................... 237
MenuLink Client User Guide Inventory 5
Time-off Requests ............................................................................................................. 240
Worksheets ....................................................................................................................... 243
Manager Schedule ............................................................................................................ 244
Scheduling Reports ........................................................................................................... 246
Staffing ................................................................................................................................... 249
Minimum Staffing .............................................................................................................. 250
Fixed Staff ......................................................................................................................... 254
Schedule Matrix ................................................................................................................ 258
Recommended .................................................................................................................. 262
Worksheets and Reports ................................................................................................... 267
Projected Data ........................................................................................................................ 268
Forecasting ....................................................................................................................... 269
Job Setup .......................................................................................................................... 279
Last Year ........................................................................................................................... 279
Manager Projections ......................................................................................................... 279
Worksheets ....................................................................................................................... 279
Reports ............................................................................................................................. 279
6 MenuLink Client User Guide
Before You Begin Welcome to the MenuLink Client application from Radiant Systems, Inc., previously known as
MenuLink Back Office Assistant.NET or BOA.NET.
Restaurant operators need comprehensive tools to manage costs and operations data to make good
business decisions in a timely manner. MenuLink is an internet-based solution designed to help you
automate your back office operations and reduce overall operating costs.
MenuLink, which includes inventory and recipe management, purchasing, labor management, cash
management and reporting, will take you to higher levels of profitability and efficiency by permitting
greater control of your establishment, with less work.
The MenuLink Client side application described in this manual is one part of the MenuLink family of
.NET products, which help you effectively manage your business. Other products in the MenuLink
product line include:
MenuLink Client System Management — Provides system administration tools to set up and
manage information for MenuLink Client installations across your enterprise. Robust
organizational and reporting capabilities enable you to get up-to-date information on any segment
of your business.
MenuLink Client Purchase Management — Manages purchasing, vendor, and shipping
information for your organization. Features include Central Purchasing and Vendor Bidding.
About This Guide
This guide provides you with descriptions and instructions on using MenuLink Client features. In addition
to this guide, you can also use the online help available in MenuLink Client to access the information that
you need to utilize all of the tools that MenuLink Client provides. Press F1 on your computer keyboard to
use online help.
Audience
This guide is written for retail outlet (e.g., restaurant) managers, district or corporate managers, and
system administrators who are familiar with the Windows family of operating systems. MenuLink System
Management users will also find this manual useful, as many System Management features affect the
information that MenuLink Client users see.
Purpose
The purpose of the MenuLink Client User Guide is to get you quickly familiar with the most frequently
used features in the MenuLink Client application. This guide shows you how to install MenuLink Client
software and how to use the features you use on a daily basis to manage your restaurant’s information.
Note: the MenuLink Client User Guide does not contain detailed information about every feature, screen,
and field in MenuLink Client. Also note that the examples shown in this guide are for illustrative purposes
only; the information displayed in your MenuLink Client system will be as defined by your organization.
MenuLink Client User Guide Inventory 7
How This Guide is Organized
This guide is organized into three main sections as follows:
This section, ‘Getting Started’ provides instructions for installing MenuLink Client and how to
log in, introduces the MenuLink Client application and main switchboard, and gives general
instructions on how to run reports.
‘Inventory’ describes the Inventory window and how to use the Purchasing, Inventory, Recipe,
Sales, and Period End features. Also included are Inventory report samples.
‘Labor’ describes the Labor window and how to use the Employee, Payroll, Scheduling, Staffing,
and Projected Data features. Also included are Labor report samples.
Note: Your System Administrator can configure and customize MenuLink Client with the System
Management tool. Therefore, you may not have access to all of the features and reports described in the
guide.
8 MenuLink Client User Guide
Getting Started This section gives you an overview of the MenuLink Client system, gives instructions on how to install
the MenuLink Client application, and shows you how to start and log into MenuLink Client.
MenuLink Client Overview
In MenuLink Client there are two major systems: Inventory and Labor. In Inventory, you can track your
sales, inventory, purchases and other expenses, and ultimately identify your food cost. Inventory also
collects data from your POS system to provide you a theoretical usage and food cost. There are several
variance reports that compare the theoretical information to your actual usage and food cost, and identify
the items that have the greatest variances. Other reports that are in Inventory provide you with sales
information, purchases, as well as a Profit and Loss.
Labor is used to track your employees’ hire information (including addresses, phone numbers, hire dates
and other information), track and maintain time clock information for payroll accuracy, as well as
scheduling and availability. There is also a Staffing function where you can set up your staffing matrices
to assist you in the scheduling process. The reports that are available in Labor provide you with up-to-the-
minute information including labor costs and percentages, schedules, as well as detailed time clock data.
Installing MenuLink Client
This section shows you how to install and log into the MenuLink Client application and introduces you to
the MenuLink Client Main Switchboard.
Instructions for removing the MenuLink Client application from your system are given at the end of this
guide.
You install the MenuLink Client application over a network or the Internet. A local version is available
for sites with slower internet connections. Contact your MenuLink Client Service Manager. In addition,
application updates, when available, are automatically installed. Each time you log in, the system
automatically checks for and updates the program as necessary.
System requirements and important notes
The following are system requirements for the MenuLink Client application:
Operating System:
Windows XP Pro, Service Pack 2
Windows 7 (32-bit only)
PC Platform:
Minimum: Pentium 4 + CPU, 512+ MB RAM
Internet Access:
384K Broadband connection
Notes:
.NET Framework, version 2.0 with Service Pack 2
Windows Installer 2.0+
The user that is logged in to the PC must have read/write access to the ‘/Program
Files/MenuLink’ directory. This is required to install and upgrade the MenuLink Client.
Installation program installs the .NET Framework, if it is not already installed, and Windows Installer.
MenuLink Client User Guide Inventory 9
You must have at least 500 Mb of disk space available on the computer that you are installing the
MenuLink Client on to install the application and download updates.
Before you install the MenuLink Client, have the following information on hand, which was provided to
you by your MenuLink Client Service Manager:
Internet location for the installation
Username and password
Installation Instructions
Your system administrator may have set up security options that require you to log into MS Windows
with Administrator privileges to install MenuLink Client. Check with your system administrator if you’re
not sure.
To Install MenuLink Client:
1. Exit all applications except Internet Explorer.
2. Using Internet Explorer, point the browser to the installation location provided by your
MenuLink Client Project Consultant.
The MenuLink Client Installation web page appears.
.
3. Click Install MenuLink Client.
If this is the first time you’ve installed MenuLink Client on this computer, a Security Alert
appears, prompting you to install and run the MenuLink Install Control. It is necessary to install
this control to proceed with the installation.
10 MenuLink Client User Guide
4. Click Yes to download the install control.
The Windows Installer starts up and prepares the system for installation. In a moment, the
MenuLink Client Installation Wizard appears.
5. Click Next. The License Agreement appears.
6. Review the information, and select ‘I accept the license agreement,’ if you agree to the terms.
Click Next to continue.
If you do not agree to the terms, select ‘I do not accept the license agreement,’ then click Cancel
to exit the installer.
The MenuLink Client Setup screen appears.
MenuLink Client User Guide Inventory 11
Depending on your computer setup, the installer may automatically display your user name and
organization name in the screen. You can keep the information displayed, or enter new
information as necessary. There are also two options at the bottom of the screen. You must select
one of them.
‘Anyone who uses this computer’ makes the MenuLink Client application available for all
users who use this computer. To choose this option, you must have system administration
rights.
‘Only for me [user name]’ makes the MenuLink Client application available only when that
user is logged onto this computer.
7. After making the desired entries and selection, click Next.
The Destination Folder screen appears. You can choose to keep the default program location or
you can click the Browse button to install the application in a location that you choose.
8. Keep the default location or choose another location, then click Next.
The Ready to Install the Application screen appears.
12 MenuLink Client User Guide
9. Click Next. The installer then updates the system with the application information. When the
installer has successfully installed the application, the success screen appears.
10. Click Finish to complete the installation. A new icon titled MenuLink Client appears on your
computer desktop.
MenuLink Client User Guide Inventory 13
Starting and Logging In to MenuLink Client
To use MenuLink, you start the application and log into the database using the username and password
provided by your system administrator or MenuLink Client Project Consultant. Each time you log in,
MenuLink Client automatically checks for program updates and installs them as necessary.
To Start and Log into MenuLink Client:
1. Start the application by double-clicking on the MenuLink Client icon on your computer desktop.
Note: You can also start MenuLink Client by choosing the application name from the Start > All
Programs menu.
MenuLink Client checks for program updates and installs them as necessary.
MenuLink automatically downloads an
update if one is available,
…or lets you know that the
program is current.
14 MenuLink Client User Guide
In a moment, the login screen appears.
By default, the application displays information in English. If desired, choose another language
by selecting the desired language from the drop-down menu. (The Chinese language is available;
however your system must have Chinese character fonts installed to make this selection).
2. Type your user name and password, and then click .
Note: The user name is not case sensitive, but the password is.
The MenuLink Client Main Switchboard appears, as described next.
Note: In some cases, you may see a message appear to notify you of an alert, such as a pending
transfer or that an inventory was not posted. See Transferring Inventory, Employee Maintenance,
or contact your system administrator for more information. You can view this message again at
any time by pressing F2 on the keyboard. Click OK to proceed.
Other messages that may appear while logged in to MenuLink are as follows:
Change Password
Set Security Question
MenuLink Client User Guide Inventory 15
Notifications for borrowed or transferred employees.
MenuLink Client Main Switchboard
For most users, when the MenuLink Client Switchboard appears after you log into MenuLink Client. The
Inventory features are available from this screen. In addition, you can access the Labor Switchboard by
clicking the Labor button or exit the application by clicking the STOP button. Your administrator can
modify preferences by user group, to make Inventory or Labor the default screen upon launching
MenuLink Client.
Selecting a Store
Before you can use any MenuLink Client features, you must first select the store you want to work with
from the drop-down list in the upper right corner of the Main Switchboard. Depending on how your
system administrator has set up your system, a store may already be selected for you or you may be able
to select from multiple locations. If you have any questions regarding which stores’ information you have
access to, contact your system administrator. Once you select a store, MenuLink Client features become
active. You’ll notice that the background on the buttons changes from gray to blue.
If MenuLink Client does not
automatically select a store,
select one from the drop-
down list.
Navigation Buttons
In most switchboards, there are a few buttons you can use to navigate between screens or exit the
program.
The Inventory button
navigates to the main
Inventory Switchboard.
The Exit to Previous
button navigates back to
the previous
switchboard.
The Labor button
navigates to the main
Labor Switchboard.
The Exit to Main
button navigates back to
the main switchboard.
16 MenuLink Client User Guide
The Workflow button
helps navigate through
common tasks, such as
hiring an employee.
The STOP button exits
the MenuLink
application.
Sorting and Searching for Information
Many ‘lookup’ screens in MenuLink Client display long lists of information, such as lists of employees,
menu items, or raw material items. You can use the scroll bar to the right of the screen to scroll through
the list of items. MenuLink Client also has several tools you can use to find the specific information you
are looking for.
Sorting Displayed Information
The following example shows a sample Recipes – Menu Items screen. By default, this screen displays
information sorted alphabetically by menu item name. You can change the order in which information is
displayed by clicking on the column headers. For example, you can:
Click the ‘Menu Item Name’ column header to display menu items in reverse alphabetical order.
Click the header again to return to alphabetical order.
Click the ‘Category’ column header to display menu items sorted by Category (categories are
sorted in alphabetical order). Click the header again to sort by reverse alphabetical order.
Click the ‘Menu Item ID’ column header to display menu items sorted by Menu Item ID in
ascending (least to greatest) order. Click the header again to sort by descending order.
Note: When sorting on column headers, you may need to use the scroll bar to return the display
to the top of the list.
The Recipes – Menu Items
screen displays menu items in
alphabetical order.
MenuLink Client User Guide Inventory 17
Click the Menu Item Name
header to display menu
items in reverse
alphabetical order.
Click the Category
header to sort by Categories
in alphabetical order.
Click Here
Click Here
18 MenuLink Client User Guide
Click the Menu Item ID
header to sort by Menu Item
ID number
Click Here
MenuLink Client User Guide Inventory 19
Searching for Information
You can search for a specific word or number by using the search function.
Locate information
using the Search option.
To Search for Information:
1. Select a search field from Search drop-down list.
Note: MenuLink Client only searches records that are in the list, even if the list is a result of
another search. For example, if you search for ‘chicken,’ and then perform another search, the
second search only looks through the items from the first search. To refresh the list to include all
items, click Show All.
The drop-down list
contains the column header names.
2. Enter the information you are looking for in the ‘for’ field and click Search.
MenuLink Client has
searched for menu item
names containing
the word ‘chicken’
3. If necessary, repeat step 2 to narrow your search further. MenuLink Client only searches the
displayed list.
4. To select an item, click anywhere in the item’s row.
5. Click Lookup to view menu ingredient details.
20 MenuLink Client User Guide
Viewing and Printing Reports and Worksheets
This section describes, in general, how to select, preview, and print a report or worksheet in MenuLink
Client. Report/worksheet samples and options are discussed throughout this guide in their relevant
sections.
Each switchboard in MenuLink Client has a Reports button. The Reports button provides access to the
reports and worksheets that MenuLink has developed for the Inventory System and Labor System. The
reports available from each individual switchboard (e.g., Inventory, Purchasing, Sales, etc.), are the
reports associated with that particular switchboard.
Note: To simplify the following instructions, the term ‘report’ is used. The instructions to view or print a
worksheet are the same.
When you select a report, an entry screen often appears requesting more information before generating
the report. The requested information is based on the specific report you selected. For example, daily
reports ask for a specific date. Other reports may ask for a date range or other information. After you
enter the requested information, the report is generated and previewed on screen.
To access Food Cost or Labor reports, do the following:
1. Click Reports. The report selection screen appears which lists all the available reports applicable
for the switchboard.
Choose a report from
the list. Scroll down
if necessary.
2. Select the desired report name by clicking on it.
3. Double-clicking on a report name previews the report.
4. Click one of the following buttons:
Preview the report on-screen before printing it. This option also gives you access to additional view and export options.
Send the report directly to the printer without previewing the report.
MenuLink Client User Guide Inventory 21
5. If the Report Parameters Setup screen appears, enter the requested information as necessary.
For example, select the time frame (Day, Date Range, Week, etc.) and enter the desired date or
period and week. Be sure to enter requested information on all tabs in the screen (Time Frame
and Sites in the following example).
6. Click OK.
If Preview was selected, the report appears on screen.
If Print was selected, the report is sent to the printer.
7. If you chose to preview the report, several options are available, as shown in the following
diagram.
22 MenuLink Client User Guide
Inventory Using the Inventory System, you can track your sales, inventory, purchases and other expenses, and
ultimately identify your food and other costs. MenuLink Client collects data from your POS system and
calculates both theoretical usage and actual food costs. There are several variance reports that compare
the two, and will help you identify areas that are performing well and areas needing improvement.
.
Inventory System features include the following:
Purchasing — Manage orders, invoices, vendors, and ordering history.
Inventory and Prep — View items, post inventory, perform transfers, and track spoilage.
Recipes — Manage recipe ingredients, prep lists, prep locations, and unit conversions.
Sales — Access menu item and prep item recipes, view where items are used, print ‘Table of
Weights and Measures’.
Period End — Finalize weekly numbers, export data, perform workflows, and view activity logs.
Reports — View available inventory reports.
The Inventory System Screen also has three buttons at the bottom of the screen:
Stop — This button exits the MenuLink application.
Workflow — This button gives you a list of configured workflows to run that guide you through
common processes, such as hiring a new employee or running your End of Day routine.
Labor — This button takes you to the Labor Switchboard.
MenuLink Client User Guide 23
Purchasing
The Purchasing screen contains several tools you can use to create purchase orders, track invoices, and
manage the vendors that you purchase inventory or services from.
Features in the Purchasing screen include:
Orders — Create and manage purchase orders, convert orders into invoices, and recalculate
usage per factors.
Invoices — Enter invoices for food and non-food items and track expenses.
Vendors — Manage vendor information. Your System Administrator may maintain this
information, or may enable you to add vendors to the system.
History — View the purchase history of a specific item.
Worksheet — Manage and print purchase order worksheets that can help you create purchase
orders.
Reports — View and print available purchasing reports.
24 MenuLink Client User Guide
Creating and Managing Orders
By using the Orders feature, you can create and manage purchase orders. With Electronic Ordering, you
can send a purchase order electronically to the vendor. If your organization uses the MenuLink Purchase
Management application, you can create and send purchase orders to your organization’s internal
purchasing department and/or warehouse. Once you create a PO for a vendor, depending on the vendor,
you may be able to send the order electronically to that vendor. Contact your MenuLink Client Service
Manager for help with these functions.
MenuLink Client can suggest or recommend an order in one of three ways: with Par Levels (also called
Build-To amounts), the Order by Forecast, or the Order by Usage per Sales factor.
Par Levels: MenuLink Client uses Par Levels, or ‘build-tos,’ to calculate the Suggested Quantity.
Par Levels are maintained by restaurant managers through the Item Lookup screen.
Order by Forecasting: Through the Sales Forecasting function, MenuLink Client calculates a
forecasted sales mix. Based on that sales mix forecast and the recipes, MenuLink Client
calculates how much product is needed and uses that information to calculate the Suggested
Quantity.
Usage Per Factor is used for new items, new store openings or items that have usage that is not
based on a specific recipe. The factor is based on the standard unit and calculates what was used
based on your prior days back, then multiplies usage by the configured usage factor.
After creating and submitting a Purchase Order, you can easily convert it into an invoice. You can then
verify what you received and the price you paid for the items. If a vendor is not able to completely fill an
order, you can create a back order if this option is enabled (see ‘Back Orders’ on page 42).
To create a purchase order, follow these steps. Some steps may or may not be needed, depending on how
your application is configured. For example, if your system administrator manages your vendors, you can
skip the ‘Create and Manage Vendors’ step.
1. Create and Manage Vendors (Managing Vendors)
2. Print and Fill out a Purchase Order Worksheet (Purchase Order Worksheets)
3. Create or Edit a Purchase Order (Create or Edit a Purchase Order)
4. Submit the Purchase Order (Submitting a Purchase Order)
5. Manage and Finalize the Invoice (Managing and Finalizing the Invoice)
MenuLink Client User Guide 25
Managing Vendors
The Vendors feature is where you can view and/or maintain vendor information.
Note: This feature is typically managed by administration users only. Contact your system administrator
for more information.
Vendor Selection Screen
The Vendor Selection screen appears when you click Vendors in the Purchasing Switchboard. From the
Vendor Selection screen, you can do the following:
Search for a vendor. Select ‘Vendor Name’ or ‘Vendor ID’ from the ‘Search’ drop-down list.
Enter the corresponding text in the 'for' field, then click the Search button.
Lookup (view) a vendor and modify the information. Select a Vendor Name or Vendor ID, then
click Lookup.
Create a vendor. Click New.
Delete a vendor. Select a Vendor Name or Vendor ID, then click Delete. MenuLink Client
prompts you to confirm the deletion. Keep in mind that rather that deleting a vendor, you can
exclude a vendor from view. Exclusion is recommended over deletion, since vendors have
historical information associated with them.
View other vendors in MenuLink Client by clicking on Show Excluded. Keep in mind that you
cannot order items from these vendors. Contact your system administrator for more information.
26 MenuLink Client User Guide
Vendors Screen
The Vendors screen is accessible from the Vendor Selection screen, when you:
Click New to create a new vendor, or
Select a vendor row, and then click Lookup.
The Vendors screen is organized into five tabs, which are described below.
Vendors Screen – General Info Tab
The General Info tab is where you define basic information about the vendor. At a minimum, you must
define the Vendor Name and Vendor ID. We recommend filling out as much information as possible
since it is viewable in many areas of the MenuLink Client. The following items have specific meaning in
MenuLink Client.
Exclude — Select this field to exclude the vendor from being viewed in MenuLink Client.
Supports Back Orders — Select this field to enable back orders to be created for this vendor
when product is temporarily unavailable.
Auto Generate Purchase Order ID — Select this field to have MenuLink Client automatically
create Purchase Order IDs for this vendor.
PDA Receiving Enabled — Select this field to use a PDA to receive orders from this vendor.
Purchase Management Fill All Orders — Select this field to enable Purchase Orders to be
filled with one button when using MenuLink Purchase Management. (This required a licensed
instance on MenuLink Purchase Management. Contact your MenuLink Client Service Manager
for more information.)
Purchase Management Modify Invoices Report — Select this report for display when filling
ordering when using MenuLink Purchase Management. (This required a licensed instance on
MenuLink Purchase Management. Contact your MenuLink Client Service Manager for more
information.)
MenuLink Client User Guide 27
Vendors Screen – Order/Delivery Days Tab
On this tab, enter the days that you normally order from this vendor as well as the day that the order is
normally received.
Enforce One Order per Delivery Day. This function is used in MenuLink Client to limit the number of
orders for this vendor to one per day. This feature is usually managed by administration users only.
Contact your system administrator for more information.
Default ―Schedule Delivery‖ date to next available delivery date. Use this function to automatically
cause MenuLink to use the next available delivery date as the scheduled delivery date.
Vendors Screen – Electronic Ordering Tab
Initially, only the EO Type and EO Format fields are available. When you make a
selection, the other fields automatically
appear.
28 MenuLink Client User Guide
Certain vendors can receive orders electronically directly from MenuLink Client rather than having to
phone or fax in the order. If you can send orders electronically to this vendor, select the EO Type from the
drop-down list. Choose the correct EO format for your vendor, and fill in the other fields that appear after
you make your selection. Contact your system administrator for more information.
Vendors Screen – Security Tab
The Security tab defines the security privileges for the Vendors feature, including establishing who has
permission to view the Vendor screen, and to make modification on the ‘Order/Delivery Days’ tab.
Contact your system administrator for more information.
MenuLink Client User Guide 29
Vendors Screen – Custom Fields Tab
The Custom Fields tab is where you can add user-defined fields to vendor Records. These fields are
exported to the MenuLink Data Mart. Contact your system administrator for more information.
