Eatec Solutions by Agilysys

Eatec Solutions by Agilysys is a leading enterprise software solution for the foodservice and hospitality industries. Along with its core purchasing, inventory, recipe, forecasting, production and sales analysis functions, Eatec Solutions  are unique in offering catering, restaurant, concessions, manufacturing, retail/merchandising and airline catering modules in one integrated solution.

This modular software structure enables you to construct the exact set of features you need to run your business, whether you require an enterprise-wide solution for multiple sites, or a single site system for multiple functions (i.e., catering, restaurants, retail, concessions or manufacturing). As a testament to the breadth of its applications, flexibility and ease of use, Eatec y Agilysys software is installed in virtually every type of food and beverage operation.

Eatec Solutions also interfaces to any accounting or point-of-sale system, and can be seamlessly integrated with B2B exchanges.

Eatec Solutions is available through direct licensing from Agilysys or through an ASP platform.

Eatec Solutions by Agilysys' powerful back-office solution has robust features that will enable you to manage your supply chain, control inventory and optimize production all in one system. Select one of the links below to learn more about the core features of this solution.

• Inventory Database
  This module tracks any item of your choice: food, beverages, supplies, housekeeping, engineering, retail merchandise and more.
  
  
• Inventory Management
  Automatically record and track all inventory activity with respect to purchases, inter-location transfers, depletion due to production and more.
  
  
• Purchasing
  By enabling you to maintain optimal stock levels at the lowest possible cost, Eatec Solutions facilitate "just-in-time purchasing" and greatly reduces over- and under-ordering.
  
  
• Receiving
  In multi-outlet operations, items on a single merchandise arrival may be received into different inventory locations, eliminating the need to document a transfer of inventory out of the warehouse.
  
  
• Requisitions & Transfers
  Use templates and forecasts to create requisitions and issues, perform inter-site requisitions and transfers and automatically update departmental accounting.
  
  
• Recipes
  With this module you can track nutritional data, control food quality, enjoy flexible recipe creation, guard profit margins and much more.
  
  
• Production Management
  Produce and transfer goods, create production worksheets and more with the Production Management module.
  
  
• Sales Tracking & Analysis
  Enables cost analysis for menus, sales tracking with Point-of-Sale (POS) integration, and menu item performance evaluation.
  
  
• Sales Forecasting
  Forecast sales for any range of days, weeks or months; use historical data available as a baseline for planning.
  
  
• Reports
  With over 400 standard reports, Eatec Solutions provide the detailed information you need to make informed, intelligent business decisions.
  
  

Agilysys offers optional modules and accessories to the Eatec Solutions by Agilysys which address the unique requirements of businesses in the hospitality and food service industries.

• Catering Management
  Manage the entire catering process, from menu development, to order entry, to production, to invoicing.
  
  
• Buffet Management
  The Buffet Management module enables you to view actual consumption versus revenue, to better manage the profitability of your operation.
  
  
• Commissary Management/Manufacturing
  Designed for food manufactures and commissary operations that sell wholesale and/or retail products, this module provides simplified order entry, saving time and minimizing errors accompanied with manual paper processing.
  
  
• Nutrition
  With online USDA database and label printing, the Eatec Solution Nutrition module offers an efficient and simple way to fulfill all of your nutritional and product label requirements.
  
  
• Retail Merchandise
  This module applies the core inventory, purchasing and sales features to retail merchandise management.
  
  
• Cycle Planning
  This module enables you to view actual consumption versus production versus revenue and/or budget dollars, so as to better manage the profitability of your operation.

The Eatec Solutions Inventory Database is used to track any item of your choice: food, beverages, supplies, housekeeping, engineering, retail merchandise, catering equipment, etc. Item lookup may be by name, number, description or type codes. Entry of partial text will also invoke a help window for browsing purposes. Multiple pack sizes may be assigned to each inventory item. Up to eight (8) par levels (e.g., for seasons or days) and a minimum and maximum par may be established, by outlet, for use by Eatec Solutions when automatically suggesting purchasing and/or requisition quantities. Eatec Solutions support the use of Universal Product Code (UPC) and prints bar code labels.

