Overview

Anytime Meals support early service of planned meals for admitted people as well as unplanned meals served outside of your regular meal schedule for people not registered in the system (like a guest meal). This guide covers the complete process of preparing and serving Anytime Meals for people not admitted in your system using the Plated terminal and heating appliance. A separate guide is available for service of Anytime Meals to admitted individuals.

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What Are Anytime Meals?

Definition: Anytime Meals may be prepared on-demand for people not admitted into the system. Meals prepared for people who are not admitted to the system cannot be filtered for allergies.

Common Use Cases:

• Unexpected people, like guests, who require meals

• People who need meals prepared for them immediately, before they can be entered into the system

Key Characteristics:

• Display as gray tickets in the meal assembly screen

• Tickets for unplanned service to non-admitted people display "Anonymous [timestamp] instead of a person's name

• Can be prepared at any time (not tied to scheduled mealtimes

• Unplanned meals may be edited using the Item Swap feature on the Forecast & Inventory screen

• Use the same heating and serving process as scheduled meals

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Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Access the Anytime Meal Function

1. From the main terminal screen (showing scheduled mealtime), locate the "Prepare Anytime Meal" button

2. Click "Prepare Anytime Meal"

What you'll see: A modal window titled "Prepare Anytime Meal" with the question "What kind of meal do you want to prepare?"

Initial Option:

• "Prepare an unplanned meal" 

• Subtitle: "For anyone including new admits and guests"

3. Click "Next" to proceed

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Step 2: Select Meal Type

Choose which meal period you require; you may select any meal period at any time. Selection determines which menu items are available for service:

Available Options:

• Breakfast

• Lunch

• Dinner

1. Click on the desired meal type (button will highlight in green when selected)

2. The system will load menu items appropriate for that meal period

Example: If you're preparing lunch, select "Lunch" - the system will show lunch entrees and sides

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Step 3: Select Lifestyle Diet

Choose the appropriate dietary category:

Available Options:

• Regular (blue button) - Standard diet with no restrictions

• Vegetarian (purple button) - Vegetarian meals

1. Click on the appropriate lifestyle diet button

2. Button will highlight when selected

Note: The lifestyle diet selection determines which menu items are available in subsequent steps

Step 4: Specify Quantity

Indicate how many meals you need to prepare:

1. Use the minus (-) and plus (+) buttons to adjust quantity

2. Default starts at 0

3. Set the number to match how many residents need meals

Quantity Counter: Shows "(number of heating unit shelves available at the moment)" to indicate current capacity

Example: If you require 2 meals, set the quantity to 2

4. Click "Next" when quantity is set

Step 5: Review Meal Forecast

What you'll see: The "Forecast & Inventory" screen showing:

• Left sidebar: "2 anytime meals" with "Anytime Meal" badge (gray)

• Main section:

• Main column: Shows the main entree (e.g., "Beef Lasagna")

• Side column: Shows the side dish (e.g., "Tomato Bisque")

• Quantity indicator: "2" next to each item

Optional Actions at This Stage:

View Nutrition Information:

1. Tap/click on any menu item

2. View detailed nutrition facts and ingredients

3. Review serving size, calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, protein, etc.

4. Check ingredient list for allergen information

5. Click "Done" to close the nutrition view

Swap Menu Items (if needed):

1. Click on the menu item you want to change

2. Click "Swap This Item" button

3. Select "Anytime Meal" as the group for the swap

4. Choose from the available item list, such as:

• Beef Pho

• Vegetable Tempura

• Beef Pad Thai

• Or other available item

5. Or click "Leave Blank" to skip this item entirely

6. Click "Save" to confirm the swap

Why Swap Items?

• Resident preferences

• Ingredient availability

• Allergen concerns

• Dietary requirements discovered after setup

Step 6: Begin Heating Process

1. When satisfied with the meal selection, click "Next: Prepare Heated Items" (bottom right)

What you'll see: The "Prepare Heated Items" screen with:

• Three heating units (A, B, C) with 8 bays each (if you already had meals in process, you will see the status of those items)
  

• Highlighted bays showing where to place items

• Current item name displayed prominently (e.g., "Vegetable Tempura")

• Plate count: "0 of 2 plates"

Step 7: Load Items into Heating Appliance

Follow the terminal prompts to load each item:

1. Visual Guidance:

• Terminal screen shows which bays to use (highlighted in yellow/green)

• Physical lights on the heating appliance illuminate to guide placement

• Item name displays prominently on screen

2. Loading Process:

• Retrieve the item from your freezer/storage

• Place item in the highlighted bay

• Repeat for the specified quantity

3. Bay Status Indicators:

• Yellow/Green (light): Empty bay, ready to load

• Black: Item loaded, heating in progress

• Green: Item heated and ready

4. Action Buttons:

• "Skip For Now": Delay loading this item

• "Swap Remaining Items": Change the menu item for remaining quantities

5. Continue loading until all items for all meals are placed

Example Loading Sequence:

• First: "Vegetable Tempura" - 0 of 2 plates

• Next: "Tomato Bisque" - 0 of 2 plates

• System guides you through each item one at a time

Step 8: Monitor Heating Progress

After all items are loaded:

"Heating in Progress" Screen:

• Displays all three heating units with current status

• Shows estimated completion time: "Next meal ready in 47 min"

• Bay indicators show heating progress (black = heating)

Visual Progress:

• Watch as items heat (bays remain black)

• Ready items turn dark green with checkmark icons

• System manages heating automatically

Available Actions:

• "Back to Home": Return to main screen (heating continues in background)

• "Next: Assemble Meals": Advance to serving (only active when heating complete)

Typical Heating Time: 1.5 hours depending on items

Step 9: Heating Complete

When all items reach proper temperature:

"Heating Complete" Screen:

• Message: "Items will be kept warm for up to 2 hours"

• All occupied bays show dark green with checkmarks

• Ready to proceed to meal assembly

Action: Click "Next: Assemble Meals" (bottom right) when ready to serve

Step 10: Assemble and Serve Meals

Assemble Meals Screen Layout:

Anytime Meal Tickets (gray cards showing):

• Dining Location: Coming Soon

• System-Generated Identifier: Anonymous (Date/Timestamp) 

• Lifestyle Diet: "Vegetarian" or "Regular"

• Common Allergies: "Unknown"

• Other Allergies: "None"

• Menu Items:

• Sweet & Sour Tofu - "Heating Unit A" with green "Ready" badge

• Macaroni & Cheese - "Heating Unit A" with green "Ready" badge

Actions Available per Ticket:

1. Print Ticket (printer icon button):

• Prints physical paper ticket

• Use for meal delivery or tray assembly

2. Remove Items for Service:

• Select the ticket you want to serve

• Heating appliance lights indicate which bays to access

• Remove items from highlighted bays

• Items marked with green "Ready" badges are ready to serve

3. Discard Option (three-dot menu):

• If meal is no longer needed, select the three-dot button

• Choose "Discard unserved heated items"

• Remove items from heating unit and dispose properly

4. Complete Ticket:

• After removing all items, click "Done" button

• Ticket disappears from view

• Progress counter updates (e.g., "16 of 19 completed")

Serving Multiple Tickets:

• Scroll between tickets by swiping left or right

• Serve in any order needed

• System tracks completion progress

Step 11: Complete Service

After serving all Anytime Meal tickets:

Completion Screen:

• Message: "Nice work! All tickets are complete."

• Final progress indicator: "19 of 19 completed"

• Button: "Return to Home"

Action: Click "Return to Home" to exit the Anytime Meal workflow