Set Prime Item
Click the Set Prime Items button, in the Vendors screen, to access the Vendor Prime Items screen. Use
this screen to review or set prime item status by vendor.
The Vendor Prime Items screen is where you can select the items you purchase from this vendor. The
Prime Item is used to identify the primary items purchased from a vendor. This configuration is critical
30 MenuLink Client User Guide
when you have the same vendor listed more than once for the same item because you can purchase the
item in different units from the same vendor.
Note: If the vendor is assigned only once, the prime item must still be selected.
Printing Purchase Order Worksheets
On the Purchasing Switchboard, click Worksheet to access Purchasing Worksheet Selection.
In this dialog box, the following options are available:
Condensed Worksheet — Creates a worksheet with summary information on it.
Full Worksheet — Creates a worksheet with more detailed information on it, including
spaces for making notes for order creation.
Setup Order by Vendor — Enables you to view purchase order worksheet settings.
When you select Condensed Worksheet or Full Worksheet, the Report Parameter Selection
dialog box appears. If at least one item purchased from the selected vendor is configured to order by
the Forecasting or Usage per Factor method, the dialog box provides a date range selection option for
the Suggested Order, which you can modify to suit your order needs.
MenuLink Client User Guide 31
Purchase Order Worksheets
To assist you with preparing purchase orders, you can create, modify or print a purchase order worksheet
for selected vendors.
Report element Description
Item Description The item name
Vendor’s Item # The vendor’s item number for the product listed in the item description.
Purchase Unit The unit by which this item is purchased (case pack)
Line # The PO Sequence number.
(Day) Req’d The required amount is what ML determines based on the selection of Par, Forecast or Usage Per factor in the ‘Order by’ field in the Item Lookup screen.
Open POs Amount that was previously ordered but hasn’t been received on an invoice yet.
Theory On-Hand The on-hand amount the system has calculated using the last full inventory plus any purchases for the week minus what was used based on the sales mix.
Actual On Hand A blank field for you to write the actual on-hand.
Suggest Order The number in this field is calculated using the quantities found in Req’d, Open POs, and Theory on Hand.
Actual Order A blank field where you can enter the quantity of the item you want to order.
32 MenuLink Client User Guide
Report element Description
Purchase History The last five purchases of the item. The date identifies when the item was ordered through the purchase order process. The amount indicates what was actually received.
Note: If there is a quantity but no date, this indicates that the item was not purchased through a purchase order, but was purchased through the Invoice function or Transfer function.
If you selected ‘Condensed Worksheet,’ in this instance, the actual worksheet appears as follows:
Click ‘Close’ in the report tool bar, to close the worksheet.
If all items available from the selected vendor are configured to order by the Par method, the Report
Parameter Selection dialog box provides you with single-day options. Select only one day in this
dialog box.
MenuLink Client User Guide 33
If you selected ‘Full Worksheet’ in this instance, the actual worksheet appears as follows:
Click ‘Close’ in the report tool bar, to close the worksheet.
34 MenuLink Client User Guide
Viewing Purchase Order Worksheet Settings
1. On the Purchasing Dashboard, click Worksheet.
2. Click Setup Order by Vendor to access the Vendor Selection screen.
3. Select the desired vendor and click Lookup. This opens the Setup Order by Vendor Setup screen.
This screen shows the items in the order they are displayed on
the purchase order worksheet
for the selected vendor.
MenuLink Client User Guide 35
Removing Items from Worksheets
To Remove an Item from the Worksheet, click the item name to select it, then click Remove Item.
36 MenuLink Client User Guide
Rearranging Worksheet Items
1. To rearrange the entire list alphabetically or by category, click Reorder Setup then select
Reorder by Name to put the list in alphabetical order by item name or Reorder by Category to
reorder the worksheet by category name.
2. To reorder items (change the order in which the items appear on your worksheet),
a) Click the item with the left mouse button to select it. Keep the left mouse button depressed.
In this example we
will move ‘Cheese
Slice’ to the top of the
list.
b) Continue to hold the left mouse button down, move (drag) the item to its new place in the
sequence. As you move the item up or down, a line indicates where the item will be placed.
Be sure to keep holding the mouse button down as you move the item.
Hold the left mouse
button with the item
selected for a moment
before moving the
mouse
MenuLink Client User Guide 37
c) Once the line is in the desired location, release the mouse button and the item appears in its
new location on the purchase order worksheet.
Once you are satisfied with the changes to the settings, click Save.
Adding Items to Worksheets
1. From the Order by Vendor Setup screen, click Add Items. The Order by Vendor Item(s) screen
appears:
2. Select the item you want to add (scroll through the list or search as necessary) then click Select. If
the item is already assigned to another prime vendor, the following message appears. If you click
Yes, the item is added the purchase order worksheet. You can then place it in the appropriate
sequence in the list.
38 MenuLink Client User Guide
3. If the item you would like to add to the worksheet is not on the list, click Add Vendor Item. This
takes you to the Add Vendor Item screen (below). Select the item you would like to add from the
list and click Select.
4. Next, enter the information for the new item (Vendor code, Order unit, Receive Price, Receive
Unit). Select prime item if necessary. Click Save to keep the changes, or click Cancel to discard
them.
The newly added item appears at the bottom of the list of existing items on the worksheet.
MenuLink Client User Guide 39
Create or Edit a Purchase Order
In the Orders menu, you can:
Place an order by vendor
Create a manual order
View (look up) and edit an existing order
Delete an order
Convert an order to invoice
Copy an existing order to a new order
Recalculate Usage Factor
Order by Vendor
You can choose the items that you wish to purchase from a selected vendor. Each item that is assigned to
the vendor (in Item Lookup or by your system administrator) appears in the Purchasing - Order by
Vendor screen. MenuLink Client calculates a suggested order based on one of three methods: Par Levels,
Order by Forecasting or a Usage Per Factor:
Par Levels — MenuLink Client uses Par Levels, or ‘build-tos,’ to calculate the Suggested
Quantity. Par Levels are maintained by restaurant managers through the Item Lookup screen.
Order by Forecasting — Through the Sales Forecasting function, MenuLink Client calculates a
forecasted sales mix. Based on that sales mix forecast and the recipes in MenuLink. MenuLink
Client then calculates how much product is needed and uses that information to calculate the
Suggested Quantity.
Usage Per Factor — Used for new items, new store openings or items that have usage that is not
based on a specific recipe. The factor is based on the standard unit and calculates what was used
based on your prior days back the multiplies usage by the configured Usage factor.
Tip: A Purchase Order Worksheet can be used as a tool to help create an accurate purchase order.
40 MenuLink Client User Guide
The following is an example and description of the Purchasing – Order by Vendor screen:
Field/column/button Description
Fields
Vendor Name The selected vendor the purchase order is being created for.
Vendor ID The Vendor code assigned to the Vendor.
Purchase Order ID A number that MenuLink Client automatically generates. You can change this number.
Due Date The date of delivery. The field automatically defaults to the next day. However it can be changed to any date in the future.
Memo Free-form text field where you can enter a comment regarding the order.
Columns
Order The boxes are populated with checkmarks when the number in the Actual order field is modified. This indicates the item will be ordered.
Suggested The number in this field identifies the suggested quantity that MenuLink Client has calculated.
Actual order Enter the quantity you wish to order here. You can also click Accept All to populate this column with the numbers in the Suggested Order column.
Units Displays how the item’s ordering unit is defined. This field can be edited by using Item Lookup or by contacting your system administrator.
Item #
The number in this field represents the vendor's item ID number for the item. This field can be edited by using Item Lookup or by contacting your system administrator.
MenuLink Client User Guide 41
Field/column/button Description
Description Identifies the item to be ordered. The items that are displayed have been assigned to the selected vendor through Item Lookup. The item must also be selected as ‘Purchase’ through the Item Lookup screen.
Required (Req’d) The amounts are calculated based on Pars, Order by Forecasting, or the Usage Per factor.
Open POs The quantity in this field identifies the amount ordered of the item on any outstanding purchase orders that have not yet been converted into an invoice.
Theory On Hand The quantity in this field identifies the on-hand amount the system has calculated using the last full inventory plus any purchases for the week minus what was used based on the sales mix.
Line #
Indicates the sequence that the items were ordered and how those items are displayed on the printed purchase order. When the item is selected in the Order column, the system assigns the number to that item. If the check box is cleared, the number is removed as well.
Buttons
You can select an entire category from the drop down menu and add all of the items in that category to the bottom of the order form.
Clicking this button removes the details from the top of the screen (Vendor Name, Vendor ID, etc) and displays the search fields so you can look for specific items. Click the button again to re-display.
Rearranges the item sequence by storage location rather than by the purchase order sequence number. The purchase order sequence number is assigned in the vendor tab of the Item Lookup screen, or in the Setup Order by Vendor option in the Purchasing- Worksheet feature.
Saves the purchase order, but does NOT electronically send it to your vendor.
Available if Order by Forecasting is used. Click this button to recalculate the suggested order quantity if forecasts or order dates have been adjusted.
Places a Check in the Order column for each item that has a suggested order quantity and copies the Suggested QTY to the Actual Order column. After Accept All has been selected, the button is replaced with the Clear All button, which reverses this process.
Previews the purchase order printout on screen, where you can choose to print a hard copy. The printed purchase order only shows those items that have a check mark in the Order column.
Adds items that are not assigned to the selected vendor.
Available only if the vendor selected has been defined as an Electronic Order Vendor. This button starts the Electronic Order process that your System Administrator has set up.
42 MenuLink Client User Guide
To Place an Order by Vendor:
1. From the Purchasing Switchboard, click Orders. Click Order by Vendor in the Orders dialog
box.
2. The Purchasing – Order by Vendor screen appears. MenuLink Client displays orders in
alphabetical order by vendor name.
3. If necessary, select a vendor name from the Vendor Name field.
4. Enter the correct due date in the Due Date field.
5. Set the From and To dates in the ‘Suggested Order’ area, and click ‘Recalc Suggested’ to
recalculate these values.
6. Enter quantities to be ordered in the Actual Order column, and press Enter. MenuLink Client
enters a check mark in the Order box and the cursor advances to the next item.
Tip: A quick way to create an order for all items that MenuLink Client suggests that you order is
to click Accept All. This enters check marks into all of the boxes in the Order column for the
items with suggested quantities, and inserts the suggested quantities in the Actual Order column.
You can modify the Actual Order quantities and enter or delete check marks from the Order
column. To clear all check boxes after you selected Accept All, click Clear All. This removes the
check marks from the Order column, and removes all values from the Actual Order column. If
you manually check an item row, you must also insert a value greater than zero (0) for that item
in the Actual Order column.
7. If the item is not to be ordered, press Enter on your keyboard to advance to the next item without
changing the quantity. Check marks do not appear for items that you are not ordering.
8. After all items to be ordered have been identified, click Print.
A preview of the Purchase Order appears:
9. Verify that all items that are to be ordered appear on the purchase order, then do one of the
following:
If you want to make changes to the order, click Close in the Toolbar. You will return to the
Purchasing - Order by Vendor screen, where you can make modifications to the order.
If you are ready to print the purchase order, click Print in the Toolbar.
MenuLink Client User Guide 43
10. Click Save to save the purchase order.
Note: You must save the Purchase Order to be able to convert it into an invoice when the order is
received.
MenuLink Client displays the Purchasing – Order by Vendor screen for the next vendor.
11. If the vendor for which you have created the order is configured for electronic ordering, click
Send Order Now.
12. Repeat steps 2-9 for each vendor you want to place an order with.
44 MenuLink Client User Guide
Managing Purchase Orders
You can view (look up), select, or delete any existing (unconverted) purchase order from the Order
Selection screen. This screen appears when you:
Click the Orders button in the Orders pop-up screen.
Click the Browse button when copying an order.
Click the Browse button when converting an order to invoice.
An example Order selection screen is shown next.
The Select button is
available if you clicked
on the Browse
button when copying or
converting a purchase
order.
MenuLink Client displays purchase orders whose purchase order dates are on or between the Start Date
and End Date. You can change this date range as necessary or you can change the criteria to include
closed orders by clicking Show Closed Orders.
If there is a long list of purchase orders, you can search by the following areas (click the Search Drop-
down arrow, then enter the text you want to match in the ‘for’ field):
Order ID
Order Date
Vendor Name
Due Date
Sent Date
Notes
See Searching for Information in MenuLink Client for more information on searching.
You can do the following in the Order Selection screen:
Create a new purchase order. Click New, and a blank Purchasing – Purchase Orders screen
appears.
View a purchase order. Select a row, and then click Lookup. You can make changes to the
purchase order if necessary.
Select a purchase order to copy or convert to invoice. Select a row, and click Select. (This button
is not available when you click Orders from the Orders pop-up screen.)
MenuLink Client User Guide 45
Delete a purchase order. Select a row, and then click Delete. MenuLink Client prompts you to
confirm that you want to delete the purchase order.
Entering a Manual Purchase Order
To Enter a New Purchase Order:
1. In the Purchasing Switchboard click Orders. In the Orders dialog box, click Orders again. The
Order Selection screen appears (below).
2. Click New to create a new order to access the Purchasing – Purchase Orders screen:
46 MenuLink Client User Guide
Each element of the Purchasing – Purchase Orders screen is defined below.
Element name Description
Fields/columns
Order ID A number that the system automatically generates and can be changed
Vendor The selected vendor the purchase order is being created for.
Vendor ID The Vendor Code assigned to the Vendor Name.
Open Order A check mark in this box indicates that this order is still open and will be taken into account when calculating the suggested order.
Purchase Order Date
The Date the purchase order was created.
Due Date The date of delivery. The field automatically defaults to the next day but should be changed to match the actual delivery date.
Memo Free-form text field where you can enter a comment regarding the order.
Sent Date Once the Sent check box is selected, this field is populated with the date the purchase order was submitted to the vendor.
Line # Indicates the sequence number of the items in the purchase order.
Vendor Code The number in this field represents the vendor’s item ID number for the item. The vendor’s item number assigned to the item cannot be modified in this field, but can be modified through Item Lookup.
Item Name Identifies the item to be ordered. The item must be selected as ‘Purchasable’ through Item Lookup.
Actual Quantity Identifies the quantity of the item that will be ordered.
Actual Units Identifies the case pack or how the item will be purchased.
Price Shows the price based on the Purchase Units. The price that is shown is what was used the last time the item was purchased.
Total The amount in this field shows the total monetary amount for the item selected i.e. QTY multiplied by the Price.
Total Amount Payable
The total monetary amount due to the vendor for this order (i.e., the sum of the Total column).
Buttons
Pressing this button removes the details from the top of the screen (Order ID, Vendor Name, Vendor ID, Due Date etc.) and maximizes the details of the order to make searching the order easier. Restore Details returns the details to the top of the order.
Previews the purchase order printout on screen, where you can choose to print a hard copy.
Saves the purchase order.
MenuLink Client User Guide 47
Element name Description
Available only if the vendor selected has been defined as an Electronic Order Vendor. This button starts the Electronic Order process that your System Administrator has set up.
To enter a new purchase order, continued:
3. Select the Vendor Name.
4. Enter the Purchase Order Date. This field defaults to the current date but can be changed.
5. Enter the Due Date. This field defaults to the next day but can be changed to reflect the true
delivery date.
6. To add items to the purchase order, use one of the following methods:
Using the Vendor Code field: Enter the number the vendor assigned to the item. If the item in
the Item Name field is not the correct item, this may indicate that the desired item does not
have that number assigned to it in Item Lookup.
Using the Item Name: Click the Item Name or the Vendor Code field and click to select
the drop-down selection box. Type the first few letters of the item name in the field to show
the items in the selection list that match what was entered. You can also use the scroll bar to
the right of the selection list to search the list for the item you want.
7. Click Print to print the purchase order
8. Click Save to save the purchase order.
9. If the vendor is set up for electronic ordering, click Send Order Now.
Adjusting an Existing Purchase Order
When you are viewing the Order Selection screen, click Lookup to view a selected order. The
Purchasing– Purchase Orders screen appears:
48 MenuLink Client User Guide
Click the Item Name or the Vendor Code field and click to access the drop-down list. Type
the first few letters of the item name in the field to show the items in the list that match. Adjust
the quantity and price as needed.
To delete an item, click the gray box to the left of the line number to highlight the line, and press
Delete on the keyboard.
To adjust the item’s quantity or price, select the Actual Quantity or Price fields and type a new
value.
Copying a Purchase Order
You can create a new purchase order by copying a previously entered purchase order, including purchase
orders that have been converted to invoices. When you use this option, you are prompted to provide a new
order and due date. All of the other information from the old purchase order appears in the new purchase
order. You can make changes or add to the new purchase order as necessary.
To Create a New Purchase Order by Copying:
1. From the Purchasing Switchboard, click Orders. Click Copy in the Orders dialog box.
The Copy Purchase Order pop-up screen appears.
2. To select a Purchase Order to copy, do one of the following:
Click in the Purchase Order ID field to select a purchase order number, or
Click to change the view to the order selection screen
MenuLink Client User Guide 49
Purchase orders
appear in the list with orders from
the most recent day listed first.
3. Select an order, then click Select to access the selected order in the Purchasing – Purchase
Orders screen:
4. If necessary, enter a new purchase order date or due date.
5. Click Copy.
The Purchasing – Purchase Orders screen appears. The purchase order has a new ID, purchase
date, and due date, but all other information is identical to the copied purchase order.
6. Make changes as needed, and then click Save, Print, and/or Send the order.
50 MenuLink Client User Guide
Submitting the Purchase Order
Electronic Ordering
If the vendor you are ordering from is set up to accept electronic orders, simply select Send Order Now
from the Purchase Orders or the Order by Vendor screen.
Manual Ordering
If you need to submit the order manually, you can print the order out (or view the order on the screen) and
follow your normal procedures.
Converting and Managing Invoices
Converting a Purchase Order into an Invoice:
1. From the Purchasing Switchboard, click Orders. Click Convert in the Orders dialog box.
The Convert PO Invoice pop-up screen appears.
2. To select a Purchase Order to convert, do one of the following:
Click in the Purchase Order ID field to select a purchase order by its number:
Click to access the Order Selection screen.
MenuLink Client User Guide 51
Purchase orders are displayed in
the list with oldest orders listed first.
3. Locate and select the correct Purchase Order, and click Select. The Convert PO to Invoice
dialog box returns.
4. Enter the Invoice ID from the invoice.
5. If necessary, enter a new Invoice Date and/or Delivered Date/Time.
6. After you have selected the purchase order, click convert.
The Purchasing – Invoices screen appears.
Note: If you ordered from a Commissary site and the amount shipped was less than the amount
ordered, MenuLink Client prompts you to print an exception report. Note that this report prints
directly to the printer; it does not preview on screen. See the Purchase Management User Guide
for more information.
7. Make changes as needed, then click Save and/or Print.
When you convert a purchase order to invoice, MenuLink Client displays the Purchasing – Invoices
screen. Although this screen is similar to the Purchasing – Orders screen, there are several differences, as
described below for the following the screen example.
52 MenuLink Client User Guide
Use the blue buttons in
the column between the Item Name
and Units columns to access the Inventory
Lookup screen.
Below is a description of the items in this screen. You can make changes to all of the information
displayed to reflect the actual delivery, unless noted otherwise below.
Element name Description
Fields/columns
Invoice ID During the convert process, you are prompted to enter the Invoice ID. You can change this here if needed.
Vendor The Vendor as selected in the purchase order
Vendor ID The Vendor Code assigned to the Vendor Name.
Check No. If you are paying by check, enter the check number here. This is primarily used with Liquor Vendors
Fiscal Year, Period, Week
The Fiscal information: Year, Period and Week default to the appropriate time period based on the delivery date. You cannot change the information in these fields.
Invoice Date This field defaults to the current date. If necessary, you can change the date to match the invoice date.
Due In most cases this field is left blank. However, a due date can be entered into this field if necessary
Delivered Time The date and time selected or entered in the Convert to Invoice screen (described below). Used to identify which shift the items were received for Shift Inventories. The date and time can be changed if needed
Memo Free-form text field where you can enter a comment regarding the order or invoice.
Total Amount Payable
The total monetary amount due to the vendor for this order (i.e., the sum of the Total column).
Line # Indicates sequence number of the items in the invoice.
Vendor Code The number in this field represents the vendor’s item ID number for the item. The Item number that is assigned to the item cannot be modified in this field, but can be modified through Item Lookup.
MenuLink Client User Guide 53
Element name Description
Item Name Identifies the item that was ordered. The item must be selected as ‘Purchase’ through Item Lookup.
Inventory Lookup This blue button, in its own column, accesses the Inventory Lookup screen, with the selected item highlighted. You can select another item not already on the invoice, and add it to the invoice by clicking Select.
Units Identifies how the item was purchased.
Ord Qty (Ordered Quantity)
Identifies the amount of the item that was ordered. You cannot make changes to this information.
Rec Qty (Received Quantity)
The amount of the item that was received. You can change this to reflect any differences between the amounts ordered and received.
Price Shows the price based on the Purchase Units. The price that is shown is what was used the last time the item was purchased. This price can be updated it the new cost is different.
Total The total monetary amount for the item in this row.
Check This column appears with electronic orders received from the vendor, to identify items that need to be verified. Items from the electronic invoice may differ from the purchase order during conversion, in quantities or prices.
Subtotal The sum of the Total column for all the items in the invoice.
Sales Tax Enter the sales tax amount, if any, charged by the vendor for the items received.
Freight Enter the amount charged by the vendor for shipping.
Total Amount Payable
The total amount owed to the vendor. The sum of the Subtotal, Sales Tax, and Freight fields. This figure should match the amount on the vendor’s invoice.
Buttons
Click this button to remove the details from the top of the screen (Invoice ID, Vendor Name, Vendor ID, Due Date etc.) and maximizes the details of the order so you can search the order easier. Restore details returns the details to the top of the invoice.
Creates a credit invoice associated with the invoice to account for items returned or not received.
Deletes a previously created credit memo, based on the current order.
Pressing this button reorders the invoice by category.
Previews the invoice printout on screen, where you can choose to print a hard copy.
Saves the invoice, without finalizing it.