• Multiple Units of Measure:
  Eatec Solutions by Agilysys come with a complete set of standard convertible units for weight and volume, including metric measure. The system automatically calculates conversions between all convertible units, although the user may override the calculated factor if desired. In addition to a comprehensive conversion table, any number of non-convertible units may be employed not only for ingredients or inventory, but also for recipe batch sizes, buffet serving sizes and menu item portions. Typical user-defined, non-convertible units include case, tub, tray, box, pack, bunch, etc.
  
  
• Multiple Pack Sizes:
  To facilitate the tasks of ordering, receiving, requisitioning, transferring, counting, reporting and using inventory, multiple units of measure, with the corresponding conversion ratio, may be assigned to any inventory item. The supplier bidding feature also accommodates multiple pack sizes, and allows each bid to include the supplier's ID number for that specific item or pack size. Any of the pack sizes or units of measure may be used when performing inventory management functions, with Eatec Solutions automatically making the conversion. For example, your physical inventory count for eggs may show three cases, two dozen, and one egg on hand. This count is input into Eatec Solutions exactly this way; the software then calculates the quantity on hand as 38.08 dozen (the specified inventory unit.)

Eatec Solutions automatically records and tracks all inventory activity with respect to purchases; inter-location transfers; inter-site transfers; depletion due to production, sales and spoilage and loss; and physical inventory variance. Users can print physical inventory sheets in any format, or use a hand-held inventory terminal to facilitate the process. Spoilage and loss may be recorded by individual item or for a recipe as a whole.

Eatec Solutions maintain a quantity on hand cost and valuation for each item by location (in multi-outlet operations). Inventory valuation is based on a weighted average, taking into account purchase history and quantities purchased at each price.

Multi-outlet operations may view the quantity of each item in each location on the screen. Requisition and transfer functions are used to move product between locations. The sending location inventory is debited, with the receiving location quantities and value automatically increased. In instances where items are to be expensed at the time of transfer, rather than going into the receiving location inventory, Eatec Solutions' transfer out function easily accomplishes this goal. Comprehensive reports are available to analyze inventory activity. Data may be filtered by date range, inventory type(s), custom list and/or location(s).

• Supplier Bids:
  You may store any number of bids for every item, including multiple pack sizes from the same vendor and the corresponding cost. You may even assign bids by geographical region in which they are available, or by priority, regardless of price (where quality, for instance, is more important). When creating a purchase order, if you request that Eatec auto-select the low cost vendor, varying pack sizes are evaluated and the appropriate vendor is selected.
  
  
• Determining What to Buy:
  Eatec Solutions' purchasing and inventory functions enable managers to maintain optimal stock levels at the lowest possible cost. In other words, Eatec Solutions facilitate "just-in-time purchasing" and greatly reduces over and under-ordering. There are several options for determining what to buy:
  • You may reorder based solely on par levels. Reorder reports, for any group(s) of items, may be run automatically to flag items not meeting par levels.
  • For the operator who wants to purchase based on actual requirements rather than just par levels, forecasts may first be created, using historical sales as a basis. Quantities may be scaled, based on known factors, and a shopping list requested. Eatec Solutions will automatically convert the shopping list(s) into purchase orders.
  • If an operator has multiple outlets, forecasts from several outlets may be combined. Catering orders may also be added to generate one consolidated shopping list.
  • Items may be ordered simply on purchase or usage history.
  • A requisition may be called up and converted to a purchase order.
  • Eatec Solutions will automatically calculate the net quantities required, with input by the user, including such factors as forecasts, quantity on requisition, quantity on order and minimum or maximum par levels.
  
  
• Determining From Whom to Buy:
  Once a market list has been created from the many options available, preferred vendors may be assigned to each item, either manually or automatically, through the "assign lowest bids" feature. Either way, you determine the precise criteria you want to use for selecting vendors. Upon selection of the vendor, supplier item numbers will appear on the purchase order to ensure the correct item is shipped.
  
  
• Go-to-Market Electronically:
  After vendors are selected in the market list, purchase orders for each vendor are generated. Purchase orders may be saved and modified as needed. You have the option to print hard copies, fax purchase orders directly to the vendors or send them via a custom EDI interface. Numerous reports may be run to track stock on order.

In multi-outlet operations, items on a single merchandise arrival may be received into different inventory locations, eliminating the need to document a transfer of inventory out of the warehouse.

