Using computerized menu software helps facilities that provide menus to seniors with an easy way to keep track of costs. In computing the cost of patient care and maintenance, food is a large consideration. Offering well-prepared, tasty food, leads to patient satisfaction, but consistently going over budget to create meals patients like can lead to concerns over mismanagement. As a result, facilities of all sizes strive to balance patient needs with the bottom line.
What Impacts the Cost of Food?
In assessing the cost of food, there are several variables:
- Food distributor used
- Food Inflation
- Geographic location
- Volume discounts
- Brand of food purchased
- Fresh vs. frozen
- Scratch vs. convenience Items
Aside from the cost of food, facility managers also have to figure in:
- Cost of staples such as coffee, tea, and condiments
- Cost of paper products
- Costs of labor to procure, prepare, and serve food, as well as cleanup later
Menu Software Helps Balance the Food Budget
Alongside all these cost factors are nutritional requirements, special dietary requirements for patients with specific conditions, and patient preferences. Accounting for multiple variables when developing a menu plan by hand is so time-consuming that preparing the menu becomes another budgetary line item. Whether the facility is large or small, food managers are faced with the same dilemma of planning cost-effective menus.
Residential facilities that are not private pay may have a daily food budget per resident of 4 to 5 dollars. Some food items may be paid out of other accounts such as furnishings that may cover tableware or medically indicated foods, such as yogurt, applesauce, or Ensure that allows a bit of budgetary flexibility; for the most part meals must come out of the general food budget.
In preparing food for residents on a tight budget, the manager must factor in some other variables that add cost. When staff or guests eat without paying for the meal, these costs come out of the same food budget. In providing choices for residents, miscalculations as to the demand for certain items can result in waste, especially as facilities must follow regulations about what leftovers can be used at future meals.
Adding Flexibility to Meal Planning
Computerized menu software factors in cost and required variables, while allowing flexibility. For example, the food manager also needs to plan ahead for holidays where residents want to eat the foods they associate with the festivities. To this end, he may build his inventory of staples and nonperishable food, so that it is available for the holiday. When it comes time to plan the menu for an eminent holiday, the software can figure in items in inventory that do not need to be purchased for the meal.
Because menu software can effectively balance costs, preferences, dietary requirements, and a whole lot more, it has been the norm in institutional menu planning since 1965 when the Older Americans Act was passed. In 50 years, software has changed to simplify even more.
For exceptional computerized menu software, consider Grove Menus.