54 MenuLink Client User Guide
Element name Description
Locks the invoice from future edits. This button is typically used in tandem with the MenuLink Data Mart feature.
Discards the attempt to convert the purchase order to an invoice, and any credit memo created from this attempt.
Working with Invoices
The Invoices feature is where you can track invoices that you received at the restaurant as well as
invoices you converted from purchase orders. These include food and liquor invoices as well as non-food
invoices, such as office supplies or plumbing invoices. MenuLink Client uses invoice information to track
your expenses throughout the system. For food and liquor invoices, the costs and quantities of the items
received are tracked to calculate food and beverage costs. The total amount of the non-food invoice (e.g.,
plumbing) is tracked for expense purposes and is shown on the P&L report.
When Paid Outs or Paid Ins need to be allocated through the Sales Reconcile function, the invoice screen
is where the allocation of the Paid Out or Paid In is completed.
Invoice Selection Screen
To view, modify, delete, or finalize an invoice, click Invoices on the Purchasing Switchboard. The
Invoice Selection screen appears:
MenuLink Client displays Invoices that
have Invoice Dates that are on or
between the selected Start Date and End
Date. You can change this date
range as necessary.
If there is a long list of invoices, you can search by the following areas (click the Search Drop-down
arrow, then enter the text you want to match in the ‘for’ field):
Invoice ID
Invoice Date
Delivered Time
Vendor Name
MenuLink Client User Guide 55
Total
In addition to these selections, filter options are available at the top of the screen, making it possible to
limit the display of invoices to the following types:
All
Final
Unfinalized
Deleting an Invoice
To delete an invoice, select the invoice and click Delete on the Invoice Selection screen. A finalized
invoice cannot be deleted.
Finalizing or Rejecting an Invoice
Once you have made any adjustments needed to an invoice, click the Finalize button on the Purchases –
Invoice screen to accept the changes. Note that once an invoice is finalized, it can no longer be edited or
deleted. If you are not ready to finalize an invoice, but would still like to save changes, you can click the
Save button and return to the invoice later.
Show Pending
Click Show Pending to view invoices that have been imported from a vendor, but are awaiting action by
the manager.
Pending Invoices are awaiting action. In this
example, the vendor has sent an invoice and the
manager has rejected it.
From the Show Pending screen, you can:
Accept an invoice to import the information into the invoice area.
Finalize the invoice to lock it, preventing subsequent edits.
Reject an invoice due to incorrect items or a rejection of the invoice.
Lookup an invoice to view the details.
Check Invalid to see if the invoice contains all necessary information.
56 MenuLink Client User Guide
Convert a Purchase Order into an invoice (see Converting Purchase Orders) to a pending
invoice, corresponding to the selected purchase order.
Save your changes or Exit without saving.
MenuLink Client User Guide 57
Credit Memos
If a vendor is unable to fulfill one or more items of an order, a Credit Memo may be created.
(Alternatively, a back order may also be created.) This feature must be activated by your system
administrator, in System Management. Once active, you can add a Credit Memo by clicking the Credit
Memo button on the Purchasing – Invoices screen to activate the Purchasing – Credit Memo screen. Only
items included on the original invoice can appear in a Credit Memo.
Note: If the Credit Memo is not active in your system, you can enter credits as an invoice with negative
quantities.
A Credit Memo attaches a line to the original
invoice, and adjusts the totals and inventory as applicable. It does not create a new invoice.
1. The Credit ID is generated by adding ‘CM’ to the invoice number. This can be edited if
necessary.
2. The Credit Date and Returned Time fields are populated with the current system date. These
fields can be edited if necessary.
3. The Item Name column only contains the items entered on the original invoice available to
create the Credit Memo.
4. The Credit QTY column only accepts negative value quantities.
5. Once the Credit Memo is adjusted, click Save to apply the changes to the invoice.
Note that a Credit Memo does not create a new invoice; it simply adds a line to the adjusted invoice to
modify the inventory and costs appropriately.
Deleting Credit Memos
To delete a Credit Memo, click Delete Credit Memo on the Purchasing – Invoices screen. This button is
only functional if the invoice has a Credit Memo and the invoice is not finalized.
Back Orders
A Back Order is a purchase order that can be created when fewer supplies are delivered than were ordered
and the vendor or commissary can promise delivery at a later date. When back orders are created,
58 MenuLink Client User Guide
MenuLink Client keeps track of the original purchase order, as well as all back ordered items and their
subsequent delivery.
Vendor Setup
The ability to create back orders in MenuLink Client is handled on a vendor-by-vendor basis, since some
vendors may be able to process back orders, and others may not. To enable back orders for a particular
vendor, the ‘Supports Back Orders’ check box must be selected in the General Info tab for the vendor.
Contact your system administrator for more information.
Creating a Back Order
When an order is received, the purchase order is converted to invoice and the quantity of supplies that
were received is entered as described in Converting and Managing Invoices. If the quantity received is
less than the quantity ordered (and the vendor is set up to support back orders) MenuLink Client prompts
you to create a back order for the items not received.
After converting a purchase order into an Invoice, enter the Received Quantity for the appropriate items.
If the quantity entered is less that the quantity ordered, and the vendor is appropriately configured,
MenuLink Client prompts you to create a back order.
1. Click Yes to create a back order for the items.
2. If desired, print the original invoice.
3. Click Exit to Main or Exit to Previous.
MenuLink Client User Guide 59
Managing Back Orders
When a back order is created, MenuLink Client assigns the Order ID by keeping the original Order ID
and appending a number; for example, if the original Order ID is 12, then the Order ID of the back order
is 12-1. A back order can be managed much like a normal purchase order. You can also print the back
order and/or send the order electronically (if set up to do so).
To review a back order:
1. From the Purchasing Switchboard, click Orders.
2. In the Orders screen, click Orders.
3. In the Order Selection screen, Select the back-order, and then click Lookup.
The Order ID is the original
ID with a number
appended.
4. In the Purchasing – Purchase Orders screen, you can make changes to the order as necessary,
for example, changing the quantity ordered (the default quantity is the amount that was not
received from the original order), removing items from the order, or adding new items to the
order. Notice that ‘Back Order’ check box is selected to indicate how the purchase order was
created.
60 MenuLink Client User Guide
5. After reviewing the order and making any necessary changes, you can Print, Save, and/or Send
the order electronically (if set up to do so).
6. Click Close in the header to close the purchase order.
7. Click Exit to Main or Exit to Previous.
Receiving a Back Order
The procedure to receive a back order is the same as receiving a ‘regular’ purchase order. When the back
order arrives, convert the ‘back order’ purchase order to invoice and enter the quantity received as usual.
Multiple Back Orders
If you enter a received quantity in a back order that is less than what was ordered in the back order,
MenuLink Client prompts you to create a new back order just as it did with the original order. If you
choose to create another back order, MenuLink Client creates a new purchase order. The order ID of the
new order is the original ID with the next sequential number appended. For example, if the original order
is ID is 12 and the first back order ID is 12-1, then the next back order ID is 12-2.
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Back Orders and Reports
Back orders are displayed in purchase order reports along with ‘regular’ purchase orders as shown in the
following examples. Remember, back order ID’s are the original ID numbers with sequential numbers
appended to them.
This example
shows an original
purchase order and
its back orders.
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Recalculate the Usage Per Factor
The Recalculate Usage per Factor is where you can recalculate your usage after performing a physical
count. This can affect the recommended order quantity that MenuLink Client calculates when creating
purchase orders.
Once you have entered or changed your inventory, click Recalc Usage Factor. The following dialog box
appears where you can choose the time frame to use to recalculate the usage for ordering.
This message appears when the calculations are complete.
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Viewing Purchase History
The History feature shows you information for each and every time an item purchased by your store.
Selecting the item shows every purchase of that item, in descending order, with the most recent purchase
at the top of the list. The Purchase History screen displays all purchases, transfers, and credits.
Purchase History Screen
1. On the Purchasing Switchboard, click History.
2. In the Item Name field, click to view the drop-down list.
3. Click the desired item and the entire history for that item appears. The list is in order starting
with the most recent purchase transaction.
Like other tables, you can
click on a column header to sort by that
column.
The information presented includes the following:
Element name Description
Fields/columns
Item Name The name of the item purchased. Select an item from the drop-down list. If you selected the item by Item ID, the name automatically appears when you make the selection.
Item ID The ID of the item purchased. This automatically appears when an Item is selected. You can also select the item ID instead of the Item name.
Date The date of purchase.
Invoice or Transfer ID
The actual invoice number or transfer number.
Vendor The vendor where the item was purchased. If the purchase was a transfer, the transferring store name appears.
Qty Quantity purchased
Units How the item was purchased.
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Element name Description
Unit Price The price paid per Unit.
Buttons
Click Browse to view the Purchase History Selection screen. This screen displays Item Names and IDs side-by-side
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Purchasing Reports
This section includes samples and descriptions of Purchasing-related reports available in MenuLink
Client. Depending on your system set-up, you may not have access to all reports and selection options
described. Contact your system administrator for more information.
For general information on how to view and print reports, as well as selecting report options, see Viewing
and Printing Reports.
To access Purchasing reports, click Reports on the Purchasing Switchboard or click Reports from the
Inventory System Switchboard.
The reports in this example may differ from those appearing in your
list. Contact your system administrator for more
information.
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Cost Journal – Receiving by Vendor Report
The Cost Journal – Receiving by Vendor report lists invoices, summarized by raw material category, also
sorted by vendor.
A summary appears at the
end of the report.
MenuLink Client User Guide 67
Cost Journal for Accounts Payable Report
The Cost Journal for Accounts Payable report lists invoice and accounts payable information for the
report period, sorted by vendor.
A summary appears at the
end of the report.
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Cost of Goods Report
The Cost of Goods report shows how much of a raw material was used over a time period, sorted by
category. This report gives valuable information for troubleshooting your actual food cost by item. You
can see the Beginning Inventory (in Units), the total purchases for the time period (in Units), and the
ending inventory (in Units). The Cost per Unit column is based on the purchases of the item for the time
period selected.
This report also gives you the actual usage in dollars by item, then subtotals it by category and the total
actual usage for all items is at the end of the report.
MenuLink Client User Guide 69
A grand total appears at the end of the report.
Cost of Goods in Dollars Report
The Cost of Goods in Dollars report is similar to the Cost of Goods report, except that it focuses on costs
and does not include inventory unit information.
70 MenuLink Client User Guide
A summary appears at the end of the report.
MenuLink Client User Guide 71
Cost of Goods Stacked Report
The Cost of Goods Stacked report is similar to the Cost of Goods report except that it displays multiple
store’s data on a single report stacked by store, with item, and category summaries.
If reporting on multiple sites, they
appear ‘stacked’ in the report.
Grand Totals appear at the
end of the report.
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Par Levels by Day Report
The Par Levels by Day report is sorted alphabetically by vendor and lists the items purchased by category
with their par levels for each day of the week. Par levels are maintained in the Item Lookup screen.
Purchase Orders Report
The Purchase Order report lists the purchase order information, sorted by vendor.
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Purchase Detail Report
The Purchase Order Detail report lists purchase order/invoice details, sorted by category.
74 MenuLink Client User Guide
Purchase Detail Stacked
The Purchases Detail Stacked report is similar to the Purchases in Detail report, except that it displays
store’s data on a single report stacked by store by item by category.
If reporting on multiple sites, they
appear ‘stacked’ in the report.
A grand total appears at the end of the report,
along with a list of sites and groups included in the report.
MenuLink Client User Guide 75
Inventory System
Click Inventory and Prep, in Main, to access the Inventory Switchboard. The Inventory Switchboard
contains several tools you can use to view and manage items, manage transfers to and from your site,
enter spoiled or wasted product, and enter and manage inventory counts.
Features in the Inventory Switchboard include:
Item Lookup — View and edit individual items.
Inventory Posting — Enter and manage current inventory levels.
Transfers — Enter and manage transfers to and from this site.
Spoil and Loss — Enter product waste to account for unusable inventory.
Worksheet — Manage and print inventory tracking worksheets that can help you record
inventory counts.
Reports — View and print inventory related reports.
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Managing Inventory Items
The Inventory Lookup screen gives you access to information regarding a specific raw material item or
prep item. You can edit the settings for each item to efficiently manage your inventory.
To view the Inventory Lookup screen, click Item Lookup on the Inventory Switchboard.
Viewing and Editing Items
To view and edit an item, select an item from the table in the Inventory Lookup screen and click Lookup.
Like other tables, you can sort and search as described in Sorting and Searching for Information. Clicking
Lookup brings up the Item Lookup screen, explained in the following sections.
Item Lookup screen – General tab
The General tab shows the basic unit information about the inventory item.
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Conversion Unit — is a list of all units assigned to the item. Units available can include purchase
units, inventory counting units, and recipe units. Click the drop-down arrow to view other unit
conversions for this item (e.g., purchase units or recipe units).
To Standard — is the number of Standard Units per Conversion Unit. For example, if an item’s
Conversion Unit is ‘Case=150 EA,’ and the Standard Unit is ‘Box=25 EA,’ then the To Standard
value would be 6 (25 x 6 = 150).
Standard Unit — is the unit of measure that is used for reporting purposes. Inventory and
purchases can be entered in any defined unit. However, when it is displayed on any report the
standard units are used.
Current On Hand — count is the theoretical on-hand inventory figure, measured in Standard
Units. MenuLink Client calculates this figure based on your last inventory + purchases – amount
you have sold.
Usage Per Factor — is the multiple used for calculating a recommended order quantity when the
Order by Usage Per Factor method is used. This value updates dynamically, as inventory and
purchases are entered to give the most current Usage Per Factor for the item.
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Item Lookup screen – Inventory tab
The Inventory tab defines information related to the physical inventory for the item. You can select which
inventory list(s) the item should exist in, whether or not you can post a waste amount for the item, the
inventory unit(s) that you can use to count the item, and the location(s) where you can count the item.
Last Inventory Business Date — Displays the last date inventory was entered for this item.
Category Allowed Variance % — Typically set up by your systems administrator, this variance
percentage can be set to apply to the item category or at the item level.
Inventory Flags: Waste — Determines if you can enter spoilage quantities for the item on the
Spoilage and Loss screen.
Inventory Lists — Establishes the inventory cycles to which you can assign the item.
Inventory Units — Identifies the count unit upon which the quantities for this item are based, as
entered in Aloha Quick Count. These units are managed by the system administrator.
Locations — Defines the areas in which the inventory is held. The ‘Seq’ column indicates what
order the item is displayed on the list. Multiple location assignments are possible.
Item Lookup screen – Purchases tab
The Purchases tab defines the order price, par levels, ordering method, and ordering units for the item.
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Current Order Price/ Current Invoice Price — Lists the most recent price associated with the
item on a purchase order. This field is typically not available for edit.
Current Invoice Price — Lists the most current price of the item entered on an invoice. This
field is typically not available for edit.
Current Order Units — Defines what unit the item is ordered by. This field is typically not
available for edit.
Current Invoice Units — Defines what unit the item is invoiced by. Typically, this is the same
unit as Current Order Units. This field is typically not available for edit.
Order By — Determines what ordering method MenuLink Client uses to calculate recommended
ordering amounts.
Par Level — is the amount that you need to have on hand until the next time you receive an
order. The Par method suggests your order by taking into account the Par Levels, open POs
and Theoretical On-Hand amount.
Forecasting — uses the Forecasted Sales Mix to calculate what is needed for the selected
days to give you the required amount needed.
Usage per Factor — is based on the standard unit and calculates what was used based on
your prior days back and then multiplies usage by the configured Usage factor.
Par Units — Determines what unit is used to define the par levels.
Par Levels — Defines the number of par units that should be considered on the day that the order
is to be submitted to a vendor.
Purchasable — Makes the item available for order. If this is cleared, most fields in this tab
cannot be edited.
Taxable — Indicates the item is taxable. This is typically defined by your System Administrator,
but can be modified by store level users. When an invoice is entered into MenuLink Client and
sales tax is entered, any items that are taxable have a portion of the sales tax amount allocated to
the item’s assigned category.
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Show for all Vendors on Order by Vendor — Indicates the item will appear in the list of
purchasable items on the order by vendor add item screen for all vendors assigned to the item,
regardless of the Primary Vendor check box in the Vendors tab.
Required to Order — Indicates the item will need to be ordered every time a purchase order for
the vendor that is assigned to the item is created. This is typically managed by your system
administrator to ensure that key items are ordered.
Quantity to Order — Indicates the amount that can be ordered and is based on the Quantity to
Order Units.
Quantity to Order Units — Indicates the units by which the item is to be ordered.
Purchase Units — Identifies the unit used for ordering the item, and the unit used when
receiving the item on an invoice.
Item Lookup screen – Vendors tab
The Vendors tab defines information regarding the vendors you can order the item from.
Note: You may be restricted from editing these options. Contact your system administrator for more
information.
Vendor Name — Identifies the vendor.
Vendor Code — The vendor’s item number used to identify the item (this is not the same as the
MenuLink Client item ID).
Order Unit — Determines the unit for ordering the item from this vendor. The available units to
choose are based on what was define in the Purchase Units area of the Purchase Tab.
Receive Unit — Determines the unit for receiving the item from this vendor. The available units
to choose are based on what was define in the Purchase Units area of the Purchase Tab.
Receive Price — The price paid for the item, based on the receiving unit and is updated as
invoices are entered in MenuLink.
Price Locked — Locks the Receive Price. This is typically used if this item is purchased on a
contract and the price is not updated through the invoice screen.
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PO Sequence — Defines where the item appears on the purchase order worksheet. If more than
one item has the same PO Sequence, MenuLink Client sorts the items alphabetically.
Prime Vendor — Marks this vendor as the preferred vendor for the item.
Prime Item — Designates the primary purchase units for an item from a vendor. This check box
is used to designate the preferred purchase units when there are multiple case packs available for
the same item.
Note: The system requires the prime item check box to be used even if there is only one way to purchase
an item.
Exclude/ Delete — The Delete check box is available only for vendor information you have
defined. Since making purchases from vendors is considered historical information, it is highly
recommended that you use the Excl check box (Exclude) rather than Delete.
Item Lookup screen – Cost History tab
The Cost History tab shows how the cost has changed for the item over time. MenuLink Client creates an
entry each time the purchase (invoice) price for the item changes. (To see a complete history of
purchases, see the Purchase History screen.) The User # -Name field shows the User ID and name of the
user who entered the change.
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Posting Inventory
Use the Inventory Posting feature to update inventory quantities into the Inventory System. Generally,
you post inventory for different items on regularly scheduled time periods as set up by your system
administrator. Common examples include Daily (hot item), Weekly, Biweekly (every other week),
Monthly, and/or Period. In addition to posting inventory for specific item periods, you may also have
special inventory posting categories for certain items, such as meat items.
Your System Administrator has defined the type of inventory to be used. There are two inventory types
available: Location or Categories.
Inventory by Location — is where you can assign items to specific areas within the restaurant
(e.g., Cooler, Storeroom, etc). You count all the items assigned to the location and then move on
to the next location and count those items and continue until all locations have been counted.
When the inventory is posted, items that are assigned to multiple storage locations are added to
together to give a total amount of inventory for that item.
Inventory by Category — uses the category assigned to the items to determine the grouping of
the item for inventory purposes. With this inventory you enter the total on-hand amount for the
item.
After you post inventory, MenuLink Client calculates the following, as shown on various reports:
Calculate ending inventory extensions and the Dollar value for that inventory.
Calculate product usage for the time period.
Compare the actual usage with the theoretical usage and show you the items that cost you the
most because of overuse.
Calculate food and beverage costs.
All of this information can be accessed through the various Inventory Reports that your system
administrator has activated.
Preparing to Post Inventory
Before you can enter inventory, you can do the following:
Print the inventory worksheets.
Count your inventory using the printed worksheets.
Inventory Posting By Location
The procedure and screens that you view to post inventory is basically the same for each posting period or
category (e.g., Daily/Hot Item, Weekly, Meat Items, Bi-weekly, and/or Monthly), as described below.
Tip: If you make a change to item cost after posting inventory, you may need to access and resave the
existing inventory to update the inventory value. If you are making changes to an invoice that affects the
current inventory it is not necessary to resave the inventory to update the prices. However, if you make a
change to an invoice from a previous inventory cycle you must resave the inventory to update the price
for that inventory.
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When you are ready to enter the quantities that you have counted for inventory, follow these steps
to post inventory in MenuLink Client.
1. On the Inventory Switchboard, click Inventory Posting.
2. In the Inventory Posting Selection screen, click the type of inventory you want to post (i.e., Shift,
Daily, Full Inventory, etc.).
This is an example only. Most likely, you will see different choices in your
Inventory Posting Selection.
3. In the Inventory Posting Selection dialog box, select the time frame for the inventory you want
to post.
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This example is for weekly inventory. Depending on the
Inventory option you selected, the available
choices may be different.
4. If you are creating a new posting, enter the information in the New tab.
5. If you are updating an existing posting, select the Existing tab. Note: Your system administrator
determines the number of days prior that you will be able to make adjustments to posted
inventories. Inventories that were posted beyond the defined number of days can be viewed but
not modified.
Creating a New Inventory Posting:
From the New tab,
select the options appropriate for the time frame for the inventory posting.
Modifying or Viewing an Existing Inventory Posting:
From the Existing tab, select a date from the Inventory Type drop-
down list.
In the Select Time Frame area, enter the date or period and week that the inventory will be assigned.
Select the appropriate Inventory By
selection.
In the Select Time Frame area, enter the date or period and week that the inventory will be assigned.
Select the appropriate Inventory By
selection.
MenuLink Client User Guide 85
6. Click Continue.
WARNING: If an inventory exists for the period and week selected, MenuLink Client displays the
message ‗An Inventory exists for that period, write over it? YES or NO’. Verify the period
and week to make sure you entered them correctly. Click NO to exit from that inventory. If you
click YES, the inventory that exists is deleted and you will have to reenter the entire inventory.
7. In the Inventory — Posting by Location screen, enter the inventory posting quantities for each
item you counted.
To enter inventory, select
the field above the unit you are
counting and type the quantity. In
this example, we have counted one case of Cherry Pie
and 12 slices.