• Verify Vendor Deliveries:
  With Eatec Solutions, you do not need to key in each item line by line to record a merchandise arrival. Rather, merchandise is received directly against purchase orders to verify that ordered quantities were delivered, and at the correct price. Data entry is done by exception. If a different pack size has been substituted, you can easily change the ordered size to the received size at the click of a button; Eatec will automatically calculate the conversion. If there are certain inventory items for which you need to record the temperature at receipt, a window automatically opens to facilitate this.
  
  
• Easily Record Miscellaneous Charges:
  Miscellaneous charges that are posted to a separate general ledger code are quickly entered off the invoice. Or, if miscellaneous charges are to be allocated to the items received and thus included in the item cost, Eatec Solutions automatically distributes the amount, across the items, based on the item value. If there are only certain items on an invoice, against which sales tax is charged, Eatec will also automatically calculate and allocate the tax amount to the appropriate item(s).
  
  
• Back Order Items:
  When posting a merchandise arrival, you have the option to leave undelivered items on back order. If you indicate "No", the purchase order is closed out. With a "Yes" response, the purchase order remains open and the items will show on a back order report.
  
  
• Received But Not Invoiced:
  It is not uncommon in some environments for inventory to be delivered without an invoice. Eatec Solutions will allow you to update inventory counts and costs upon merchandise arrival, but the transaction will not affect payables information until the invoice is received.
  
  
• Control Disbursements:
  Upon filing the merchandise arrival, inventory levels are updated, recipes are recosted and a payable is created for the issuing supplier. The general ledger also reflects the payable and inventory accounts affected. The disbursements screen allows the user to select invoices to be paid and tracks due dates according to terms defined for each supplier. Checks may be printed directly from Eatec Solutions or payable data may also be exported to another accounting system.

Multiple outlet businesses frequently have the need to request and transfer product from a storeroom to outlets or between outlets. Eatec Solutions accomplishes this with the requisition and transfer functions. As with purchase orders, on-line requisitions can be created in several ways: 1) directly from an outlet forecast; 2) based solely on par level; 3) from a template with standard quantities; or 4) line by line, Eatec Solutions can be prompted to help determine quantities. Users may opt to add a minimum or maximum par level (by selecting from up to eight [8] different pars) number and/or subtract quantity on hand.

• Requistion Approvals:
  The Eatec Solutions requisition and transfer process can also make use of approval levels. Multiple levels can be assigned, per inventory category. User passwords are then tied to the appropriate level. A requisition cannot be fulfilled until it has been approved. Approved requisitions cannot be modified, without going through the approval process again.
  
  
• Transfers:
  To transfer product, the sending location, typically the storeroom or warehouse, can print a pick list of all items in shelf order or print each requisition for fulfillment. Transferred quantities do not need to be keyed in; the requisition is simply recalled and converted to a transfer. Only exceptions need to be entered. Upon posting the transfer, a confirmation sheet can be printed for sign off at both ends. Inventory quantity and value will be automatically transferred from the sending to the receiving location. Partially filled requisitions may be left open, for later delivery.
  
  
• Requisitions:
  Requisitions are typically used to request product from a storeroom. They are also utilized to request an item to be purchased. Bids may be recorded and kept in history for audit purposes, and the requisition is easily converted to a purchase order.
  
  
• Direct Issues or Transfer Out:
  The requisition and transfer functions described above apply to situations where the inventory is to be tracked at the receiving outlet, where it would not be expensed until it was sold. However, there may be numerous instances, commonly called direct issues, where it is necessary to expense the item at time of transfer rather than continuing to track usage in the receiving location's inventory. This is accomplished through the transfer out function. At completion of the transfer out transaction, inventory accounts in the sending location are credited; expense or receivable accounts in the receiving location are debited. A transfer out can be used for steward sales; inter-departmental transfers; and even to track food donations.
  
  
• Multi-Site Environments:
  If your foodservice operations include a remote commissary or bakery, individual sites may create requisitions on-line to request product from the remote production site. The bakery/commissary can then combine requisitions from all sites, produce the product, then transfer quantities by fulfilling each requisition. Sending and receiving inventories are automatically adjusted, with inter-company account codes also being updated in the background.

• Enjoy Flexibility in Recipe Creation:
  If your foodservice operations include a remote commissary or bakery, individual sites may create requisitions online to request product from the remote production site. The bakery/commissary can then combine requisitions from all sites, produce the product, then transfer quantities by fulfilling each requisition. Sending and receiving inventories are automatically adjusted, with inter-company account codes also being updated in the background.
  
