Editing Menu Cycle Instances

Table of Contents

1. Adapt Menu Cycles Instances for Specific Dates

2. Planning Centrally vs Planning per Outlet

1. Adapt Menu Cycle Instances for Specific Dates

Menu cycles create a repeating schedule of recipes across a defined period. Each repetition becomes a menu cycle instance mapped to specific calendar dates. You can adjust planned recipes and quantities for a specific date without changing the full cycle definition.

On the Planned Menus tab you see one cycle at a time (for example Cycle 2 of 5). Every week of that cycle is shown below the previous one, with the courses as rows and the days as columns. Use Show weekends to show or hide Saturday and Sunday for the whole cycle. The Revenue, Cost and Margin figures come from your POS sales of the last 28 days, ending yesterday. A recipe with no POS sales shows a dash. To see these figures, the library needs the Sales module and your role needs View Financial Details for recipes.

1.1. Edit recipes on a specific date

Use this approach when you want to change what is served on specific days only, such as a holiday closure or a special menu. Some typical examples include:

• Remove all planned recipes because the outlet is closed on a public holiday

• Reduce planned quantities because fewer guests are expected

• Replace a planned recipe with a seasonal or special dish

How it works in practice:

1. Open the calendar view for menu planning and navigate to the dates you want to adjust.

2. Click the menu cycle instance that you would like to update:
   
   

3. In Edit mode, you can:
   a. Remove planned recipes for that date. Click "⋮" for the option to clear the entire day.
   b. Add replacement recipes
   c. Adjust planned quantities (portions) per recipe
   

4. Save your changes.

1.2. Decide the scope of your change

When you save, the Save occurrence window asks how far the change reaches:

• Current occurrence only: the change applies to this cycle only. This is selected by default.
• All occurrences: the change goes into the menu plan and applies to this cycle and all following cycles. Recipes you edited directly on a following cycle are replaced.

Choose Current occurrence only for one-off changes like holidays. Choose All occurrences when the repeating plan needs to change going forward.

1.3. Best practices for holidays and exceptions

• If the outlet is closed, remove the planned recipes for that date instead of setting quantities to zero.

• If the menu stays the same but attendance changes, adjust quantities only.

• If you introduce a one-time special dish, replace the recipe for that date but keep the rest of the week untouched.

1.4. Change the planned menu for one outlet

If a menu plan is linked to several outlets, you can change what one outlet plans without touching the others.

1. Open the Planned Menus tab and choose the outlet in the outlet list. All outlets shows the shared plan.
2. Click Edit Cycle. The outlet list is locked while you edit, so choose the outlet first.
3. Change the portions of a recipe, add a recipe or remove a recipe, then save.

Changes you save for one outlet apply to that outlet only. The shared plan and the other outlets stay as they are. Changes you save under All outlets apply to every linked outlet. A change you save for one outlet applies to the current cycle only. There is no All occurrences choice for an outlet, so repeat the change in each cycle where you need it. Apicbase does not notify outlets when head office changes the template, so check the Planned Menus tab.

Outlet users with Edit Menu Plans can change the planned menu of their own outlet in the same way, on the Planned Menus tab. The Menu Template tab stays read only for them.

A green check on a recipe card means A quantity was defined specifically for this outlet. A recipe without portions for the selected outlet shows Missing portions. An exclamation badge means This recipe was removed from the template but kept for this outlet.

To undo an outlet's changes on this cycle, choose the outlet and click Restore (outside edit mode). In the Restore to Template window, Restore recipes, keep portions (the default) removes the recipes the outlet added or removed but keeps its own portions. Restore recipes and portions removes every change. Click Restore & Save. This cannot be undone.

2. Planning Centrally vs Planning per Outlet: How to Manage

Menu planning can be managed centrally (for multiple outlets) or locally (per outlet). Which approach you use depends on your operational setup and where quantities are determined.

2.1. Planning per outlet (standard approach)

Use this when each outlet is responsible for its own forecasting and quantities.

Typical workflow:

1. Each outlet maintains its own menu cycle and fills in planned quantities.

2. Outlets generate orders or production plans from their own scheduled quantities.

3. The internal supplier outlet aggregates inbound demand and plans procurement and production centrally.

This approach works best when outlets have autonomy and local differences in demand.

2.2. Planning centrally (central kitchen / HQ approach)

Use this when menu planning and forecasting is coordinated by a central team (for example, a CPU producing for multiple locations).

Typical workflow:

1. A central team creates and maintains menu cycles linked to multiple outlets.

2. Planned recipes and quantities are managed centrally.

3. Orders and production plans are generated by selecting date ranges across the outlets served.

4. Outlets consume the planned menus but do not need to maintain planning quantities themselves.

This approach is most efficient when the same menu is served across locations and production is centralized.