Tip: Use the Tab
key to quickly navigate between fields. (Shift+Tab to go backward)
Note: Blank fields are allowed.
Keep the following points in mind as you use the Inventory – Posting by Location screen:
The storage location is identified in the Description field in the top left area of the screen. To
navigate to another location within the inventory, use the navigation arrows above the unit
fields.
Click the right arrow to access the next available storage location or click the left arrow to go
back to the previous storage location. The arrows with lines take you to the first location or
the last location.
Click Skip Location, if active, to skip the current storage location from this inventory
process. Use this button when items assigned to a location are not to be included in the
inventory and will not affect your actual usage amounts. This button is typically disabled by
the administrator.
Process Advisory: If you skipped a location and want to include it on the inventory you are
currently entering, you must delete the inventory and reenter it.
Click Abandon Inventory to exit the inventory posting process without saving any quantities
entered for the current session. Inventory quantities remain the same as they were before you
started posting (i.e., as they were in Step 1).
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Click a column heading to sort the worksheet contents based on the selected column, thus
taking the entire list out of the normal worksheet order. Click the column head again to
reverse the sort order. Click ‘Worksheet Sort Order’ to return the worksheet contents to its
original sort order.
If MenuLink Client is set up to do so, click Upload from PDA to enter inventory information
contained on your Personal Digital Assistant device into MenuLink Client. See Upload PDA
Inventory for more information on using a PDA to manage inventory.
The inventory items that appear are presented in the same order as the corresponding
inventory worksheet. To change the order of the items within a location, you must use the
Reorder Inventory feature.
If an item does not appear on any of your inventory worksheets or posting screens, the item
may not be set up to be counted for an inventory type or may not be assigned to a storage
location. Find the item in the Item Lookup screen and make sure that the item is selected for
an inventory type (Daily, weekly, and so on) and the item has been assigned to a storage
location.
The five Units columns to the right of the item name is where you can enter the quantity
based on the units of measure listed below that field. If the item has more than 5 counting
units assigned, the system adds an additional line below the item to display those additional
units. Inventory units can be assigned in the Inventory tab of the Item Lookup screen.
Quantities can be entered in decimal form. For example, enter a half case as ‘.5’.
When entering quantities, press the TAB key to proceed to the next field. MenuLink Client
takes you through the fields from left to right for each item. If you hold the SHIFT key and
press the TAB key it you move the cursor back one field.
When you have reached the last item in a storage location, click the right arrow above the
unit fields to access the next location. You can also use the other arrows to navigate among
storage locations as described on the previous page. Repeat Step 5 as many times as
necessary.
8. When you have entered the inventory quantities for all locations, click Save. Your system
administrator can set up alerts that indicate when your inventory is out of the expected range. If
these alerts are set up and your inventory is not within the acceptable range you may see the
following message:
Save inventory saves the inventory and ignores the alert
Edit inventory takes you back to the inventory entry screens so you can review your
inventory
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Preview report brings up the Inventory and On Hand Count report. This report compares the
actual on hand count to the theoretical on hand count. The theoretical on-hand count is
calculated using the last full inventory plus any purchases for the week minus what was used
based on the sales mix.
Once you have viewed this report and you click close, MenuLink Client automatically
redirects you back to the inventory entry screen so that you can make any necessary changes.
9. View reports as desired through Reports. Samples are shown later in this chapter.
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Inventory Posting by Category
Inventory by Category is essentially the same as Inventory by Location except that the raw materials are
listed by their categories instead of their physical locations. Below are some examples of Inventory by
Category. You can see that many of the same options are available.
Hot Item Inventory
Hot Item or Daily Inventory is used to track the usage of inventory items more frequently than those
inventoried through the weekly or monthly inventory process. Hot Items are critical items such as
seafood, meats, or other high-cost items. Hot Item inventories can be done daily or they can be done
multiple times during the day, such as after a shift. Once a Hot Item inventory and a sales import from
your POS system are completed, you can compare what you actually used to the theoretical usage.
Before entering Hot Item inventory, do the following:
Print the Inventory Worksheets.
If there are ‘hot’ items that should be listed in the worksheet but are not, make sure they are set
up properly as hot items. In the Item Lookup screen, make sure the box is selected next to Hot
Item Inventory for the items that you want to include on your hot item inventory.
Count your inventory using the printed worksheets.
When you are ready to enter the quantities that you have counted for your Hot Item Inventory, follow the
general procedure for posting inventory.
Note: Be sure to select the appropriate time frame in the Inventory Posting Selection dialog box.
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Adding an Item to an Inventory
If you find an item that needs to be inventoried and you have already started posting your inventory you
can add the item to your inventory as follows:
1. Click Save to retain the inventory.
2. From the Inventory Switchboard, click Item Lookup.
3. Locate and select the item to be inventoried, then click Lookup.
4. Select the Inventory Tab and activate the item to be inventoried. Remember to assign an
inventory location.
5. Click Save to save the changes.
6. Click Exit to Previous to exit to the Inventory Switchboard.
7. Look Up the existing inventory.
8. The Add Item button is available at all times, as needed.
.
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9. The Add Items by Location screen appears.
.
10. Select the item that you would like to add then click OK. The selected item appears as the last
item in that inventory location.
Note: You can change the order of the items after adding them.
.
MenuLink Client User Guide 91
Looking up a Previous Inventory
To view and make modifications to a previously saved inventory, do the following:
1. On the Inventory Switchboard, click Inventory Posting.
Note: If you have already started posting an inventory, but have not saved or abandoned it, the
Inventory Posting function takes you directly to the unfinished inventory.
2. Select the type of inventory you’re looking for (e.g., Daily, Weekly).
3. In the Inventory Posting Selection dialog box, click the Existing tab.
4. Select the inventory date from the drop-down calendar, and then click Continue.
Note: Your system administrator determines the number of days prior that you will be able to
make adjustments to posted inventories. Inventories that were posted beyond the defined number
of days can be viewed but not modified.
5. Enter inventory quantities in the Inventory Posting screen.
6. Click Save to save your changes.
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Transferring Inventory
The Transfers feature is where you can enter and track inventory transfers to and from your restaurant.
Each site in the transfer process must make a corresponding, matching entry; i.e., if you make a Transfer
Out entry to transfer product from your site, the receiving site must also enter a matching Transfer In
entry for the product. This can be done by using the Accept transfer feature to accept or finalize a transfer
that has been initiated by another site. MenuLink Client considers a transfer entry without a matching
entry to be a ‘pending transfer.’ In addition, if any of the information in each corresponding transfer entry
does not match (for example, the transfer quantities do not match), MenuLink Client tags the transfer as
‘mismatched.’
Note: To ensure accuracy and to help prevent theft, all information in the corresponding transfer entries
must match exactly: the Transfer ID, Item(s), Units, Quantity, Price, and Total. If any information does
not match, the entry must be corrected by one of the sites.
If the matching entries are correctly entered and the product received, MenuLink Client deducts from
your inventory the amount of product transferred from your restaurant. When you receive a transfer of
product from another restaurant, the system adds the amount of product into your inventory. Inventory
includes transfers when calculating your theoretical inventory.
The Inventory — Transfers screen is organized into four tabs:
Field Description
Tabs
All Transfers —This Site
This tab lists all transfers (completed, pending, and mismatched) for your site that are within the start and end dates. In this tab, you can enter new transfers, lookup existing transfers, and unapproved existing transfers.
Pending — This Site
This tab lists transfers that were entered at your site, but the other (transfer) site has not made a corresponding entry yet. You can delete pending transfers in this tab.
MenuLink Client User Guide 93
Field Description
Pending — Other Sites
This tab lists transfers that were entered at another site, but your site has not made a corresponding entry yet. You can accept transfers from this tab.
Mismatched This tab lists transfers that have corresponding entries, but one or more items in the corresponding transfer entries do not match.
Buttons
Deletes a pending transfer.
Prevents the transfer from affecting your inventory, but does not delete the transfer. This can be useful to allow the other site to adjust the transfer before you accept it.
Accepts a transfer that has already been entered from another site. You are able to make changes if necessary.
Creates a new inventory transfer for items received from another site. If the corresponding transfer has already been entered, you should click Accept instead.
Creates a new inventory transfer for items given from another site. If the corresponding transfer has already been entered, you should click Accept instead.
Is used to view an existing inventory transfer.
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Creating a Transfer Entry
The following instructions describe how to create a Transfer In or Transfer Out entry. Keep in mind
that the each site must have corresponding and identical transfers for MenuLink Client to complete them.
Note: Some transfer functionality may be limited by your system administrator. For example, you may
only have the ability to create Transfer Outs to prevent redundant transfer entries.
Note: Each transfer can only be to or from a single site; multiple sites cannot be selected.
Tip: If another site has already created a Transfer Out entry to transfer product to your site, you can
automatically create a Transfer In entry in the Pending -- Other Sites tab. See ‘Accepting a Transfer’ on
page 91.
1. On the Inventory Switchboard, click Transfers.
2. Click New Transfer In or New Transfer Out.
Select the type of
transfer you are creating.
3. In the Transfer In or Transfer Out screen, enter the transfer number in the Transfer ID field.
The number should have a maximum of 14 characters and can include letters. Note: Your system
administrator may have this field automatically populate, like in the example below.
The Transfer In screen is identical
except that the title is Transfer- In and Transferring From appears instead of
Transferring To.
4. Select a site from the Transferring To or Transferring From drop-down list.
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5. If entering a Transfer In, verify and enter the Transfer Time.
6. Select the item being transferred from the Item Name drop-down list.
7. In the Units field, select the transfer units.
8. In the Qty field, enter the quantity transferred. This quantity must be based on the unit of measure
that you selected in the Units field.
9. The Price that appears is the last price paid. Depending on the security setting, this may or may
not be available for change.
10. MenuLink Client automatically calculates and fills in the Total (Price x Quantity).
11. Repeat steps 6-9 for each additional item you are transferring to or from the same site.
12. Click Save after all items have been entered for this transfer.
13. Click Print to print this transfer
Accepting a Transfer
If another site has already created a transfer entry for items being transferred to or from your site, you can
automatically create a corresponding transfer entry by accepting the transfer in the Pending - Other Sites
tab. Accepting a transfer saves time and eliminates the possibility of accidentally creating a mismatched
transfer.
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To Accept a Transfer:
1. On the Inventory Switchboard, click Transfers.
2. In the Inventory - Transfers screen, click the Pending -- Other Sites tab.
3. Select the transfer you want to create a matching transfer entry for, and then click Accept.
The Transfer In or Transfer Out screen appears.
The Transfer Out screen is identical except the title is Transfer- Out and
Transferring to appears instead of Transferring From
4. Verify the information in the transfer entry is correct. If it is not correct, you may adjust it here.
Note that the corresponding transfer must also be adjusted or a mismatched transfer will result.
5. Click Print to print the accepted transfer.
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Deleting a Transfer
You can delete a transfer from the All Transfers -- This Site tab or from the Pending -- This site tab.
Warning: Use caution when deleting a transfer, as there is no ‘undo’ if you accidentally choose the wrong
transfer.
To Delete a Transfer:
1. On the Inventory Switchboard, click Transfers.
2. Click the Pending – This Site tab
3. Select the transfer you want to delete, and then click Delete.
Note: You can only delete transfers that you have created. If a corresponding site has created an
incorrect transfer, that site is responsible for deleting or modifying it.
Mismatched Transfers
When transferring product between sites, each site must create a corresponding transfer entry. The site
shipping the product creates a Transfer Out entry and the receiving site creates a Transfer In entry. To
help ensure accuracy and deter theft, all of the information in each corresponding transfer entry must
match exactly. If any information does not match, MenuLink Client tags the transfer entry made at your
site as ‘mismatched’ and lists it in the Mismatched tab.
If the incorrect entry was made at your site, you can correct the information by selecting the entry and
clicking on the Lookup button. If the incorrect entry was made at the other site, you will need to contact
them so they can make the correction.
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When you create or update a transfer entry and MenuLink Client detects that the entry is a mismatch,
MenuLink Client displays the following message. When you click OK, MenuLink Client displays the
transfer in the Mismatched tab.
Tip: You can avoid mismatched transfers by using the Accept feature in the Pending – Other Sites tab.
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Entering Spoilage and Loss Information
In the Inventory – Spoilage and Loss screen, you can enter and track your waste on a daily basis. Waste
can include raw materials, prep items, as well as menu items. You can also track spoilage and loss history
for a specific item. This history shows you when the spoilage/loss was entered, who entered it, and the
quantity wasted.
The waste that you enter in Spoil and Loss does not affect your theoretical usage versus actual usage
variances that you see on most of your item use variance reports. It is used as a tool in understanding why
you have those variances. However, your system administrator can activate reports that include waste as a
separate column to show the amounts included in the calculations.
There are two types of entry screens available. The first example is the classic waste entry where you are
able to enter items and give a reason for the waste and it is managed at a store level. The second example
is similar to entering an inventory and is managed by your system administrator.
To Enter Spoil and Loss Information Example 1:
1. On the Inventory Switchboard, click Spoil and Loss.
To select an item, click a
category then select an Item
Name from the drop-down
list. Or, click the Browse
button to the right of the
drop-down list to scroll
through a list of detail
information.
2. In the Inventory – Spoilage and Loss screen, select an item type by clicking the circle next to
Menu, Prep or Raw. You can also select All to view a list of all items if you are not sure of the
category. The Waste option on the Inventory tab of Item Lookup determines if an item will
appear in these lists.
Note: Use the filter options at the top of the screen to limit the type of item displayed in the list,
All, Menu, Prep, or Raw, to make locating a specific item easier.
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3. Verify the date and time the item was lost. By default, MenuLink Client displays the current date
in the Business Date field and the current time in the Time Item was lost field. The default time
and date reflect current system time and date. You can change these to reflect the actual time and
date of the loss.
4. Choose an item to waste by doing one of the following.
Select an item from the Item Name drop-down list. Items in the drop-down list match the
category selected in step 2.
Click the Browse button to access the Inventory Waste Select screen. The items
available in the screen match the category selected in step 2. Select an item, then click Select.
5. In the Enter Quantity field, enter the amount of the item that was wasted based on the
corresponding per Unit ID (the unit of measure) that can be selected to the right.
6. In the Reason field, enter a brief reason as to why the waste occurred. Note: This field, if defined
by your administrator, may have a drop-down list of possible waste reasons to choose.
7. When the information entered is correct, click Add Item to add the item to this spoilage and Loss
list.
MenuLink Client calculates and fills in the Cost Information for the waste.
8. Repeat steps 3 through 6 until all wasted items have been entered.
9. Click Save when the list is finished.
To Enter Spoil and Loss Information Example 2:
This type of spoil and loss is different from our first example in several ways:
The waste is entered in the same format as inventory.
The waste items are centrally managed by your system administrator.
Items are listed by type; raw, prep, and menu.
You are not prompted to enter a reason for the waste and the history of the item is not displayed.
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To enter spoil and loss:
1. On the Inventory Switchboard, click Spoil and Loss.
2. The Inventory- Spoilage and Loss screen appears.
The Waste is divided into types: Raw items, Prep Items, and Menu Items. The type of item is
identified in the Item Type field in the top left area of the screen. To move from type to type
within the waste screen, use the navigation arrows above the Unit columns.
Click the right arrow to access the next available type or click the left arrow to go back to the
previous type. The arrows with lines take you to the first location or the last location.
If an item does not exist on any of your item types, the item may be not set up as Waste.
Contact your System Administrator to have the item added.
The five Unit columns to the right of the item name is where you can enter the quantity based
on the units of measure listed below that field. If the item has more than 5 counting units
assigned, the system adds an additional line below the item to display those additional units.
Quantities can be entered in decimal form. For example, enter a half case as ‘.5’.
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As you enter each waste item a time is assigned to the item.
If you need to enter the same items a second time, click the grey box to the left of the item to
select the item. Click Copy item and a second line of the same item appears:
To enter spoilage and loss, select the field above the unit
you are counting and type in the
quantity. In this example, we have counted one case, two bags, and one
pound of fries.
Tip: Use the Tab key to quickly navigate
between fields. (Shift+Tab to go
backward)
Note: After entering a number in a field,
it cannot be left blank. (A zero can
be entered.)
3. Click Save when you have entered all of the waste items for all types.
Spoil and Loss Tips
When a Prep Item or Menu Item is selected, all of the ingredients listed in their recipes are also
wasted and will show in any of the Spoil and Loss reports.
MenuLink Client does not save waste information in the database until you click Save. If you
haven’t clicked Save yet, you can change the quantity wasted or reason by making the correction
in the Qty or Reason fields in the Spoilage and Loss grid.
If you entered the wrong amount for an item and have clicked Save, you can modify the quantity
and/or reason by going to that item’s entry in the spoil and loss detail area and making changes.
You cannot make changes to the item name or the units.
If you need to remove an item from the spoil and loss screen, click the box to the left of the time
entry to select the line and press the delete key on your keyboard.
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Inventory Worksheets
You can perform the following actions with Inventory Worksheets:
Print worksheets — These worksheets, much like Purchase Order Worksheets, are useful when
counting actual inventory on hand. You can also print Waste worksheets that you can use to track
spoilage and loss before posting in MenuLink.
Reorder worksheets. -You can change the sequence that items appear in inventory worksheets,
as well as add or remove items from worksheets.
Note: This function is only available if ‘Location’ is selected as the inventory type defined by your
system administrator.
Download to PDA — If set up to do so by your system administrator, you can download
worksheets to a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).
Reassign Prep Items — Assign prep items to their appropriate locations.
Working with worksheets:
1. Click Worksheet in the Inventory Switchboard.
2. In the Inventory Worksheet Selection screen, click the option you would like.
Note: ‘Download to PDA’ is only available if your
system administrator has set up this option for you.
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Printing Inventory Worksheet
To print an Inventory Worksheet:
1. From the Inventory Switchboard, select the Worksheets function and click Print Worksheet.
2. In the Select Worksheet to Print screen, click the button for the inventory you are going to
count.
Note: You may see different options as
set up by your System Administrator
The selected worksheet appears on screen.
3. To print the worksheet, click the Print button on the tool bar at the top of the screen.
Click the printer icon to print the worksheet. For
explanations on other options, see
Viewing and Printing Reports.
4. To exit from the worksheets preview screen, click Close from the Reports Toolbar.
Modifying Inventory Worksheets
Use the Reorder Locations feature to sequence inventory items within a storage location on inventory
worksheets. You can also add and remove items from the lists. This can make inventory counting easier
because you can group items in the same way that you store them.
Note: Adding or removing items affects the worksheets only; the inventory items themselves remain in the
MenuLink Client database.
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Warning: This message may appear if your system administrator previously maintained the sequence of
items in this location. Click Yes to assume control of the item sequence at the site level. If you select
‘Yes,’ this message appears only once.
Reordering an Inventory Worksheet
1. Click Reorder Location.
2. Click the item with the left mouse button to select it. Keep the left mouse button pressed.
In this example, we’ll change Ginger
Ale to follow Cola.
3. Continue to hold the left mouse button down, move (drag) the item to its new place in the
sequence. As you move the item up or down, a line indicates where the item will be placed. Be
sure to keep holding the mouse button down as you move the item.
Hold the left mouse button down with the
item selected for a moment before
moving the mouse
4. Once the indicator appears in the desired location, release the mouse button and the list will be
updated.
Ginger Ale now follows Cola in the
sequence.
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Removing Items from an Inventory Worksheet
1. From the Inventory Switchboard, select the Worksheets function and click Reorder Inventory.
2. In the Reorder Inventory Locations screen, select the Inventory Location you want to work with
from the Location drop-down list.
In the Inventory Worksheet
Sequence field, the inventory
items assigned to the selected
location appear in their current
order.
Note: Inventory Locations can also be selected for items in the Item Lookup screen.
In the Reorder Inventory
Locations screen, you can remove items from the worksheet, add
items that are not on the list, and
change the sequence in which
items are displayed.
3. To remove an item from the location, click the item name to select it, and then click the Remove
Item button.
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Adding an Item to an Inventory Worksheet
1. From the Inventory Switchboard, select the Worksheets function and click Reorder Inventory.
Select a location to add the item to.
2. Click Add Items. The Inventory Item(s) Selection screen appears.
Note: To add multiple items, hold the ‘Ctrl’ key on the keyboard, and click each item in turn until
all are selected. All selected items are added together to the Inventory Worksheet, at the bottom
of the list.
3. Select the item you would like to add (scroll through the list or search as necessary), then click
Select. The Reorder Inventory Locations screen appears with the item you added at bottom of the
list.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 as necessary to make changes to the Inventory Worksheets.
5. You can change the sequence that the items are displayed by clicking and dragging the items to a
different line in the list. See Reordering and Managing Inventory Worksheets.
6. Click Save to save the changes.
7. Click Exit to Main Switchboard or Exit to Previous as desired.
Reorder Location can re order the entire list alphabetically or by category, click Reorder Location
then select reorder by item name to put the list in alphabetical order by item name or reorder by
category to reorder the worksheet by category name.
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Downloading an inventory worksheet to a PDA
If your system administrator has set up this feature, you can download an inventory worksheet to your
Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), enter the counts on your PDA, then upload the counts from the PDA to
MenuLink Client.
The feature is set up if the Download to PDA button is active in the Inventory Worksheet screen.
The Download to PDA feature
is active if your system
administrator has set up this option for you.
To download a worksheet to a PDA:
1. Connect your PDA to the computer you are using MenuLink Client on.
2. In the Inventory Worksheet Selection screen, click Download to PDA.
3. Select the worksheet you want to send to the PDA
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4. Click OK to confirm the Inventory has been sent to the PDA successfully.
5. Make sure the PDA is in the cradle. Open Active Sync and select the Sync button.
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6. After the sync has completed, remove the PDA from the cradle. On the main screen of the PDA
select Programs, MenuLink PDA Inventory. You are ready to begin with the Inventory process.
7. Tap the screen to begin the inventory counting process or use the built in scanner to take the
inventory.
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Upload PDA Inventory
1. Once you have completed the inventory process place the PDA on the cradle to synchronize
your counts with the MenuLink.