  
• Track Nutritional Data:
  If nutritional values are entered for raw ingredients, recipe analysis will be calculated automatically from its components. Recipes and menus may then be printed with their nutritional analysis. You may define an unlimited number of nutrient and micronutrient elements.
  
  
• Set Production Standards:
  Eliminate over-production by standardizing recipes and portioning. Recipe batch sizes and servings can be expressed in any unit of measure. Recipe costs are automatically updated with each merchandise arrival. User-defined text areas allow for entry of preparation instructions and HACCP specifications. Shelf life of finished goods items can be specified, and then utilized by Eatec Solutions when calculating production quantities.
  
  
• Control Food Quality:
  Eatec Solutions includes separate text windows for documenting method, description and presentation instructions. Kitchen workers can even access photographs and audio/visual presentations from the recipe screen.
  
  
• Guard Profitability Margins:
  Eatec Solutions tracks food cost fluctuations to inform you if recipes are exceeding acceptable percentages. Experiment with "what if" scenarios by substituting ingredients or modifying recipes to lower costs without compromising.
  
  
• Multiple-Site Environments:
  Recipes can be developed and limited for use and viewing to specific sites. This is useful for companies with multiple concepts. Recipes may also be costed with site-specific current costs.

If you manufacture or produce finished good items in sufficient quantity to stock in inventory, sell wholesale, or transfer to other sites or outlets, you can take advantage of Eatec Solutions' production management feature. Raw ingredients are converted into finished goods inventory items via production recipes. As a finished goods item is made, production is posted in Eatec Solutions, which depletes the quantity of raw ingredients from inventory, updates the cost of the finished goods item, and adds the quantity of the finished goods to inventory. The finished goods item is depleted as it is sold or transferred.

Recipes for finished goods may include labor, which will be scaled to a different ratio than ingredients. For example, if you double a recipe, you may double the ingredients but probably not the labor. Instead, as an example, you could specify that labor is to increase 10% for each batch.

• Kitchen Worksheets:
  Eatec Solutions can calculate daily quantities of items to be produced from forecasts, catering orders, wholesale/commissary orders, and airline orders. Requirements can be combined for all outlets, or generated for each one. Eatec Solutions will scale the raw ingredients in each recipe to the required item count, and generate kitchen worksheets. If desired, Eatec Solutions will subtract the on-hand quantity of any finished good, and calculate the net amount to produce.
  
  
• Transfer With A Markup or Margin Added:
  If your production facility operates as a profit center, you may wish to transfer product at cost, plus a markup or margin. EatecNetX will even allow a different percentage for each item.
  
  
• Inter-Site Transfers:
  As produced product is transferred from a central commissary or bakery to remote sites, all inter-company account codes are appropriately updated.
  
  
• Butchery:
  Eatec Solutions includes a butchery feature which enables you to indicate the component parts (i.e., ground beef, stew meat) produced from an inventory item (i.e., a side of beef), and in what quantity. Costs may be allocated in the same percentages as the product yield (i.e., 25-75%) or manually assigned so that the higher quality item, such as steak, carries a greater percentage of the cost.

• Products:
  Menu items, which Eatec Solutions calls products, are sold through restaurant and concessions, as well as via catering, manufacturing, and airline catering orders. A product may be sold globally throughout the operation, or limited to a specific sales outlet. Products may also be segregated by function, such as catering, restaurant, concessions, retail, etc.
  
  Cost analysis may be performed at the product level. A selling price may be established by specifying the desired cost percentage, margin or markup. In concession environments, prices can be configured to include sales tax.
  
  Cycled menus are easily accommodated. In universities, institutional settings or on cruise ships where products are not really sold, menu item costs can be compared to budgeted amounts.
  
  
• Sales:
  Sales are reported to Eatec Solutions from point-of-sale systems, via manual entry, upon the invoicing of catering, wholesale and airline orders, and from concessions stand sheets. Interfaces with all major point-of-sale devices are possible, including retail and grocery store oriented systems. The interface is unattended and automated. You may also post daily item sales manually from a "Z" tape. Upon the posting of sales in Eatec Solutions, inventory is depleted and general ledger account codes are automatically updated.
  
