Overview

This guide walks you through the process of creating and publishing a menu for your facility using Plated's pre-made menu templates. The entire process takes approximately 10-15 minutes and ensures your menu is properly reviewed, approved, and scheduled for your production center.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

• Knowledge of your facility's lifestyle diet requirements (e.g., Regular, Vegetarian, etc.)
• The production center you want to assign the menu to
• Your desired menu start date

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Navigate to Meal Plans

1. Log into the Plated Portal
2. Click on Menus in the left-hand navigation panel
3. Click on "Browse Meal Plans"

What you'll see: An empty state screen with "Nothing planned" and a button to browse meal plans

Step 2: Access the Menu Template Catalog

1. In the top right corner, click "Browse Catalog"

What you'll see: The meal plan catalog screen showing Plated's pre-made menu templates

Step 3: Select and Copy a Menu Template

1. Browse through the available menu templates
2. Review the meal options for each day of the cycle
3. Select a menu template that matches your facility's lifestyle diet needs
4. Click "Copy this meal plan"

Template Preview: You'll see a 7-day cycle with:

• Breakfast options (e.g., Loaded Scrambled Eggs, Scrambled Egg Breakfast)
• Lunch options (e.g., BBQ Beef with Mac & Cheese, Chicken Burrito Bowl)
• Dinner options (e.g., Chicken Alfredo, Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry, Meatballs with Marinara)

What happens: The template is copied to your facility's meal plans with a "Draft" status

Step 4: Submit Menu for Review

1. After copying, you'll be returned to the Meal Plans list
2. Find your newly copied menu (e.g., "Copy of PFS Q1 Template")
3. Note the Status column shows "Draft"
4. Click "Submit for Review" on the right side
   

What happens: The menu status changes to "Under Review" and the menu is flagged for internal review

Step 5: Return to Menu Template

1. Click on the menu name (e.g., "Copy of PFS Q1 Template") to open the menu detail view
2. Review the menu cycle to ensure all items are appropriate for your facility

What you'll see:

• Full 7-day menu cycle
• Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner for each day
• Menu items displayed in cells
• Lifecycle Diet Variations column
• Cycle information (e.g., "7 Day")
  

Step 6: Approve the Menu

1. Wait for all menu items to be reviewed (cells will turn green when reviewed)
2. At the bottom of the screen, you'll see: "Do you approve this Meal Plan?"
3. Click "Approve" (or "Send Back" if changes are needed)

Visual indicator: All menu item cells should be green before approval

What happens: The menu status changes to "Approved"

Step 7: Publish the Menu

1. Return to the Meal Plans list by clicking "Menus" in the navigation
2. Locate your approved menu in the list
3. On the right side, find the toggle that says "Hidden"
4. Click the toggle to change status from "Hidden" to "Published"
5. The button will turn green and display "Published"

Important: Publishing makes the menu visible and available to apply to your production center, but it does NOT make it active yet.

Step 8: Access Apply to Menu Function

1. Click back into the published menu (click on the menu name)
2. In the top right area of the menu detail page, click "Apply to Menu"

What you'll see: A modal window titled "Apply to Menu" with configuration options

Step 9: Configure and Activate Menu

Complete the following fields in the "Apply to Menu" modal:

1. Production Center
   • Use the dropdown to select your facility's production center
   • This determines which location will receive this menu
2. Start Date
   • Select the date when you want this menu cycle to begin
   • Choose whether to start "Now" or on a specific future date
   • Use the date picker to select your desired start date
3. End Date (if applicable)
   • Optionally set an end date for the menu cycle
   • Leave blank if the menu should continue indefinitely
4. Click "Save"

Confirmation: You should see a success message and the menu is now live for the selected production center!