2. Select Inventory Posting.
3. Select the Worksheet you have completed counting.
4. Select a new count to begin a new worksheet or select and existing worksheet if you have
previously began this count.
5. Select Continue.
6. Once the worksheet is open, click Upload from PDA to upload the inventory counts form the
PDA.
7. Once you have completed the upload you review the counts and click Save.
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Suggested Prep
Suggested Prep is used to create a prep list for selected prep items based on forested sales, actual sales,
and actual inventory.
Preparing to use Suggested Prep
Before you can use Suggested Prep you should do the following:
Create an accurate Sales Forecast. For the system to determine how much is needed for each prep
item on the Suggested Production Worksheet, a sales forecast has to be completed for the current
week and the upcoming week. An inaccurate Sales Forecast may result in an inaccurate
Suggested Production.
Assure that the Theory on hand is accurate. The MenuLink Client calculates a theoretical on hand
inventory for each Prep Item listed in the Suggested Production. The Theory On Hand is how
much of the Prep Item should be in the restaurant based on what was on hand on the previous
day, plus what was prepped and transferred in, minus what was sold and expired.
Note: The system cannot account for wasted product, theft, differences in portioning, or
preparation that was not entered into the system. For this reason, it is important that if the user
decides not to enter an inventory prior to doing the Suggested Production that they validate that
the Theory on Hand amounts are accurate and make any necessary adjustments.
Reassign Prep Items on the Production Worksheet
1. From the Inventory screen, click Worksheets.
MenuLink Client User Guide 113
2. Select Reassign Prep Items.
3. Click the next to Current Prep Station to select the prep station to reassign.
4. Once the prep station is selected all of the items currently assigned appear.
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5. Click the next to the New Prep Station and select the station where you would like to move
your prep items.
6. Click the grey box next to the Prep item you would like to move. Then click to move the
item from the current prep station to the new prep station or click the to move the item from
the new prep station back to the current prep station.
7. Click Save when you are finished, to save the changes.
Printing Suggested Prep Worksheet
1. From the inventory screen click Worksheets.
MenuLink Client User Guide 115
2. Click Print Worksheet.
3. Click Prep Worksheet.
4. Click Print, in the application header, to print all prep worksheets.
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Updating Suggested Prep Amounts
1. Using the Prep worksheet, verify that the Theory on Hand amounts are correct for all Prep Items.
Remember: it is important to have an accurate Theory on Hand for the system to project the
correct prep to make.
2. If the Theory on Hand is not correct, return to the Inventory Switchboard, click Inventory
Posting, and then click Suggested Prep.
3. This opens the Production Posting Selection Dialog.
MenuLink Client User Guide 117
4. Select a production date from the New tab, or select a date from the Existing tab, and click
Continue. The system sets the production date to the current date by default.
5. When Continue is pressed, the Missing Count screen appears if any counts where not entered.
Click No to exit suggested production and re enter the missing counts though Look up
Existing Inventory.
Click Yes to continue the Suggested Production Screen.
6. In the Prep – Update Suggested Screen you can evaluate the Suggested Production amounts,
Adjust the On Hand amounts, Adjust the Make This amounts, and recalculate the Suggested
Make This based on any Adjusted On Hand entries.
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Note: ‘Suggested Make This’ is calculated by subtracting the Theory On Hand amount (or the
Adjusted On Hand amount, if entered) for Items that have the specified Prep Item included in
their recipe. It is also affected by the percentage entered in the Max Build % by your system
administrator. Contact your system administrator for more information.
7. The Theory On Hand amount can be modified in the Suggested Production by entering a new
value in the Adjusted On Hand field for the Prep Item. This lets you quickly adjust the actual on-
hand inventory for suggested prep calculations.
Note: Entering a number in the Adjusted Theory on Hand will not adjust any posted Actual
Inventory amounts. Adjustments to Actual Inventory need to be entered through Look up Existing
Inventory.
MenuLink Client User Guide 119
8. Once the user enters a new amount in the Adjusted on hand or the Adjusted Make this Field
the Recalculate button becomes active.
9. Click Recalculate. A new amount is displayed in the Suggested Make This field
10. Once all of the changes are made for the first prep station, click the next to Station and
complete steps 6 through 9 above for the remaining prep stations.
11. Click Save when all of the stations are complete.
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12. When you click Save, the system shows you all of the manual changes that were made to the
suggested prep and prompts the user to save the changes.
If no is selected the system returns to the Production-Update suggested screen.
If yes is selected the changes are saved and the user is prompted to print the production
Guide.
13. Click Yes to Print the Prep Worksheet.
14. The worksheet can then be posted in each of the appropriate prep stations for the staff to use to
create the items needed for the day.
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Inventory Reports
This section includes samples and descriptions of Inventory-related reports available in MenuLink Client.
Depending on your system set-up, you may not have access to all reports and selection options described.
Contact your system administrator for more information.
For general information on how to view and print reports, as well as selecting report options, see Viewing
and Printing Reports.
You can access Inventory reports from the Reports button on the Inventory Switchboard (Inventory
reports only, as shown in the screen example below) or from the Reports button on the Main Switchboard
(all Inventory reports).
Note that the reports listed may differ from what appears on your
list. Contact your
system administrator for more information.
122 MenuLink Client User Guide
Chart of Accounts Report
The Chart of Accounts report lists each Item category name, its MenuLink ID and GL account, if defined.
Food Cost- Inventory Summary Report
The Food Cost- Inventory Summary report displays item-level information related to inventory usage and
food costing, grouped by item category. For each item, it displays the beginning inventory, the purchases
and ending inventory and calculates the actual usage. It also shows theoretical and actual usage for each
item and category, expressed in units, dollars, and as a percentage of total sales. Negative values are
shown in parentheses. Total food cost figures are shown at the bottom of the report.
Food Cost Report
The Food Cost report displays theoretical and actual usage for each item category, expressed in Dollar
amounts, as well as percentage of total sales. Negative values are shown in parentheses. Total food cost
figures are shown at the bottom of the report.
MenuLink Client User Guide 123
Food Cost Summary Stacked Report
Like the Food Cost report, the Food Cost Summary Stacked report displays theoretical and actual usage
of inventory except that multiple sites can be compared. Only the grand totals are displayed.
124 MenuLink Client User Guide
Inventory Cost Check Report
The Inventory Cost Check report is a comparison of the current cost of inventory items to the previous
inventory cost and the weighted average of the purchase cost. Items are sorted by highest percent change
in descending order (highest to lowest). This report can be useful to track price changes of inventory.
Inventory Extension Report
The Inventory Extension report is a list of all raw materials on hand and their value, grouped by item
category.
MenuLink Client User Guide 125
Inventory Recap as Entered Report
The Inventory Recap as Entered report displays exactly how your inventory was entered into MenuLink
by location by item by counting unit. Compare this to your inventory worksheet to help find inventory
input errors.
Item Use Variance Report
The Item Use Variance report displays actual versus theoretical inventory for each item, grouped by
category, in both quantity and dollar value.
126 MenuLink Client User Guide
Item Use Variance Stacked report
The Item Use Variance Stacked report is similar to the Item Use Variance report, except that multiple
sites can be selected and compared.
Spoilage and Loss Report
The Spoilage and Loss report displays information on lost inventory, including item name, ID number,
who entered the loss, the quantity, and dollar value.
MenuLink Client User Guide 127
Stock Transfers Report
The Stock Transfers report summarizes transfers to and/ or from your site.
Theoretical Inventory Level Report
The Theoretical Inventory Level report shows the theoretical (calculated) amount of each active raw
material on hand, with price extension and grouped by category.
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Top Twenty Item Usage report
The Top Twenty Item Usage report shows the 20 most over-used and 10 most under-used raw materials,
along with their associated costs. This report is great for quickly determining which items should be
recounted for accuracy, or to help adjust par level for purchase orders.
MenuLink Client User Guide 129
Trial Balance by Category
The Trial Balance by Category report shows the beginning inventory and ending inventory for raw items,
as well as other transactions that affect inventory such as purchases and transfers. The report also shows
associated financial values (e.g., dollar amounts).
Recipes
The Recipes screen contains several tools you can use to view and print recipes and build procedures,
track which item or items an ingredient is used in, and view reference materials for standard measuring
conventions.
Note: MenuLink uses recipes to accurately track the theoretical inventory depletion based on item sales.
When a menu item is sold, each component item in the item recipe is depleted from theoretical inventory
counts.
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Features in the Recipe screen include:
Menu Items — View and print menu item recipes, build procedures, and other information.
Prep Items — View and print prep item recipes, build procedures, and other information.
Where Used — View what recipes an item is used in, and how much of the item is used in each
recipe.
Conversions — View and print a reference sheet that contains standard unit conversions used in
the industry.
Worksheets — Print a recipe worksheet that can be used to document a recipe before entering it
into the MenuLink System Management.
Reports — View and print recipe-related reports.
Menu Item Recipes
Clicking on the Menu Items button displays a list of Menu Items available in your MenuLink Client
system. From this list, you can view (look up) a Menu Item to view its recipe, as well as view build
procedures and a picture, if defined.
Note: Menu Item and Prep Item information cannot be modified in MenuLink Client. Contact your system
administrator for more information.
MenuLink Client User Guide 131
Viewing Menu Items and Recipes
1. On the Recipes Switchboard, click Menu Items.
The Recipes – Menu Items screen appears.
2. Select the menu item and then click Lookup. This opens the Recipes – Ingredients screen.
3. In the Recipes — Ingredients screen, the menu item recipe is displayed as well as the current
selling price, POS code and materials cost. Ingredients that begin with a P- identify the item as a
Prep Item. The screen shows the materials and quantity used, the cost of the materials, and total
cost of the menu item.
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4. Click Procedures to access the step-by-step instructions for preparing the menu item (if defined).
5. Click Components to view the required utensils to make the item as well as the prep station the
item is made.
6. Click Picture to access an image of the menu item (if defined).
MenuLink Client User Guide 133
7. Click Nutritional Info to access the nutritional information on the menu item.
Printing Menu Item Recipes and Prep Procedures
Printing recipes or preparation procedures can assist kitchen staff, especially for new menu items.
On the Recipes Switchboard, click Menu Items.
The Recipes – Menu Items screen appears.
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Click Print Recipe or Print Procedure.
Prep Item Recipes
Prep Items are items that are made at the restaurant and are not directly purchased (i.e., dressings, sauces,
batched items, etc). Typically these items are used in menu item recipes or other prep item recipes. To
distinguish prep items from menu items and raw material items, a ‘P-’ is incorporated into the name of the
prep item (e.g., P-Chicken Breast).
Clicking on the Prep Items button displays a list of Prep Items available in your MenuLink Client
system. From this list, you can view (look up) a Prep Item to view its recipe, as well as view procedures
and picture, if defined. You can also print the recipe or procedure.
Note: Menu Item and Prep Item information cannot be modified in MenuLink Client. Contact your system
administrator for more information.
MenuLink Client User Guide 135
136 MenuLink Client User Guide
Viewing Prep Items and Recipes
1. On the Recipes Switchboard, click Prep Items.
The Recipes – Prep Items screen appears.
2. Select the item and click Lookup. This opens the Recipes System – Prep Items screen.
In the Recipes System – Prep Items screen, the prep item recipe is displayed, including quantities
made and total cost of the prep item.
MenuLink Client User Guide 137
3. Click Procedures to access the step-by-step instructions for preparing the prep item (if defined).
4. Click Components to view the utensils needed to make item, the prep station that makes the
item, and also any sensitivities associated with the prep items.
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5. Click Picture to access an image of the prep item (if defined).
Printing Prep Item Recipes and Prep Procedures
Printing recipes or preparation procedures can assist kitchen staff, especially for new prep items.
On the Recipes Switchboard, click Prep Items.
The Recipes – Prep Items screen appears.
Click Print Recipe or Print Procedure.
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Items Where Used
Items Where Used shows you a list of all the prep item and menu item recipes that a selected item is
used in and the portion of that item that each recipe uses.
To view where an item is used:
1. On the Recipes Switchboard, click Where Used.
The Items Where Used screen appears.
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2. Select an item and then click Lookup to display the Where Used screen.
In this screen, a list of menu item and prep item recipes that the item is assigned to is displayed
along with the portion of that raw item that is used in the recipe.
3. Click Print to print the list of items.
Conversions
The Conversions button in the Recipes Switchboard previews the Table of Weights and Measures report.
This report is useful when creating recipes because it gives you information on converting a unit of
measure to another unit of measure (e.g., gallons to ounces).
This report also gives you the weights and measures to standard bottle sizes, can sizes and pan sizes.
To Print the Table of Weights and Measures report:
1. On the Recipes Switchboard, click Conversions to access the Table of Weights and Measures
report.
MenuLink Client User Guide 141
2. You can read the report on-screen or print the report as you would any other report.
3. To exit the preview screen, click Close.
Recipe Worksheets
You can print a blank recipe worksheet from this screen. This worksheet is used in creating new recipes.
To Print the Recipe Worksheet:
1. On the Recipes Switchboard, click Worksheets.
A blank Recipe Worksheet appears.
2. You can print the worksheet as you would any other report.
3. To exit the preview screen, click Close.
Recipe Reports
This section includes samples and descriptions of the recipe and menu item/prep item related reports
available in MenuLink Client. Depending on your system set-up, you may not have access to all reports
and selection options described. Contact your system administrator if there is a report or option listed that
you want to use.
For general information on how to view and print reports, as well as selecting report options, see Viewing
and Printing Reports.
You can access Recipe reports from the Reports button on the Recipes Switchboard (Recipe reports only,
as shown in the screen example below) or from the Reports button on the Main Switchboard (all
Inventory reports).
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Items Where Used Report
This report lists all the menu items in which an ingredient (raw item or prep item) is used. The report also
lists the portion used in the recipe as well as the food cost of the portion.
MenuLink Client User Guide 143
Menu Item Categories Report
This report lists all menu item categories (i.e., this report does not list prep item categories or raw item
categories) in your system, ID numbers, and GL numbers, if defined.
Menu Items by Category Report
This report lists menu items, sorted by menu item category (each category begins on a new page). If a
menu item does not have a menu item category assigned, it will not be listed in this report.
Menu Items Without PLU Codes Report
This report lists menu items that do not have Price Lookup Codes (PLU) also known as POS Codes
defined, sorted by menu item category.
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PLU List Report
This report lists all menu items (sorted alphabetically) and their PLU codes, MenuLink ID, and Selling
Price.
Raw Materials in Each Item Report
This report is sorted by the Item Category then lists menu items and the raw materials that make up the
recipe. The report lists the raw material ID, cost of the raw material, and amount used in the recipe.
MenuLink Client User Guide 145
Recipe Card Detail Report
This is a custom report that displays all of the important information about an item in one place. The
report includes your company logo, a picture of the finished item, a list of ingredients, the procedures to
make the items, the utensils needed to prepare the item as well as any sensitivities associated with the
menu item.
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Sales
The Sales screen contains several tools you can use to import POS data, enter and manage deposits, view
sales mixes, reconcile sales data, and forecast sales information.
Features in the Sales screen include:
Import — Import data from your POS or other system for MenuLink to use.
Deposits — Enter and view deposit information for your site.
Sales Mix — View individual items sales for a selected date by quantity and price.
Reconcile — Perform cashier and server checkouts, edit the sales journal, enter and track safe
counts, and manage tip share distributions.
Forecasting — Calculate future sales based on historical data to manage ordering and staffing.
Reports — View and print sales-related reports.
Entering Deposits
You can enter deposits at any time during the business day. There is no maximum number of deposits that
you can make. MenuLink Client uses the Total Deposit Amount for calculating the cash over/short
amount in the Reconcile screen.
Note: Depending on your POS system, the deposits may or may not be imported directly from your POS
You can also access the Deposit screen through the Cash Reconciliation screen.
There are two ways to enter deposits, and the method you use depends on how your system is configured.
When you click Deposits from the Sales Switchboard, match the screen with one of the following
methods (Classic, Rapid, or Rapid with Cashier Checkout). Contact your system administrator for more
information.
MenuLink Client User Guide 147
Entering a Deposit (Classic Method):
1. From the Sales Switchboard, click Deposits.
The Deposits screen shows any deposits that were already made for the current business day,
along with the total daily deposits amount.
In this example, one
‘demo’ deposit is complete,
and another is ready to
save.
2. In the Business Date field, select the sales date for the deposit(s) you want to enter.
3. In the Bag Number field, enter the deposit bag number. Typically, this is the number on the
bank’s deposit bag.
4. In the Amount field, enter the amount of the deposit.
5. In the Notes field, type a brief description of the deposit (ex., AM Deposit, PM Deposit, etc.).
6. Click Enter New Deposit. The deposit that was just entered is displayed in the grid below that
New Deposits fields.
7. If necessary, repeat steps 3-6 to enter additional deposits for the selected business date.
8. Click Save to save the deposits.
Tips for entering deposits:
To modify a deposit that has been entered, select the dollar amount of the deposit entered in the
Deposits for the Day area and enter the new amount. Depending on your security permissions,
you may not be able to change a deposit entered by another user.
Alternatively, you can enter a new deposit and enter a negative amount to reflect a shortage or
positive amount to show an increase in the deposits. In the Notes field, indicate the reason for this
deposit.
Your System Administrator defines how many days in the past a deposit can be added or
modified. You are not allowed to enter or modify deposits for any day that has exceeded the
number of days that were set.
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Entering a Deposit (Rapid Method):
MenuLink has a ‘rapid deposit entry’ feature where you can enter and validate deposit details quickly into
a table format. Additionally, you can import data directly from imported cashier checkout data.
1. From the Sales Switchboard, click Deposits.
The Deposits screen shows any deposits that have been entered for the current business day, the
verified amount, and who has entered and verified the amounts. If you scroll right, there is also a
field to validate the amount.
Typically, a manager enters a deposit (in the deposit amount field) and drops the deposit in the
safe. An opening manager opens the deposit and enters an amount in the verified amount field,
and then enters a validated amount based on the bank deposit slip.
Note: Once a deposit has been validated, it no longer appears on this screen.
2. Enter a bag number, notes, and a deposit amount.
3. Click Save to keep your entry.
4. To verify the deposit amount, enter an amount in the verified amount field and click Save.
5. Likewise, to validate the amount, enter an amount in the validated amount field and click Save.
Note: Depending on security settings, some managers may be restricted from entering, verifying,
or validating deposits.
Entering a Deposit (Rapid Method with Cashier Checkout):
Entering a deposit using the Rapid Method as described above may give you the option to create a deposit
based on one or more cashier checkouts.
1. From the Sales Switchboard, click Deposits.
The Deposits screen shows any deposits that have been entered for the current business day, the
verified amount, and who has entered and verified the amounts. If you scroll right, there is also a
field to validate the amount.
MenuLink Client User Guide 149
Notice there is now a new and a lookup button.
2. To enter a new deposit, click new. This opens the Deposits screen.
3. Enter a bag number and notes.
4. Select which cashier checkout(s) to use for the deposit. This populates the total checkout and the
total deposits fields.
5. If necessary, enter an open amount to make a manual adjustment to the deposit amount.
Note: Depending on security settings, some managers may be unable to enter an open amount.
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6. Click Save to keep the deposit settings.
Reconciling Sales
The Reconcile (also called Daily Sales Reconciliation, or DSR) function is primarily used to reconcile
your restaurant’s sales for a selected date. The Sales - Reconcile screen shows information that was
imported from your POS system. You may be required to enter information in certain fields based on
your company requirements. This screen also gives you access the Deposits screen as well as the
Allocation of Paid Ins and Paid Outs screen. When reconciling sales, you can access and print the Sales
Journal for Entire House report which contains all the information that is displayed in the Reconcile
screen.
Note: The instructions and screen examples shown in this section are for general reference only. This
area in MenuLink Client is customizable, and you can capture or enter information based on your
company’s particular requirements. Therefore, the screens and instructions may not exactly match the
process that you follow at your location. Contact your system administrator or company management if
you have questions on how to reconcile sales.
The Sales Journal
1. On the Sales Switchboard, click Reconcile.
2. In the Cash Reconciliation Selection, click Sales Journal.
This screen may also contain additional buttons that, when activated by your System
Administrator, give you access to the following features:
Cashier Checkout: A feature to reconcile a cashier’s sales for a specific date and shift. Cash
pulls can also be entered through this button.
Sales Journal: Accesses the Sales – Cash Reconciliation Summary screen, in which you will
find detailed summary information about sales and cash reconciliation, and ticket counts.
Safe Count: Used to audit the safe or back up bank.
Tip Share Allocation: You can use the Tip Share allocation to distribute tips among eligible
employees by shift
MenuLink Client User Guide 151
3. In the upper right corner of the Sales – Cash Reconciliation Summary screen, select the desired
business date.
Information available for modification
appears in green text.
4. To access detailed information on sales, discounts, and tender information, click Detail. The
Sales – Cash Reconciliation Details screen appears.
Information available for modification
appears in green text.
5. To return to the Sales - Reconcile Summary screen, click Summary.
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Petty Cash Out
As part of the cash reconciliation process, you can allocate items purchased on Petty Cash Out for the
selected day to the appropriate category. This feature is similar to the invoice process. If your POS system
tracks petty cash, the Petty Cash Out field is populated during the POS Import process. For others, the
field is unlocked, and you can enter the amount directly.
1. To enter petty cash amounts, click the button next to the Petty Cash Out field.
2. In the Invoice Selection screen, click New.
3. In the Purchasing – Invoices screen, enter the invoice number, select the vendor and verify the
Invoice Date.
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Use the Tab key to quickly
navigate between fields.
Tip: Click the blue box in the middle of each line for immediate access to the Inventory
Lookup screen. Use the Inventory Lookup screen to add an item to the selected line.
4. Click in the Item Name field to enter the first item. Click to view the selection list. Select the
appropriate item in the item name field.
5. If necessary, select the unit of measure for the item received in the Units field.
6. In the ‘Rec Qty’ field, enter the quantity that you received.
7. In the Price field, enter the price of the item. The price you enter here must be based on the unit
you selected in the Units field.
8. In the Total field, you can verify the total value of the item received, or you can enter the total
value and the system calculates the Price based on the Units selected.