  
• Buffet Sales:
  The term buffet sales is being used in reference to any "all you can eat" scenario, including salad bars and meal plans, in addition to buffets. Buffet sales are usually posted on the point-of sale system so that buffet revenue is known. What is more difficult to determine is the cost of what was sold. Eatec Solutions facilitates this by allowing the user to keep track of what was consumed on the buffet (i.e., 2.5 pans of lasagna, 12.75 pounds of prime rib). These quantities are quickly keyed into Eatec Solutions: you can load an entire pre-defined list of buffet items into the posting screen, to which you need only insert quantities. Once this consumption is entered, Eatec Solutions depletes inventory of the buffet items and enables you to run profit analysis reports just for the buffet. The sales and consumption histories are then available for forecasting.
  
  
• Analysis:
  Numerous printed reports are available to reveal relative sales of menu items, and rate them according to profitability and popularity. Performance is valued in terms of gross contribution and an item's cost/price ratio. Item sales by product type, date range, and outlet (or site) are readily available. Reports may be rendered in graphical format to make seasonal, weekday, or meal period trends clearly visible. In a multi-site business, reports can be generated by store(s), districts, region, concept, and consolidated corporate-wide. With respect to multi-outlet operations, reports can be run on any combination of outlets, including or excluding catering.

Forecasts may be created for a range of days, weeks, or months. Historical sales data may be imported as a basis for planning. For example, typically in the midst of a season you might want to look at sales volume and trends over the past three or five week period. Sales data for this period may be brought in to the forecast window, being averaged by day.

In contrast, when planning for holidays, you may opt to go to the same holiday period last year and view the data. The historical sales numbers may be: 1) updated to reflect current costs and prices; and 2) scaled up or down, based on known market conditions. Once the forecast is complete, projected financial data (costs, revenue, profit) can be printed. Eatec Solutions will also easily produce shopping lists from this forecast, which are readily converted into purchase orders. The system will generate daily kitchen worksheets based on the forecasted amounts.

In addition to forecasting food and beverage requirements, the forecast is a useful tool for retail and merchandising parts of the operation as well. Requirements for housekeeping items in hotel-type properties can also be forecast, using occupancy targets.

There are over 400 standard reports in Eatec Solutions.

Reports can be generated to reflect all applicable data on file, or filters can be employed to select sub-sets of data. For example, in a multi-outlet operation, perhaps you want to view only retail merchandise outlets or only food outlets, rather than all outlets. With multiple sites, you may want to limit a profit analysis report to a grouping of restaurants in a specific state, or only for the hours of 6a.m.-9p.m. If your operation has multiple sites, and several outlets within each site, you can even select a common type of outlet (e.g., deli) across all sites for analysis. Each report has a unique set of appropriate filters.

Reports may be generated for any user-defined date range. All report data may be previewed on the screen before printing, and can be exported.

To facilitate the generating of reports, users may build a drop-down list of their commonly accessed reports, rather than having to select from all reports in the system.

This module is designed for on and off-premise caterers alike, to manage the entire process, from menu development, to order entry, to production, to invoicing.

• Sales Orders:
  The sales order screen contains all information about the event, including date, location, time and a task list/dated schedule for follow-up. If the customer is a corporate client with multiple contact persons, the appropriate individual may be selected from a pop-up list. New customers may be added "on the fly" while creating an order.
  
  Food and beverage choices may be brought into a sales order as individually priced a la carte items, or as part of a fixed price menu. Such add-ons as equipment, flowers, personnel, etc. may also be incorporated into the order. For all products and services proposed, Eatec Solutions will automatically calculate sales tax and service charge.
  
  You may perform cost analysis at the recipe, menu or sales order level. Thus, if you alter the menu after it has been imported into an order, you can quickly verify the profitability of changes made.
  
  Alternative menus or proposals may be printed from the same order screen.
  
  All catering documents (orders, invoices, contracts, letters) may be customized to fit your needs, such as including your company logo. Each type of document may exist in several different formats. The user selects the most appropriate form from a drop-down list of available templates. Letters and documents may also be exported to Microsoft Word for fine tuning. Documents may be printed and mailed, or faxed directly to the client.
  