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9. Repeat steps 4 – 8 until all items have been entered.
10. Click Save, and then click Exit to Previous.
The Invoice Selection screen appears. Verify that the Total and Match fields in the lower right
corner balance leaving a difference of zero ($0.00). If there is a difference, you may need to
adjust a Paid Out, or enter in additional Paid Outs.
11. Click Exit to Previous to return to the Cash Reconciliation Summary screen.
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Paid Ins
As part of the cash reconciliation process, you can allocate monies received for various items or services
(e.g., pay telephone income) with the Paid In feature. This feature is similar to Petty Cash Out. If your
POS System tracks Paid Ins, the Paid In field is populated during the POS Import process. For others, the
field is unlocked, and you can enter the amount directly.
To Manage Paid Ins:
1. In the Sales – Cash Reconciliation Summary screen, click the button next to the Paid In
field.
2. In the Invoice Selection screen, click New.
3. In the Purchasing – Invoices screen, enter the invoice number, select the vendor and verify the
Invoice Date.
4. In the field below Item Name, click to view the selection list. Select the appropriate item in
the item name field, and then press Enter on your keyboard to move to the next field.
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5. In the Units field, select the unit of measure for the Paid In item.
6. In the Quantity field, enter the Negative quantity for the Paid In item then Press Enter on your
keyboard to move to the next field.
7. In the Price field, enter the price of the item. The price you enter here must be based on the unit
you selected in the Units field. Press Enter on your keyboard to move to the next field.
Note: Do not enter a negative amount in this field. If a negative amount is entered, it will distort
the weighted average cost of the item. MenuLink Client will calculate the Total as a negative
value because a negative quantity was entered in the quantity field.
8. In the Total field, you can verify the total value of the item received, or you can enter the total
value and the system calculates the Price based on the Units selected. Press Enter on your
keyboard to move to the next field.
9. Repeat steps 4 – 8 until all items are entered for this Paid In item.
10. Click Save, and then click Exit to Previous.
11. The Invoice Selection screen appears. Verify that the Total and Match fields in the lower right
corner balance leaving a difference of zero ($0.00). If there is a difference, you may need to
adjust a Paid In, or create additional Paid Ins.
12. Click Exit to Previous to return to the Cash Reconciliation Summary screen.
Deposits
You can enter deposits as part of the cash reconciliation process. To enter deposits through the Cash
Reconciliation Summary screen:
1. Click the button to the right of the Cash Deposit field.
2. In the Deposits screen, enter the deposit(s).
3. Click Save, after entering the deposit(s).
4. Click Exit to Previous to return to the Cash Reconciliation Summary screen.
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Note: The behavior of this function is dependent upon configuration in Site Properties.
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Print the Sales Journal
After you’ve verified the figures in the Cash Reconciliation Summary and Cash Reconciliation screens
(making adjustments as necessary), entered Paid Ins and Paid Outs, and entered deposits, you are ready to
print the Sales Journal.
To Print the Sales Journal:
1. On the Sales – Cash Reconciliation Summary screen, click Print.
The Sales Journal Report previews on screen.
Depending on your settings, your report
may be different from the example shown.
2. Click Print on the Reports Toolbar to print the report. When the Printer Selection box appears,
click OK.
3. To exit from the worksheet preview screen click Close on the toolbar.
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Safe Count
Safe count is a feature used to audit the Safe or back up bank. If this feature is not available on your
system and you would like to use it, please contact your system administrator.
1. On the Sales Switchboard, click Reconcile.
2. In the Cash Reconciliation Selection, click Safe Count.
.
3. Enter the quantity for each of the denominations.
4. Enter the number of cash drawers.
5. Enter any notes regarding the safe count.
6. When all of the information is correct click Enter New Safe Count.
7. Click Save to save the safe count.
8. Click Print to print the Safe count.
9. Click Exit to Main to return to the main switchboard or Exit to Previous to return to the Sales
Switchboard.
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Tip Share Distribution
Tip Share allocation is where you can distribute tips among eligible employees by shift. The system
distributes the tips according to the following calculation: AM/PM Tip Share $ * Job’s Distribution % =
Job Tip Share Pool. If this feature is not available on your system and you would like to use it, please
contact your system administrator
1. From the Sales Switchboard, click Reconcile.
2. In the Cash Reconciliation Selection, click Tip Share Distribution
.
3. Select Business Date.
4. Select Shift.
Note: User can not select a current or future shift or select a day beyond what is defined by your
system administrator.
5. Enter the Tip to be Shared for the shift selected in step 4.
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6. Click Recalculate button
7. You then see that the Tip Share amount has been distributed to each employee that worked any
job code with a setup of Indirect Tips in Jobs Maintenance.
8. You can then edit the Distribution % for each job code by changing the percent in the
Distribution % fields.
Note: The Total Distribution must be 100%.
9. Recalculate button to update the employee Tip Share $.
10. Click Save.
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Sales Mix
The Sales Mix screen is where you can view the number of menu items sold for that day. The information
that you see includes the POS Code, Total Sold, and Unit Price for each menu item.
Note: Generally, you cannot make modifications to the information on this screen. Contact your system
administrator for more information.
To View the Sales Mix:
1. From the Sales Switchboard, click Sales Mix.
2. Enter the desired sales date, and then click Continue.
The Sales Mix appears. To see the quantities sold, scroll through the list of menu items using the
scroll bar to the right of the list.
See Sorting and Searching for Information for more information about this screen.
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Forecasting
Forecasting is a feature that predicts sales and guests for future weeks using sales data collected in the
Inventory System through the POS Import process. The system forecasts your sales and guests for each
day of the selected week using last year’s data or this year’s data. The Forecasting feature also forecasts
sales intervals (Half Hour Sales) based on the forecasted daily sales and also forecasts a Sales Mix.
The Sales and Guests forecast is used in several features including Order by Forecasting, Prep
Scheduling, and Recommended Staffing based on your Staffing matrix.
After forecasting the daily sales, MenuLink Client takes the daily sales total and calculates the sales for
each half hour of the day. MenuLink Client uses the forecasted half hour sales in the Labor Scheduling
feature to calculate staffing requirements per half hour using the staffing matrices that have been set up
through the Labor Staffing feature.
Note: More information on Forecasting can be found in the Projected Data section of this guide,
including event information and forecasting by alternate sales type.
Creating a New Forecast
To Create New Sales and Guest Forecast:
1. From the Sales Switchboard, click Forecasting.
Note: You can also access Forecasting through the Labor Switchboard by clicking Projected
Data.
2. In the Forecasting screen, enter the period number and week number to define the date range to
be forecasted.
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3. In Select Data Source, choose the data that to use: Current Year or Previous Year.
4. Enter the number of weeks for Sales/Guest and Sales Mix. This defines which data MenuLink
Client will use to calculate the forecast.
5. Click New Forecast.
MenuLink Client generates the sales and guest forecast which is listed in the Forecast Daily
Amounts area.
6. This table contains the sales date and day, as well as the forecast sales. It also contains the sales
for the same date last year (LY Same Day Sales) as well as the alternate sales forecast. The
alternate sales forecast is defined by your system administrator and displays the forecast sales for
a specific area or item category for your site. In this example, we have forecast Drive Thru sales,
which helps drive recommended staffing for the Drive Thru area of the site.
7. Also shown are the number of forecast guests and the date the forecast was made.
8. To make changes to the forecasted sales and guests, you can do the following:
a) In the Forecasted Daily Amounts area, select the sales amount for the day you want to
modify, and then enter the new sales amount. You can also adjust the alternate sales
forecast.
b) For that same day, enter the new guest amount.
c) Click Reforecast Intervals.
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Forecast by Average
The Forecast by Average feature shows the individual sales forecasted for each day based on information
from up to six prior weeks. You can change the sales forecast, percentage of increase (or decrease), days
to exclude from the calculation, and the weight.
To Create a Forecast by Average:
1. After the sales forecast has been calculated, click Forecast by Average.
The data in this example is not from a
‘live’ site. Your data will
contain realistic values.
2. The amount in the average column indicates what MenuLink Client calculated as the average for
those weeks. For example, the average for Tuesday was calculated as follows:
$3077+$3077+$3077+$3077 +$3077+$3077=$18463 / 6 (# of sales amounts added) = $3077
3. In the (%) Increase field, you can enter a value by which you want to increase (or decrease) the
average.
4. To exclude a sales amount from the average calculation, click the box below the sale amount to
remove the check mark.
Note: MenuLink Client may automatically exclude the high and low sales for a selected week, as
defined by your system administrator.
5. To change the weight of a sales amount used in the average calculation, enter the number that you
want to assign that sales amount in the box below the day’s sales amount.
In the following example, Tuesday’s average calculation does not include sales for the week of
12/4/07 and Wednesday’s calculation does not include sales for the week of 11/27/07.
Wednesday’s sales amount for week of 12/4/07 has been weighted at twice the weight of the
other sales days. In the % of Increase for Tuesday has been set at 10%.
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Below is the calculation used to create the Sales Forecast for Tuesday.
$1675 + $1249 + $913 + $1807 + $1233 = $6877 / 5 (# of sales amounts added) = $1375
$1375 * 1.10% = $1513
Below is the calculation used to create the Sales Forecast for Wednesday.
$1348+$2012+$1508+$1905+$2166+ $2166 ($2166 was used twice because it is weighted
twice)= $1110 5/ 6 (# of sales amounts added)= $1851
6. Click Exit to Previous to return to the Forecasting screen
7. Click Save to save any changes made to the forecast.
Show Sales Mix
Use the Show Sales Mix feature to show the forecasted sales mix for the selected day.
To Create a Daily Sales Mix:
1. After the sales forecast has been calculated and saved, click Show Sales Mix.
2. To change the forecasted daily sales mix to another day in the forecast week, click the arrow to
the right of the Sales Date field and select a date.
3. Click Exit to Previous to return to the Forecast screen.
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Show Intervals
Use the Show Intervals feature to view the forecasted sales and guests broken down into a predefined
interval (15 minutes, 30 minutes or 60 minutes) for the selected date.
To Create a Sales and Guest Interval Forecast:
1. After the sales forecast has been calculated and saved, click Show Intervals.
2. To change the display to another day in the forecast week, click the arrow to the right of the
Sales Date field and select a date.
3. Click Exit to Previous to return to the Forecast screen.
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Importing information from the POS System
Use the Import POS feature to transfer information from your Point of Sales system into MenuLink
Client. Depending on how your MenuLink Client system is set up, you may be able to import specific
portions of POS information into your system.
Note: Since the exact process to import information is customizable and dependent upon the type of POS
system(s) in your restaurant and the specific information you import, the following instructions are for
general information only. Contact your system administrator for instructions for your specific system.
To Import Information from your POS System:
1. From the Sales Switchboard, click Import POS.
2. In Import/Export Selection, choose the import you want to do.
Example screen. Your
MenuLink Client system
may display different options.
3. If importing by date, MenuLink Client prompts you to select a date.
4. When you click OK the following screen appears
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5. When you see ‘Processing Complete – No errors Detected’ click Ok and you are redirected to
the Sales Switchboard.
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Sales Reports
This section includes samples and descriptions of Sales-related reports available in MenuLink Client.
Depending on your system set-up, you may not have access to all reports and selection options described.
Contact your system administrator for more information.
For general information on how to view and print reports, as well as selecting report options, see Viewing
and Printing Reports.
You can access Sales reports from the Reports button on the Sales Switchboard (Sales reports only, as
shown in the screen example below) or from the Reports button on the Main Switchboard (all Inventory
reports).
MenuLink Client User Guide 171
Forecast Sales and Guests Report
The Forecast Sales and Guests report forecasts sales and guest information based on prior sales (up to 6
weeks prior to the current date, or from the previous year).
Menu Item Contribution by Category Report
The Menu Item Contribution by Category report lists each menu item, its current food cost, and its
contribution based on sales. Ideal contribution is the gross profit derived from the sale of this item.
(Margin multiplied by the number sold)
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A grand total appears at the
end of the report.
Menu Item Contribution Stacked Report
The Menu Item Contribution Stacked report is similar to the Menu Item Contribution by Category report,
except that multiple sites can be compared.
A grand total appears at the
end of the report.
Sales and Guests by Interval Report
The Sales and Guests by Interval Report shows the sales and number of guests broken down for all daily
intervals. The report also includes guest check averages for each day.
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Depending on reports configured for your MenuLink Client system, you may also have additional reports
for specific dining destinations (e.g., Sales and Guest by Interval – To Go).
This example shows only an
interim segment, with
the totals section copied at the bottom.
Sales Deposit Report
The Sales Deposit report shows sales deposit amounts, dates, the name of the person who made and/or
modified the deposit, and the bag number.
Sales History by Interval Report
The Sales History by Interval report shows current and historical sales by interval, based on the time
period selected when generating the report.
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In this example, the ‘Week’ time frame was
selected. The report
continues for each day of the
week (Tuesday-Sunday).
Sales Journal Report
The Sales Journal report shows sales and financial information for the selected time frame (for example,
days, weeks, period). This report can also be printed from the Cash Reconciliation screen.
Your report may differ from the
example shown, depending on your
settings.
Product Mix Report
The Product Mix report shows menu item sales mix information (quantity, price, and extension), grouped
by category for the selected time frame.
MenuLink Client User Guide 175
Product Mix, Daily Spreadsheet
The Product Mix, Daily Spreadsheet report shows the number of menu items sold for each day of the
week during the selected time frame.
Sales Mix Forecast Report
The Sales Mix Forecast report shows the forecasted sales mix, sorted by category, for a selected time
frame.
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Sales Mix Percentage Report
The Sales Mix Percentage report lists all items sold, sorted by category, and displays the relative
percentage of unit sales for each item in each category.
Sales Mix Without Recipes Report
The Sales Mix Without Recipes report shows all items that were sold but have no recipes. Sales of items
that do not have recipes can adversely impact theoretical food cost figures.
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Sales Summary Report
The Sales Summary report is a snapshot of the net sales, labor costs, and cash over/short for a selected
time frame.
Theoretical Use Based on Sales Report
The Theoretical Use Based on Sales report is a list of inventory items that should have been used based
on sales for a selected time frame.
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Theoretical Use of Raw Materials Report
The Theoretical Use of Raw Materials report lists each raw item used, the items that the raw items were
used in, the amount used in the recipe, and the total use for a selected time frame. Totals are given for
each category.
Unknown Codes from POS System Report
The Unknown Codes from POS System report lists all unknown PLU codes entered in the POS that do
not have a matching code in MenuLink Client over a selected time frame. The report lists the date the
code was entered on the POS, the unknown PLU code, item name, and price.
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Tip Share Distribution Report
The Tip Share Distribution report displays each of the employees with eligible job codes and their tip
share dollars. This report also has a place for the employee and the manager signature for tracking who
from each shift has picked up the tip share.
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Period End
The Sales screen contains several tools you can use to export data to other applications, run workflow
scripts, see other MenuLink Client user activity, and enter overhead costs into MenuLink Client.
Features in the Period End screen include:
Close Week — The Close Week button is reserved for future use.
Export — Export data to an external system, such as a payroll system.
Workflow — Run ‘workflows,’ which can guide you through common tasks, such as hiring a
new employee or performing end-of-day procedures.
Activity Log — View the activity of other users in the MenuLink Client.
P and L — Enter accruals, allocated expenses, and budgeted expenses for an accurate picture of
your site’s financial performance.
Reports — View and print Period End-related reports.
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Exporting Data
The Export feature is where you can export information from MenuLink Client to third-party applications
or systems, such as a payroll application, your POS system, or an accounting application.
Note: The exact Export options that are available in your MenuLink Client system depend on your
location’s specific configuration and the system or application you are exporting to. The information
provided in this section is only an example. Contact your system administrator for more information.
Sample Import/Export Selection screen.
Selecting an option
guides you through a process specific to the system or application.
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Workflow
The Workflow feature contains scripts that are designed to walk you through a specific process, such as
hiring a new employee, running through end-of-day procedures, or borrowing an employee from another
site.
Note: The workflow options that are available in your MenuLink Client depend on your location’s
specific information processing needs. Contact your system administrator for more information.
To run a workflow, select a workflow name, click Run, and follow the on-screen prompts.
Sample Workflow
Selection screen.
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Activity Log
The Activity Log displays a user’s usage of the MenuLink Client, arranged by the most recent even first.
Note: The information in this area is read-only; it cannot be modified.
For information on how to sort and search for information in this table, see Sorting and Searching for
Information.
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P and L
The P and L feature is where you can enter and maintain allocation, budget line items or accruals for your
Profit and Loss (P & L) report. You can then accurately view your site’s financial performance.
Entering an Accrual
An Accrual is an amount of money that periodically accumulates for a specific purpose (such as payment
of taxes, interest, or expenses that are collected over a period of time). The items you are able to accrue
are set up by your System Administrator.
1. On the Period End screen, click P and L.
2. In the Accrual, Allocation, and Budget Entry Selection dialog box, adjust the information for the
time period you would like to enter the accrual for.
3. Click Enter Accruals.
4. In the Accrual Entry screen, select a date, enter the accrual account, enter a description of the
accrual and enter an amount of the accrual.
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5. Click Save to save the entry.
Entering an Allocation
Allocations are used to enter most overhead expenses into MenuLink Client that would not be entered as
an invoice (e.g., rent, advertising, or contractors).
1. On the Period End screen, click P and L.
2. In the Accrual, Allocation, and Budget Entry Selection dialog box, adjust the information for the
time period you would like to enter the allocation for.
3. Click Enter Allocations.
4. In the Allocation Entry screen, select an item and enter an amount or percentage (as set by your
system administrator).
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5. Click Save to save the entry.
Entering a Budget
You can enter your Budget into the system so that you can compare your actual costs to the budget
prepared by your company. The items you are able to budget are set up by your System Administrator.
1. On the Period End Switchboard, click P and L.
2. In the Accrual, Allocation, and Budget Entry Selection dialog box, adjust the information for the
time period you would like to enter the budget for.
3. Click Enter Budget.
4. In the Budget Entry screen, select an item and enter an amount or percentage (as set by your
system administrator).
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5. Click Save to save the entry.
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Period End Reports
This section includes samples and descriptions of Period End-related reports available in MenuLink
Client. Depending on your system set-up, you may not have access to all reports and selection options
described. Contact your system administrator for more information.
For general information on how to view and print reports, as well as selecting report options, see Viewing
and Printing Reports.
You can access Period End reports from the Reports button on the Period End Switchboard (Period End
reports only, as shown in the screen example below) or from the Reports button on the Main Switchboard
(all Inventory reports).
Note that the
Period End reports screen generally
contains other ‘miscellaneous’
reports.
Fiscal Calendar Report
The Fiscal Calendar report displays how your fiscal calendar is configured.
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Profit and Loss Comparison Report
The Profit and Loss Comparison report compares this year’s profit and loss figures with last year’s for a
selected time frame. The report also includes this year’s budgeted amounts and variance, if this
information is set up in your system. The information in the report is similar to the Sales Journal report.
Report continues for
all defined expense
categories.
Profit and Loss Recap Report
The Profit and Loss Recap report shows summary P&L information for each week in a selected period as
well as totals for the period.
Profit and Loss Recap by Day Report
The Profit and Loss Recap report shows summary P&L information for day in a selected time period as
well as totals for the period.
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Labor The Labor System is where you can maintain and track labor information including employee hiring,
borrowing and transferring, time clock punches, shift schedules, and employee availability. The system
can calculate the recommended labor information for scheduling, using labor matrices (e.g. ‘par levels’)
and sales forecasts. The Labor System has a wide variety of information and reports that you can use to
effectively and accurately manage labor costs.
The Labor System features include the following:
Employees — Enter and manage employee records, and borrow or transfer employees.
Payroll — Edit, or adjust shifts, and track non-worked hours (e.g. vacation, and jury duty).
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Scheduling — Create new schedules, edit existing schedules, and manage employee availability.
Staffing — Manage staff recommendations for scheduling using the labor matrices.
Projected Data — Create sales and guest forecasts for upcoming weeks.
Reports — View and print available labor reports.
The Labor System also has three buttons at the bottom of the screen:
Stop — This button exits the MenuLink application.
Workflow — This button gives you a list of configured scripts to run that will guide you through
common processes, such as hiring a new employee or running your End of Day routine.
Inventory — This button takes you to the Inventory Switchboard.
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Employees
The Employees screen contains several tools you can use to enter and manage employee information, and
borrow or transfer employees.
Features in the Employee screen include:
Employee Maintenance — Enter and manage employee information, including name,
emergency contact information, job codes, POS information, and other important, required data.
Employee Borrowing — Import employee information from another site to add the employee to
your site.
Payroll Export — The Payroll Export button is reserved for future use.
Employee Transfers — Transfer employee information from another site to add the employee to
your site.
Worksheets — The Worksheets button is reserved for future use.
Reports — View and print Employee-related reports.
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Employee Maintenance
The Employee Maintenance feature is where you can enter and maintain employee profile information,
such as name and address, W-4 and I-9 information, and job status. You can also import a digital image of
an employee.
Important: Your administrator determines the content of the Employee Profile screen. Based on
this configuration, some tabs and fields may be unavailable in your installation.
Employee Maintenance Screen
To enter new employees or manage existing employee profile information, click Employee
Maintenance. In this screen, depending on security permissions, you can:
Create a new employee profile.
View or update an existing employee profile.
Delete an employee profile.
Buttons
Click New to enter information for a new employee.
Lookup opens the profile for the selected employee.
Delete removes the employee record from the system. Unless the employee record was created in error, we recommend deactivating the employee instead since some historical information may reference the employee.
Note: Delete can only be done by users with security permissions (i.e. administrators) and is disabled for users who do not have the permissions. Typically at the restaurant managers will only be able to change the status of the employee to inactivate them.
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Employee Profile Screen – Employee Tab
The Employee tab is where you define basic information about an employee, such as the employee’s
name, address, social security number, and contact information. Any field with an asterisk next to it
requires completion before you can save the employee profile. Various fields in the Employee Profile
screen have drop-down lists from which you can select information applicable to the employee.
To verify the SSN/SIN is unique in the database, type the number in the text box, then click the
check mark button next to it. A message appears in the upper right corner of the Employee
Profile screen indicating if the number is unique.
Employee Profile Screen – Emergency Tab
The Emergency tab is used to define emergency contact information for each employee.
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Employee Profile Screen – Status Tab
The Status tab describes the current employment status of the employee. For example, if the employee is
active, has been terminated, or is on a leave of absence. The available choices are determined by your
system administrator.
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Employee Profile Screen – W-4 Form Tab
The W-4 tab is contains the employee’s W-4 information for federal, state, and local tax withholdings.
For convenience, a current W-4 form is included in the MenuLink reports. Click Print to print a
completed W-4 form for the employee.
Employee Profile Screen – I-9 Form Tab
The I-9 tab is completed with the employee’s I-9 information. Instructions for completing the I-9 Form
are available when you print an I-9 report. For convenience, a current I-9 form is also included in the
MenuLink reports. Click Print to print a completed I-9 form for the employee.
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Employee Profile Screen –Jobcode Tab
The Jobcode tab defines the jobs that are assigned to the employee, the rate of pay for each job, the reason
for a change or addition, and the effective date for a new job or rate of pay. Any changes to an Employees
Job or Rate are listed under rate history.
Note: When entering the Effective Date, you must enter a date within 30 days of the current date.
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Employee Profile Screen – Point of Sale Tab
The Point of Sale Tab contains information that your POS system uses for the employee. The number
entered in the ‘POS Code’ field must match the employee code in the POS.
Employee Profile Screen – Picture Tab
Use the Picture tab to import a digital image of the employee into the MenuLink Client. MenuLink
imports images in BMP, JPG, or GIF formats.
To Import an Image:
1. Click Select Picture.
2. In the Select Image File dialog box, select the image you want to import and click Open. You can
use the Windows ‘Select Image File’ dialog box to navigate to the file if needed.
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Borrowing and Transferring Employees
MenuLink Client contains these two features for you to easily borrow and transfer employees into your
site from other sites. The primary difference between the two functions is that a borrowed employee
keeps their original home store, who maintains the ability to make changes to the employee profile.
Transferring an employee will actually make your site the employee’s new home site.
Employee Borrowing
With the Employee Borrowing feature, you can temporarily transfer an employee to your site. This
feature gives you the following capabilities, depending upon your user security settings:
Multiple sites can borrow the same employee.
Your user security determines your ability to borrow employees from other sites.
You may need to define job and pay rate information for the employee.
Note: You cannot make changes to other employee profile information defined at the ‘home’ store, such
as address and contact information.
The Employees Currently Borrowed screen shows employees from other stores who are currently loaned
to your store. If activated by your administrator, MenuLink sends notification to the borrowed employee’s
home site. Upon login, that site’s management team can approve or deny the borrowing of the employee.
This feature prevents using a borrowed employee until approved.
On this screen you can do the following:
Borrow an employee
Update a borrowed employee’s information
Remove an employee from the currently borrowed list
Buttons
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Click NEW To borrow an employee who is not currently borrowed.
Select the employee name and click Lookup, to update a currently borrowed employee’s job information
Select an employee name, and click Delete to remove the ‘borrowed’ designation at your site. To ‘return’ an employee to the home store. Note: This does not delete the employee profile from the MenuLink Client database; it just deletes the ‘borrowed’ designation by your store.
To Borrow an Employee:
1. In the Labor screen, click Employees.
2. In the Employees screen, click Employee Borrowing.
3. In the Employees Currently Borrowed screen, click New.
The Employees Available for Borrowing screen appears, containing the employees available for
you to borrow.
4. Select the employee’s name and click Lookup. If you cannot easily find the employee, see
Sorting and Searching for Information for more details.
The Borrowed Employee Lookup screen appears. The Main tab shows basic information about
the employee. Only the home store can make changes to this tab.
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5. Select the Jobcodes tab.
The Jobs tab is divided into two areas: Rates for the Current Store and Home Store Job Rates.
6. You can ether select Use Home Store Jobs/Rates or enter in new information by clicking the
Job Name field in the Rates for Current Store section. You must specify the Start Date, but
you can leave the End Date blank, if the employee is to be borrowed indefinitely.
Note: Depending on the security permissions set up by your system administrator you may not be
able to make changes to the employee’s job and pay information.
7. Select the Point of Sale tab to define information as appropriate for your POS System.
Depending on the hardware and software used in your site, these options may be different.
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8. Click Save to keep your changes.
The borrowed employee enters ‘pending’ status, and a message appears indicating ‘Waiting for
Acceptance…’ in the upper right corner of the screen.
Employee Transfers
With the Employee Transfers function, you can permanently transfer an employee from another site to
your site. When transferring an employee to your site, you become the employee’s home site and can edit
the employee profile as needed. The MenuLink Client automatically tags the transferred employee as a
‘new hire’ with ‘active’ status. Your user security determines if you can transfer an employee to your site.
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To Transfer an Employee to your Location:
1. In the Employees screen, click Employee Transfers.
2. From the Employee Transfer Selection screen, select the employee you want to transfer in and
click Lookup.
3. In the Employee Transfer screen, click Transfer.
Note: Fields containing asterisks are masked, and not available to
view.
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4. Click Yes to continue with the transfer. Click No or Cancel to return to the Employee Transfer
screen and go back to step 2.
5. Click OK.
6. The employee profile is now transferred to your location. The system automatically sets the
status to ‘Active’ and the Employment Reason to ‘New Hire.’
7. You can then edit the employee profile as needed.
The same notification message, ‘Waiting for Acceptance…’ appears for transferred and
borrowed employees, as discussed in the following section. The home site must approve the
transfer before you can edit the employee profile.
Employee Borrowing and Transfer Notification
Employee borrowing and transfer notification can be set up by your system administrator to automatically
send notifications to the home and new sites when an employee is borrowed or transferred. The steps to
borrow or transfer an employee are very similar, though the prompts may differ slightly. In the following
example, we will borrow an employee, and the same process applies for transferred employees.
Upon borrowing an employee, you will see the following in the borrowing store:
1. Once you click Save you will see ‘Waiting for Acceptance from Home Site’ in the upper right-
hand corner of the Borrowed Employee Lookup screen.
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2. On the Employees Currently Borrowed screen you will see a new column called Pending and
there is a check mark for the employee until the transfer is approved by the Home Store.
3. In the Home store, the following message appears upon logging into the system.
Click Yes to accept the borrow request, or No to deny it. Click Cancel to make a decision at a
later time.
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4. Once the home store accepts the request to borrow the employee the following prompt appears at
the borrowing store:
5. Click OK. The check mark is removed from Pending and the employee can be added to the
schedule as normal.
Payroll Export
To export payroll information, see Exporting Data.
Worksheets
This buttons is reserved for new features.
Employee Reports
This section includes samples and descriptions of Employee-related reports available in MenuLink Client.
Depending on your system set-up, you may not have access to all reports and selection options described.
Contact your system administrator for more information.
For general information on how to view and print reports, as well as selecting report options, see Viewing
and Printing Reports.
You can access Employee reports from the Employee Switchboard or from the main Labor Switchboard.
The main Labor Switchboard provides access to all reports available to you.
Note: Some of these reports are forms that employees fill out as part of the hiring process, such as a W-4
and an I-9.
Warning: Some of these reports contain sensitive employee information, such as Social Security numbers,
addresses, and birthdates. We recommend exercising caution when using these reports.
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Employee Birthday List
The Employee Birthday List displays the birth dates of employees, sorted by month and date.
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Employee Phone List
The Employee Phone List displays the name, primary phone number, and alternate phone number for
each employee, sorted alphabetically.
Employee Profile
The Employee Profile report displays the record of selected employee or employees.
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Hire Dates Report
The Hire Dates report displays the name and hire date for each employee, sorted alphabetically by last
name.
Job Details Report
The Job Details report displays each defined job name, ID number, POS Code, and whether or not the
position can collect Tips for the job.
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Employee Jobs and Rates
The Employee Jobs and Rates report displays the name of each employee, the Employee ID, Home Site
(if borrowed), POS Code, Job Description, and Pay Rate.
Employee I-9 Form (Blank)
The Employee I-9 Form (Employment Eligibility Verification) is used during the hiring process. If the
form is expired, contact your system administrator.
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Employee W-4 Form (Blank)
The Employee W-4 Form (Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate) is used during the hiring
process. If the form is expired, contact your system administrator.
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Payroll
The Payroll screen contains features you can use to manage the time that employees worked for payroll
purposes. If activated, you can also manage non-worked time, such as sick time or vacation time.
Features in the Payroll screen include:
Shifts — Manage the time that employees worked for payroll purposes.
Employees — Manage employee information. This is identical to the Employees screen.
Jobs — The Jobs button is reserved for future use.
Future Feature — The Future Features button is reserved for future use.
Worksheets — The Worksheets button is reserved for future use.
Reports — View and print Payroll-related reports.
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Shifts
Use the Shifts feature to access an employee’s time clock information for a selected day. Shifts selected
from previous pay periods are not editable, based on permissions. Time clock information comes directly
from your POS System or a time and attendance device when an employee clocks in or clocks out for
their shift.
Modify and Adjust Shifts Screens
1. On the Payroll Screen, click Shifts.
The Modify Shifts screen displays a list of employees:
2. Select the date for the employee whose shift(s) you want to modify.
The Worked column indicates which employees worked on the selected day.
3. Select the name of the employee and click Lookup.
This opens the Adjust Shifts screen:
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4. In the Adjust Shifts screen, you can:
Enter/Modify a shift.
Enter Non-Worked Hours by the day or week.
Enter/modify Sales and Declared Tips information.
Best practices for managing shift edits are as follows:
Edit current-day shifts in the POS.
Edit shifts for previous days in MenuLink, after the POS import is complete.
Adding a New Shift
If an employee forgets to clock in and out in the POS, you may need to add a shift for this employee.
1. In the Modify Shift screen, select the date for the shift(s) you want to add.
2. Select the employee and click Lookup. This opens the Adjust Shifts screen:
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3. In the Time Clock Punches section of the Adjust Shifts screen, click the blank field under the Job
Name column and select the Job Name that the employee worked.
Note: Use the Enter or Tab Key on your keyboard to move to the next field.
4. Verify that the In Date field is correct. The date appearing here by default is the date selected in
the Modify Shifts screen.
5. Enter the time the shift began in the In Time field. When entering the time using standard time,
enter the time as a 4-digit entry and also enter A or P to indicate AM or PM. For example 3:15
PM would be entered 0315 p.
Note: You can also enter the time in Military Time (00:00 (12:00 AM, midnight) – 23:59 (11:59
PM)).
6. Verify that the Out Date is correct
7. Enter the Out Time, using the same guidelines for In Time, above.
8. Select the Punch Type by clicking to view the selection box.
9. The Hours field is auto-populated after the In and Out Times are entered.
10. Select a Reason for the edit.
Note: A reason may be required to save the adjustment.
11. The Source field is auto-populated, based on the user log-in.
12. Repeat the steps above to add additional time clock punches for the employee.
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13. If your site tracks Sales and Tips information, enter or adjust the information in the Sales and
Tips section for the pay period, if the employee earns tips. This information populates as part of
the POS import. Dimmed fields are not available for editing.
14. If your site requires signed confirmation reports of payroll edits, select Print Confirmation
Report.
15. Click Save to keep your changes (and print the confirmation reports, if selected).
Modifying an Existing Shift
1. From the Modify Shift screen, select the date for the shift(s) you want to modify
2. Select the name of the employee and then click Lookup
3. Adjust the information that needs to be changed by clicking a field and selecting or typing the
correct data.
4. If your site requires signed confirmation reports of payroll edits, select Print Confirmation
Report. This may already be selected, if so configured by the administrator.
5. Click Save to keep your changes (and print the confirmation reports, (if selected).
Non-Worked by Day
Non-Worked hours are hours that need to be tracked and paid but are not included in the worked hours for
overtime calculations. Some examples of non-worked hours are sick pay, jury duty leave, and vacation
pay.
1. From the Modify Shift screen, select the date for the shift(s) you want to enter.
2. Select the employee and click Lookup.
3. Enter the Job Name, Pay Type, and Hours in the Non-Worked Hours section. The Source field
is auto-populated.
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4. Click Save to keep your changes.
Note: Your system administrator can set up rules regarding the number of hours that can be entered for a
specific category of non-worked hours. They also set up rules regarding the number of hours that can be
used in a specific day. If there is a rule violation regarding Non-Worked hours, the Non-Worked hours
are Red. Contact your system administrator for your company’s specific HR policies.
Non-Worked by Week
1. From the Modify Shift screen, select the date for the shift(s) you want to enter.
2. Select the employee and click Lookup.
3. Click Weekly Non-Worked.
Non-Worked hours appear in red when they violate a POS import. Amounts are not included in payroll hours.
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On the Weekly Non-Worked screen you can enter the non-worked hours for each day of the
week. Entries can only be made for dates that fall within the Pay Week Starting and Ending dates
at the top of the screen.
4. Enter the Job Name, Business Date, Pay Type, and Hours for the day. The Source field is auto-
populated.
5. Select the next line and repeat step 4 as many times as needed for the week.
6. Click Save to keep your changes.
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Non-Worked by Week (Multiple Employees)
1. From the Modify Shift screen, click Weekly Non-Worked.
2. In the Employee Name field, select an employee to enter non-worked hours for.
3. Select a Job for the employee.
4. Select a Pay Type for the employee. Depending on the pay type, you may need to enter a number
of hours or a flat dollar amount.
5. Add additional employees and wages as needed.
6. Click Save to keep your changes.
Employees
To manage employees, see the Employees section.
Jobs
The Jobs button is reserved for future use.
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Payroll Reports
This section includes samples and descriptions of Payroll-related reports available in MenuLink Client.
Depending on your system set-up, you may not have access to all reports and selection options described.
Contact your system administrator for more information.
For general information on how to view and print reports, as well as selecting report options, see Viewing
and Printing Reports.
You can access Payroll reports from the Reports button on the Labor Screen (Payroll reports only, as
shown in the screen example below) or from the Reports button on the Main Switchboard (all Labor
reports).
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Approaching Overtime Report
The Approaching Overtime report displays employees who have worked over 30, 35, and 40 hours for the
week, as well as the remaining hours they are scheduled. The report takes the hours worked and adds the
scheduled hours remaining and the result will appear in the appropriate column (i.e. 30-35 in the ‘30’
column; 35-40 in the ‘40’ )
Employee Punches Errors Report
The Employee Punches Errors report displays errors that have occurred between the MenuLink Client and
the POS System. MenuLink Client reports an error when it cannot match the Employee code entered on
the POS with a corresponding Employee code in MenuLink Client. Contact your system administrator for
more information.
Hours Worked Report
The Hours Worked report displays the regular, overtime, and double overtime hours worked for each
employee.
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Payroll Checks
The Payroll Checks report displays the regular, overtime, and double overtime hours worked by each
employee for a selected time frame (typically the payroll period). This report also includes a signature
line for employees to sign when receiving a payroll check.
Payroll Hours
The Payroll Hours report displays each employee who worked during the selected time frame, their
regular, overtime, and double overtime hours worked, and employee profile information such as borrowed
store ID and hire date. The last page of the report summarizes payroll hours by job.
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Time Clock Detail Report
The Time Clock Detail report displays time clock punch information (clock in/out times, dates, day of the
week), as well as regular and overtime hours worked. At the end of the report is a summary of labor totals
by job.
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Time Clock Open Punches Report
The Time Clock Open Punches report displays, for the selected time frame, employees who clocked in
but did not clock out. The report shows the employee name, job, date, and clock in time, and pay rate.
Time Clock Punches
The Time Clock Punches report displays the names of employees who clocked in and out for paid
(worked) time periods, the dates and times of the time clock punches, and the source of the punch (e.g.,
POS or name of the employee who made a correction).
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Time Clock Punches – All Report
The Time Clock Punches – All Report is similar to the Time Clock Punches report described above,
except that the report also includes unpaid break time punches. At the end of the report, a summary of
labor hours totals by job is shown.
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Time Clock Punches Summary
The Time Clock Punches Summary report displays, for the selected time frame, the names of employees,
jobs, and hours worked.
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Non-Worked Hours by Employee
The Non-Worked Hours by Employee report displays, for the selected time frame, the names of
employees, date, job name, pay type and hours allocated to that pay type.
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Scheduling
The Scheduling screen contains features you can use to create new schedules, edit existing schedules, and
manage employee availability. Using the features in the Staffing screen, MenuLink Client also creates
recommended staffing levels based on sales or guest forecasts to help you schedule your labor more
efficiently.
Features in the Payroll screen include:
Employee Schedule — Create a new schedule from scratch, or based on an existing schedule, for
employees for a future time period. Also available for adjusting an existing schedule, when
required.
Manager Schedule — Create a new schedule from scratch, or based on an existing schedule, for
employees for up to six weeks per schedule. Also available for adjusting an existing schedule,
when required.
Time-off Requests — Create one-time requests for time off, or establish standing time-off needs
of employees.
Forecasting — Accesses the Forecasting functions. See Projected Data for more information
about the Forecasting functions.
Worksheets — The Worksheets button is reserved for future use.
Reports — View and print Schedules by day or by week. Reports are also available that show the
difference between scheduled hours and hours actually worked.
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Employee Schedule
With the Employee Schedule feature, you can create a new schedule from scratch or use an existing
schedule as a starting point. Use the Manager Schedule feature for employees who are managers.
To Create an employee schedule:
1. In the Scheduling screen, click Employee Schedule. This opens the Employee Schedule dialog.
2. Select one of the following options:
Use Blank Schedule to create a new schedule from scratch.
Copy Previous Schedule to use a previous schedule as the basis for a new one.
3. In the Employee Schedule dialog, select the starting date for the schedule you want to create.
Note: The date shown is the starting date of the week.
4. Select the following dates:
Select a Schedule Start Date from the calendar. This is the date on which you want the new
schedule to start.
Select a date from the Copy From Schedule Start Date drop-down list, if you are copying
from a previous schedule. Any previously created schedule will be available in the drop-
down list.
5. Click Continue, to access the Employee Schedule screen, which opens in the Daily Schedule
view.
6. The Schedule screen offers two basic view formats:
See Daily Schedule View for instructions on editing shifts in the Daily Schedule View.
See Weekly Schedule View for instructions on editing shifts in the Weekly Schedule View.
7. Modify the schedule as required, adding or removing employees, and adding or modifying shifts,
as necessary.
8. Click Save to keep your changes.
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Edit an Existing Schedule
You can easily edit an existing schedule by entering Employee Schedule and selecting the Existing tab, in
the Employee Schedule dialog. Select the appropriate date from the Schedule Start Date calendar, and
make changes, as needed.
To Edit an Existing Schedule:
1. In the Scheduling screen, click Employee Schedule.
2. In the Employee Schedule dialog, select the Existing tab.
3. Click the arrow to access the Schedule Start Date drop-down list.
4. Select an existing schedule, as displayed in the list. Each existing schedule appears in the list,
based on its start date.
5. Modify the schedule, as required, adding or removing employees, and changing shifts, as
necessary.
6. Click Save to keep your changes.
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Daily Schedule View
The Daily Schedule View displays each day of the week on a separate page for ease of use. In contrast
with the Weekly Schedule View, the daily view shows forecasted sales, recommended staffing, and the
variance between recommended and scheduled staffing levels per interval.
Select Group by Schedule Group to display employees assigned to the same schedule group
together, as configured in System Management.
The Forecasted Sales Total row displays the forecasted sales by the time interval set up in your
system (typically half or quarter hours). The string ‘Forecasted Sales Total’ is a hyperlink,
providing immediate access to the forecasting screen, so you can make adjustments to the sales or
guest forecasts. The forecast is created through the Forecasting function.
The Recommended row displays the staffing number recommended based on sales forecast and
the Staffing Matrix.
The Staffing + / - row displays the variance between what is scheduled and what was
recommended.
The Employee Name section lists all employees, or filters them by job code, based on your
selection in the Display Options section in the upper right corner of the screen. Use the scroll bar
at the bottom of the employee name section to expose more information about each employee and
the current schedule, such as the total, regular, and overtime hours as currently scheduled. Move
the separator bar left or right to control the amount of information visible at one time.
Note: Your selection in the Display Options section affects which employees appear on this list.
This section shows data for recommended and
actual staffing levels.
Select different weekdays here.
This section shows forecasted sales and labor metrics for the week and
selected day.
Click column heads to sort by name, job code, or data in the
column.
Access legend for meaning of colors
and notations. Filter by Employee schedule status and
Jobcodes.
Switch to Weekly
view.
Add schedule notes
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The Daily and Weekly Labor Metrics displays information about the current schedule,
including total scheduled hours, scheduled overtime hours, scheduled labor dollars, and scheduled
labor dollars as a percent of forecasted sales. Your selection in the Display Options area also
affects the information displayed here.
Staffing hours +/- shows the variance between actual staffing and recommended staffing. A
positive number indicates that more hours are scheduled than recommended; a negative number
indicates that fewer hours are scheduled than recommended.
Click at the top of the screen to access the legend. The legend explains the meaning of rows
and columns that appear in different colors, and also explains other notations you may see.
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Adding a Shift
1. Select the day to which you would like to add the shift from the row of tabs beneath the list of
employee names.
2. Select the Jobs and Employees you would like to see in the list in the Display Options section.
3. Locate the name of the employee to be scheduled.
4. The area to the right is where the shift will be created. Using the time line at the top of the
schedule screen, locate the time the shift will begin in this area. Schedule intervals, 15, 30, or 60
minutes, are set by the administrator.
5. Click the area that represents that time to start the shift.
6. Holding the left mouse button down, drag the mouse across to the desired end time.
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7. Release the mouse button to add the new shift for the selected employee.
The new schedule bar and the employee name both appear in green to indicate that is the currently
selected shift.
In this example, we added a shift for Catherine Godard from
10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Deleting a Shift
Select the shift you want to delete by clicking inside the colored bar. The shift turns green to
indicate that it is the currently selected shift.
Press the delete button on your keyboard.
Modifying a Shift
Click on the shift, then click either end of the shift you wish to change.
The mouse cursor turns to a double-ended arrow.