  An unlimited number of deposits may be scheduled for each order. Sales people have access to receipts information on the sales order screen, in order to verify that required payments have been received on time. Deposit schedules may also be used for revenue projection and receivables management.
  
  
• Function Book:
  For on-premise caterers who typically book a function room prior to creating a food order, a sales order may be linked directly to a reservation booked in the function book module.
  
  For on-premise caterers, graphical calendars help to quickly check room availability, manage wait lists, and book rooms.
  
  Record reservation detail with the help of pull-down lists and pop-up windows. Room availability and capacity numbers warn you of scheduling conflicts and prevent you from double booking a room, or even overlapping time slots.
  
  Reservation numbers are automatically assigned. Reports are available, by user-defined date range, to view pending, confirmed and cancelled reservations.
  
  
• Catering Production:
  Based on user-identified date ranges, Eatec Solutions will generate shopping lists and kitchen worksheets for all orders on file. If catering production occurs in more than one location, Eatec Solutions can generate the reports by respective kitchen. The user may control when inventory will be depleted as a result of the sale. Depletion may be simultaneous with invoicing, or entirely independent of the invoicing function.
  
  The catering module also includes the customers/accounts receivable functions described below.
  
  
• Customers/Accounts Receivable:
  This module is purchased separately only when house accounts are required; the functions are included in the catering, airline catering, and manufacturing/commissary modules.
  
  The customer database includes multiple contacts per customer, and provides a complete on-screen history of orders, invoices, and payments.
  
  Eatec Solutions can interface to a point-of-sale system to electronically record restaurant house account postings. Invoiced orders post directly to accounts receivable. Any deposits on file against an order are converted to payments upon invoicing. The accounts receivable module accepts open payments as well as payments against specific invoices. Open payments may then be allocated at a later time.
  
  If a customer over-pays, or if the event is cancelled, and the customer is entitled to a refund, a disbursement may be made from accounts receivable.
  
  The accounts receivable functions include all standards reports, such as aging, balance due, and customer statements. Statements, like orders and invoices, may be customized to include company logos, or to fit different styles of window envelopes. They may be printed in batch according to flexible selection criteria.

The Buffet Management module is designed for foodservice operations that have any "all you can eat" scenario, such as salad bars, employee dining rooms, complementary breakfasts, and buffets. The Buffet Management module enables you to view actual consumption versus revenue, so as to better manage the profitability of your operation. Usage history can be retained for future forecasting, production and purchasing functions.

• Menu Items:
  Menu items for each meal period for each day of the week are set up in Eatec Solutions. Entry of the menu items is easy - simply type in a few letters and select from a drop-down list, or categories may be accessed, which present a drop-down of all the possible items. Menu item quantities can be in terms of servings, batches, pans, trays, pounds, etc. Once the menu is complete, it can be viewed in its entirety and printed for easy reference.
  
  
• View Projected Revenue, Costs, and Food Cost Percentage:
  Once a target guest count and anticipated consumption ratio for each item is established, you can view the forecasted costs and revenue, including an overall food cost percentage.
  
  
• Modify Buffet Plans with Up-to-the-Minute Information:
  New buffet plans can be created for each week. Or, if the same items are served week after week, a one-time plan can be developed, and called up repeatedly to make changes and/or modify guest counts and serving ratios.
  
  
• Requisitions:
  A buffet plan can be called up to auto-determine what to requisition from both the storeroom and the commissary/production kitchen. Eatec Solutions will display each inventory item and the suggested quantity to requisition. The numbers can be adjusted individually or the system can auto-apply one of up to 10 different par levels.
  
  
• Generate Kitchen Worksheets:
  To know what to prepare in the kitchen, simply highlight the items in a meal period, and print a kitchen worksheet, which scales ingredients to the appropriate number of batches or servings.
  
  
• Tracking Buffet Consumption and Auto-Calculating What Was Sold:
  Using a worksheet printed by Eatec Solutions, buffet consumption can be recorded. The quantities prepared and quantities left over are entered into Eatec Solutions; the system will use this information to determine what was consumed, or "sold." You can also record the time you ran out of an item.
  
  
• Posting Sales and Buffet Profit Analysis Reports:
  In buffet operations, the point-of-sale system typically records the revenue, which will be imported by Eatec Solutions. If you have a per meal budget in the employee dining room, this "selling price" can be entered as revenue. When consumption is posted, inventory items are automatically depleted and the cost of sales is updated. A buffet profit analysis report, for any selected date range, can be generated, and the historical revenue and cost numbers are now also available as a basis for future planning.