Hold the left mouse button down and extend or reduce the shift by dragging the ends of the bar to
the desired start or end time.
Adding a Task to a Shift
Your system administrator can configure a set of tasks or assignments per job type that can be assigned to
employees on the schedule. These tasks can be a position, side work, routine cleaning projects, etc.
Right click the shift of the person you would like to add the task to. The Shift Detail Assignment
dialog box appears:
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Note: You can access Time-off Requests directly from this dialog by clicking the ‘ Time-off Requests’
button.
Select a station to assign the employee to.
Select the task that you would like to add.
Enter a duration (in hours) and the start time for the employee to begin the task.
Click Save to keep your changes.
At the beginning of the shift you see the assigned task as well as the number of hours scheduled.
If activated by your system administrator, the assigned tasks are also displayed when the schedule
is printed.
Note: You can add a Task for a part of the shift, or for the entire shift. You can also add a Station
to an employee shift, but this change is for the entire shift.
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Weekly Schedule View
The Weekly Schedule View displays each day of the week on a separate page for ease of use. In contrast
with the Daily Schedule View, the weekly view shows shifts for the entire week, but does not show
forecast sales dollars or recommended staffing.
Display Options — Select employee and jobcode types to filter the employee list as desired. Use
‘Group by Schedule Group’ to group listed employees by scheduled job codes.
Hours — The labor hours as currently scheduled for the day.
Dollars — The labor dollars currently scheduled for the day.
% Forecasted Sales — Scheduled labor % of forecast sales (example is from a ‘demo’ database).
Employee Name — Employee list, affected by sorting and filtering options. The columns to the
right of the employee's name shows total, regular, and overtime hours. Use the scroll bar at the
bottom of the Employee/Total section to view these columns.
Note: Shifts are shown in text format. If an asterisk (*) appears next to the time, the employee is
scheduled for two or more shifts for that day. An asterisk (*) appearing in any data field indicates
that the field cannot be calculated until more information is entered.
Staffing hours +/– Shows the variance between actual staffing and recommended staffing. A
positive number indicates that more hours are scheduled than recommended; a negative number
indicates that fewer hours are scheduled than recommended.
Add schedule notes here.
Access legend for meaning of colors and notations.
Use tabs to select
different weekdays.
Select employees and job codes to display here.
This groups employees by scheduled job types.
Forecast sales and labor metrics are in this section.
Individual shifts are noted, and available for modification in this section.
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Adding a Shift
1. Locate the employee and day for which you would like to add a shift.
2. In the employee’s row, click the cell representing the day for which you would like to add the
shift.
3. Type in the desired shift. (ex. ‘3:00pm-8:00pm’).
Note: MenuLink may adjust the formatting of this text after you enter it. If MenuLink cannot
determine the start and end times if your entry, try using the above format.
4. Press the Enter key to insert the new shift for the selected day.
5. Click Save to keep your changes.
Note: You can access Time-off Requests directly from this screen by selecting it from the drop-down
menu.
Deleting a Shift
1. Locate the employee and day you would like to delete a shift for.
2. Click the dropdown for the shift, and select it from the menu.
3. Press the Delete key to remove the shift.
Modifying a Shift
1. Locate the employee and day you would like to change a shift for.
2. Click the dropdown for the shift, and select it from the menu.
3. Type the new time for the shift, using the keyboard.
4. Press Enter to make the new shift effective in the schedule.
Copying a Shift
1. Select the shift you would like to copy by clicking the dropdown for the shift.
2. Right click inside of the shift’s text and select Copy from the menu.
3. Select the shift you would like to copy to by clicking the dropdown for the shift.
4. Right click inside of the shift’s text and select Paste from the menu.
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Note: You can also use the keyboard shortcuts CTRL+C to copy and CTRL+V to paste.
Adding a Task to a Shift
1. Locate the employee and day you would like add a task for.
2. Right click the shift. The Scheduled Tasks dialog appears.
3. Select a station to assign the employee to.
4. Select the task that you would like to add.
5. Enter a duration (in hours) and the start time for the employee to begin the task.
6. Click Save to keep your changes.
Note: Job stations are noted by a character to the left of the shift. In this example, Christina has
been assigned to the Expediter station, and an ‘E’ appears in front of her shift.
7. Click Save to keep your changes.
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Time-off Requests
The Time-off Requests feature is used to keep track of requests for days off and employee availability.
1. In the Scheduling screen, click Time-off Requests.
2. Select the employee you would like to adjust and click lookup.
3. To add a schedule request, click Add. To adjust or delete an existing request, select the request
and click Lookup or Delete. Both actions open the Availability Setting screen:
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4. Select Approved to indicate the request has been approved.
Requested time off appears in yellow on the schedule and can be overwritten in the schedule.
Approved time off appears in pink on the schedule and, depending on your system settings,
may or may not be able to be overwritten in the schedule.
5. Select the reason for the time off. The available reasons for time off are configured by your
system administrator.
Add comments to the comment section if desired
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6. In the Dates and Times Not Available section, select All Day if the request is for the whole day,
or select Time Range if the request will affect only part of the day. Select One Day, No End
Date (continues until changed), or End Date, which reveals an end date field you can use to
define the end date..
7. Depending on the nature of the availability request, adjust the settings to enter the request into
MenuLink Client. In the Recurrence section, select the individual days to which the request is to
apply.
8. Click Save to keep your changes.
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Worksheets
This button is reserved for new features.
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Manager Schedule
Use the Manager Schedule feature to create a new schedule from scratch or use an existing schedule as a
starting point. Manager Schedule shares many capabilities and characteristics you learned using the
Employee Schedule feature. Use the Employee Schedule feature for employees other than managers.
After accessing the Manager Schedule dialog, begin in the same way as you do with an employee
schedule. Start with a blank schedule, or indicate you want to copy from a previous schedule. When
copying from a previous schedule, specify the start date for the new schedule, and select the previous
schedule you want to use from the drop-down list. The primary difference for the Manager Schedule
feature at this level is that you must specify the number of weeks for the new schedule to cover. Once
created, users with appropriate security permissions can approve manager schedules.
Click Continue to proceed to the new schedule.
Users with sufficient security permissions, such as district managers, can use the Site drop-down list to
review, modify, and approve manager schedules at sites for which they are responsible.
Print manager
schedule.
Access legend for meaning of colors and notations.
Click column heads to sort by name, job code, or data in the column.
Select ‘Approved’ to finalize each weekly schedule.
Filter by Employee schedule status and
Jobcodes.
Individual shifts are noted, and available for modification in this
section.
Daily schedules, one column per day, one
section for each week.
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Use the very same procedures for adding, deleting, modifying, and copying shifts in Manager Schedule as
you use when working with Employee Schedules, Weekly View.
Use the legend to get help understanding color codes and other notations you see in the Manager
Schedule screen.
After the manager schedule is complete, and satisfactory in all aspects, mark each section as approved,
then click Save to save all changes. Click the Print icon to preview and print the new schedule, in
exactly the same way as other MenuLink reports. The printed version of the schedule includes hourly
totals for each employee for each week, and the hours each person is scheduled to work, but the color
codes and other notations seen in the Manager Scheduling feature are not available in the printed version.
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Scheduling Reports
This section includes samples and descriptions of Scheduling-related reports available in MenuLink
Client. Depending on your system set-up, you may not have access to all reports and selection options
described. Contact your system administrator for more information.
For general information on how to view and print reports, as well as selecting report options, see Viewing
and Printing Reports.
You can access Scheduling reports from the Reports button on the Scheduling Screen (Scheduling reports
only, as shown in the screen example below) or from the Reports button on the Labor Screen (all Labor
reports).
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Daily Line Bar by Employee Report
The Daily Line Bar by Employee report gives a daily view of the schedule. It shows the employee’s
name, shift, scheduled hours and Job name.
Weekly Schedule by Job Title Report
The Weekly Schedule by Job Title report shows a weekly view of the schedule sorted by job, with daily
totals at the end of the report.
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Labor- Scheduled vs. Actual
The Labor- Schedules vs. Actual report compares the hours scheduled to the actual hours worked, sorted
by job code.
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Staffing
The Staffing screen contains several features you can use to adjust staffing recommendations when
creating schedules.
Features in the Payroll screen include:
Minimum Staff — Create the minimum staffing requirements for your site to ensure that
recommended staffing does not fall below what is required for operations, even if projected sales
fall below certain levels.
Fixed Staff — Manage recommended schedules for jobs that are not affected by volume, such as
cleaning routines, opening or closing, and management.
Schedule Matrix — Enter and manage how sales forecasts, time of day, and other factors affect
recommended staffing levels.
Recommended — Combine the settings of Minimum Staff, Fixed Staff, and the Schedule Matrix
to create a ‘Recommended Staffing’ matrix.
Worksheets — The Worksheets button is reserved for future use.
Reports — View and print available Staffing reports.
Note: In the following examples, the system has been configured for half hour sales. MenuLink Client can
also be set up for quarter hour increments.
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Minimum Staffing
The Minimum Staffing feature lets you define the minimum staffing levels required for operations,
regardless of sales forecasts or volumes.
Note: Depending on the complexity of your operations, you can create a single minimum staff for your
entire site, or a minimum staff for each job name. These are assigned to Recommended Staffing matrices.
Adding a Minimum Staff
1. In the Staffing screen, click Minimum Staff. The Minimum Staff Selection screen appears.
2. Click New. The Staffing- Minimum screen appears.
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3. Enter a name for the minimum staff level, such as ‘Crew Minimum.’
4. Select a day of the week to edit using the Select Day dropdown.
5. If you would like to copy staff levels from an existing day, select the day you would like to copy
in the Select Day to Copy dropdown. Click Copy to import the data.
6. In the Minimum column, enter the minimum number of employees that you will need for each
interval of the day.
7. Enter text in the Notes column to add comments about the reason or nature of the minimum staff.
8. Enter each day of the week as needed.
9. Click Save to keep your changes.
Modifying a Minimum Staff
1. In the Staffing screen, click Minimum Staff. The Minimum Staff Selection screen appears.
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2. Select the staff you would like to adjust and click Lookup. The Staffing- Minimum screen
appears.
3. Make the necessary changes and click Save. See Adding a Minimum Staff for reference.
Delete an Existing Minimum Staff
1. In the Staffing screen, click Minimum Staff. The Minimum Staff Selection screen appears.
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2. Select the staff you would like to delete and click Delete. This permanently deletes the record.
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Fixed Staff
The Fixed Staff feature lets you to define fixed staffing levels for each time interval of a specific day.
Fixed Staff are required personnel that are not directly affected by sales, such as cleaning crews or regular
training staff.
Note: Depending on the complexity of your operations, you can create a single fixed staff for your entire
site, or a fixed staff for each job name. These are assigned to Recommended Staffing matrices.
Adding a Fixed Staff
1. In the Staffing screen, click Fixed Staff. The Fixed Staff Selection screen appears.
2. Click New. The Staffing- Fixed screen appears.
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3. Enter a name for the fixed staff level, such as ‘Cleaning Crew.’
4. Select a day of the week to edit using the Select Day dropdown.
5. If you would like to copy an existing day, select the day you would like to copy from in the
Select Day to Copy dropdown. Click Copy to import the data.
6. In the Minimum column, enter the minimum number of employees that you will need for each
interval of the day.
7. Enter text in the Notes column to add comments about the reason or nature of the fixed staff.
8. Enter each day of the week as needed.
9. Click Save to keep your changes.
Modifying a Fixed Staff
1. In the Staffing screen, click Fixed Staff. The Fixed Staff Selection screen appears.
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2. Select the staff you would like to adjust and click Lookup. The Staffing- Fixed screen appears.
3. Make the necessary changes and click Save. See Adding a Fixed Staff for reference.
Deleting an Existing Fixed Staff
1. In the Staffing screen, click Fixed Staff. The Fixed Staff Selection screen appears.
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2. Select the staff you would like to delete and click Delete. This permanently deletes the record.
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Schedule Matrix
The Schedule Matrix is where you can create recommended staffing levels based on guests and forecasted
sales. For each defined sales level, you can configure the number of additional employees that should be
working to handle the volume.
Note: Unlike minimum staff and fixed staff, a schedule matrix is based entirely on forecast sales or guest
volumes, and assigned to intervals in Recommended Staffing.
Adding a Schedule Matrix
1. In the Staffing screen, click Schedule Matrix. The Matrix Selection screen appears.
2. Click New. The Staffing Matrix screen appears.
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3. Enter a name for the staff matrix, such as ‘Drive Thru.’
4. Select the data source. The data source is the number that ‘drives’ the matrix.
Sales Total – uses the forecasted sales to calculate the recommended staff.
Guest Total – uses forecasted guest counts to calculate the recommended staff.
5. Enter the Time Extend and the Time Move. Use these options to make amounts apply to more
than their half-hour origin. For example: With a time extend setting of 30, a Time Move setting of
–15, and a source setting of total sales, total sales from 1p-1:30p applies to 12:45p-1:45p for
calculating Recommended staff.
6. In the Amount From field, enter the low-end amount for the level.
7. In the Amount To field, enter the high-end amount for the level.
8. In the Staff Count field, enter the number of staff to recommend for the amount of sales (or
guests) that is forecasted.
9. Click Save to keep your changes.
Modifying a Schedule Matrix
1. In the Staffing screen, click Schedule Matrix. The Matrix Selection screen appears.
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2. Select the matrix you would like to adjust and click Lookup. The Staffing- Matrix screen
appears.
3. Make the necessary changes and click Save. See Adding a Schedule Matrix for reference.
Deleting a Schedule Matrix
1. In the Staffing screen, click Schedule Matrix. The Matrix Selection screen appears.
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2. Select the matrix you would like to delete and click Delete. This permanently deletes the record.
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Recommended
The Recommended Staffing feature helps you bring all of the staffing matrices together and assign them
to each Job name. Once we have assigned the Minimum Staff, Fixed Staff, and Staff Matrix to each job
name, Recommended generates a recommended number of employees for each interval in the scheduling
process.
Adding Recommended Staffing
1. In the Staffing screen, click Recommended. The Recommended Staff- Maint. screen appears.
2. Click New. The Staffing- Recommended screen appears.
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3. Select the desired Job Name.
4. Select the Minimum Staff to use to calculate the recommended staff.
5. Select the Fixed Staff to use to calculate the Recommended Staff.
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6. For each interval, select a schedule matrix by clicking the matrix field.
7. Click Save to keep your changes.
Modifying Recommend Staffing
1. In the Staffing screen, click Recommended. The Recommended Staff- Maint. screen appears.
2. Select the matrix you would like to adjust and click Lookup. The Staffing- Matrix screen
appears.
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3. Make the necessary changes and click Save. See Adding a Recommended Staffing for reference.
Deleting a Recommended Matrix
1. In the Staffing screen, click Recommended. The Recommended Staff- Maint. screen appears.
2. Select the matrix you would like to delete and press the Delete key. This permanently deletes the
record.
Note: If you do not want to delete a Matrix but you do not want it used to create the schedule, you can
check the EXCL box next to the recommended matrix and the system ignores it for the calculation of the
recommended staff.
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Worksheets and Reports
These buttons are reserved for new features.
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Projected Data
The Projected Data screen contains the Forecasting feature you can use to forecast sales data, sales mixes
based on sales history and future events that may affect volume.
Features in the Payroll screen include:
Forecasting — Use sales history, future events, and projected growth to create sales forecasts that
will affect staffing recommendations.
Job Setup — The Job Setup button is reserved for future use.
Last Year — The Last Year button is reserved for future use.
Manager Projections — The Manager Projections button is reserved for future use.
Worksheets — The Worksheets button is reserved for future use.
Reports — The Reports button is reserved for future use.
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Forecasting
Forecasting is a feature that projects sales and guest counts for future weeks using sales data collected in
the Inventory System through the POS Import process. The system calculates a forecast for each day of
the selected week using last year’s data or this year’s data. This feature forecasts sales and guest counts
both daily and per interval. It also forecasts sales mixes. These forecasts are used in several MenuLink
Client features including Order by Forecasting, Prep Scheduling, and recommended staffing based on
your Staffing Matrix.
Note: The following examples use a 30 minute time interval. Depending on your system settings, your
time interval may be 30 or 15 minutes in length.
Creating a New Forecast
To create new sales and guest forecast:
1. In the Projected Data Screen, click Forecasting. This opens the Forecasting screen.
Note: You can also access Forecasting through the Sales screen by clicking Forecasts.
2. In the Forecasting screen, enter the period and week number to define the date range you want to
forecast.
3. Select the Data Source.
Current Year uses recent sales history to calculate a forecast
Previous Year uses data from last year to calculate a forecast
4. Enter the number of weeks for MenuLink Client to consider when calculating the forecast, with
six (6) being the minimum number allowed. Generally, you can use the default setting. If recent
events have affected your sales – for example if summer vacation started two weeks ago – you
may want to adjust this setting.
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5. Click New Forecast.
MenuLink Client generates the sales and guest forecast which are displayed in the Forecast Daily
Amounts area.
6. You can make changes to these values by selecting them and typing new values.
7. Click Save to keep your changes.
Forecast by Average
The Forecast by Average feature shows the individual sales forecasted for each day based on information
from up to six prior weeks. You can change the sales forecast, percentage of increase (or decrease), days
to exclude from the calculation, and the weight.
To create a forecast by average:
1. After the sales forecast has been calculated, click Forecast by Average.
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Using Forecast by Average gives you the
ability to exclude specific days or
‘weight’ some days more than others.
Note: The amount in the average column indicates what MenuLink Client calculated as the
average for those weeks. For example, the average for Tuesday was calculated as follows:
($3741+$3741+$3741+$3741+$3741)/5 = $3741. Note the week of 4/5/2010 was excluded from
this calculation.
2. Enter a value in the (%) Increase column to adjust this average upwards or downwards by a
certain percentage. Enter negative values to decrease this value. For example, if you are expecting
a local convention next week, you may want to increase the forecast by 10%.
3. To exclude a sales amount from the average calculation, clear include/weight for that day.
Note: MenuLink Client may automatically exclude the high and low sales for a selected week, as
defined by your system administrator.
4. To change the weight of a sales amount used in the average calculation, enter the number that
you want to assign that sales amount in the box below the day’s sales amount. This can be useful
if a particular day had unusually large or small sales, or if you prefer to weight more recent days
higher than less recent days.
Note: Only whole numbers greater than or equal to one can be used.
5. Click Update Now to apply the changes to the forecast.
6. Click Save to keep your changes.
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Show Sales Mix
Use the Show Sales Mix feature to show the forecasted sales mix for the selected day.
To view a daily sales mix:
1. After the sales forecast has been calculated and saved, click Show Sales Mix.
2. Select the date you would like to see from the Sales Date.
3. Click Exit to Previous to return to the Forecast screen.
Show Intervals
Use the Show Intervals feature to view the forecasted sales and guests broken down into a predefined
interval (15 minutes, 30 minutes or 60 minutes) for the selected date.
To create a Sales and Guest Interval forecast:
1. After the sales forecast has been calculated and saved, click Show Intervals.
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2. Select the date you would like to see from the Sales Date.
3. Click Exit to Previous to return to the Forecast screen.
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Events
The Events feature is used to create a forecast for a special event, such as a local convention, a special
promotion, or a sporting event.
To add an event:
1. In the Forecasting Screen, click Events.
2. In the Event Selection screen, click New. The Event Maintenance screen appears.
3. Enter the Name and ID number for the event. You can use any ID number that is not used by
another event.
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4. Select the Event Type. Select Single Day for a one-time event and select Date Range for events
that take place during two or more days.
Note: If you select a single day, only the start date field is available under Event Date(s).
5. Select the forecasting method to use for the event in the Forecast is based on section.
6. Enter any notes or comments in the Comment field.
7. Click Save.
Note: You cannot adjust the sales mix before saving the event thus far.
8. Enter the expected increase or decrease in sales in the Increase/Decrease Menu Items by box in
the Menu Items Affected section.
9. Select Specific in the Menu Items Affected section, to have the event affect specific menu items
or time intervals.
Note: When Specific is selected the becomes available.
a) Click search to access the list of menu items to choose from.
b) Select the menu items to be affected.
Tip: To select multiple items, press and hold the control key and click each item to add.
c) Click Save to keep the selected items.
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10. Click the search button next to Add quantity by sales interval for affected Menu Items, to
cause the event to affect specific time intervals.
1. Select the sales date to modify.
2. You can then copy the sales mix for this item from another date by selecting a date under
Select Date to Copy and clicking Copy.
3. You can also adjust individual item forecasts by time interval by selecting the quantity
and typing a new value.
4. Click Save to keep your changes.
11. Now that all of the criteria have been set up, click Save to save the event.
Tip: When you create your forecast for a week that contains an event the following alert appears
and displays the event name:
12. Click Ok to finish.
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Forecasting by Alternate Sales Types
The MenuLink Forecast Alternate Sales feature provides the ability to create forecasts based on different
metrics than simply total sales or guest counts. This can provide more accurate information for a specific
aspect of your site, such as Front-of-House (FOH) and Back-of-House (BOH). This new forecast
separation also ties into specific Job Codes to more accurately recommend required staffing levels.
Note: If you would like to use this feature and it is not active in your system, please contact your system
administrator.
Viewing an Alternate Sales Type Forecast:
1. From the Projected Data Screen, click Forecasting.
Note: You can also access Forecasting through the Sales screen by clicking Forecasting.
2. The Alternate Sales data is shown in the 5th column. The heading of the column depends on the
sales data chosen by your administrator. In this example, we are using Drive Thru Sales.
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Forecast by Average using Alternate Sales type
1. From the Forecasting screen Click Forecast by Average
2. Access the alternate sales type available by clicking the button on the right side of the
Forecasting- Calculate Average screen. The label on the button reflects the type of sales available.
Click this button to open the Forecasting- Calculate Average screen for the alternative sales type.
3. For information on making adjustments to this information, see Forecast by Average.
4. Click Save to keep your changes.
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Job Setup
This button is reserved for future use.
Last Year
This button is reserved for future use.
Manager Projections
This button is reserved for future use.
Worksheets
This button is reserved for future use.
Reports
This button is reserved for future use.