This module is designed specifically for food manufactures and commissary operations that sell wholesale and/or retail products. This includes restaurant companies and supermarket businesses with a manufacturing/commissary operation.

Eatec Solutions provides a simplified order entry screen to save time and minimize errors that accompany manual paper processing. Orders cannot be lost or duplicated. Items being ordered may be entered line by line; by calling up a previous order and converting it to a new order; and by importing a predefined list of items for easy input of quantities. Prices are automatically extended, and sales tax and discount, if appropriate, are calculated.

As with the catering module, printed document formats may be user defined; shopping lists and kitchen worksheets may be generated from the orders on file; and invoicing is easily driven off of the orders. These functions help eliminate waste due to production overruns and spoilage, while preventing loss of sales because of production shortfalls.

Other capabilities, as described under production management, also pertain to commissary/manufacturing. See Production Management section in Core Features.

The manufacturing module includes the customer database and accounts receivable functions described under the catering module. See Catering Management section in Optional Modules & Accessories.

Accurate nutritional information is becoming increasingly important and required in many industries and businesses. Eatec Solutions Nutrition module offers an efficient and simple way to fulfill all of your nutritional and product label requirements.

With the updated Eatec Solutions Nutrition module, you can:

• Easily add nutrition that flows from inventory items through recipes to products and cycle plans.
• Flag and track allergens in your food inventory, recipes and products
• Create custom product nutrition and ingredient fact panels/labels with allergen listings.
• Run our nutritional analysis to create an age/grade specific weighted analysis of cycle plan meals.
• Export nutritional, ingredient and allergen information to your websites so your students, customers or clients can view.

The inventory, purchasing and sales features, described under the Core Features section, also pertain to merchandise and retail. In fact, retail is easier to handle, since recipes are not involved, and pack sizes are more uniform. You buy by the case and sell by the each.

Merchandise does differ in several respects, which Eatec Solutions accommodates. UPC codes may be used for inventory tracking. Eatec Solutions can also print bar code labels.

In item setup, six (6) additional user-defined descriptors (e.g., size, color, logo, manufacturer) are available to identify an item. Reports can then be filtered by these descriptors (e.g., all large, red t-shirts in stock).

Retail outlets can be identified in Eatec Solutions. Inventory, purchases, requisitions, transfers, condemnage, sales and profit can be tracked by outlet. Reports may be run by outlet, or for several/all combined.

Retail end-users can be restricted, by password control, to access solely retail inventory items, retail suppliers, retail products, and retail sales and inventory locations.

If a different point-of-sale is utilized for retail, most likely Eatec Solutions would interface to it. In addition, as new products or price changes are added to Eatec Solutions, the software can automatically download the updates to the point-of-sale database, eliminating the need for duplicate data entry.

The Cycle Planning module is designed for foodservice operations that have cyclical menus and feeding plans. This can include schools, universities, and any facility that produces food following a specific cycle. The cycle planning module enables you to view actual consumption versus production versus revenue and/or budget dollars, so as to better manage the profitability of your operation. Usage history can be retained for future forecasting, production, and purchasing. If a dining hall kitchen is also providing product for catered events, the banquet event orders can be added to the cycle plan, for a consolidated total of all product requirements.

• Menu Items:
  Menu items for each meal period for each day of the week are set up in Eatec Solutions. Entry of the menu items is easy - simply type in a few letters and select from a drop-down list, or categories may be accessed, which present a drop-down of all the possible items. A menu can be individually scaled based on expected participation for that meal period. Once the menu is complete, it can be viewed in its entirety and printed for easy reference.
  
  
• View Projected Revenue, Costs, and Food Cost Percentage:
  Once a target guest count and anticipated consumption ratio for each item is established, you can view the forecasted costs and revenue/budget dollars, including an overall food cost percentage.
  
  
• Modify Cycle Plans with Up-to-the-Minute Information:
  New cycle plans can be created for each week of your cycle in template format. These templates can then be called up and cloned in order to create cycle plans to coordinate with the calendar. Active cycle plans can be viewed, recalled, and modified utilizing Eatec Solutions' cycle plan calendar. Numbers are easily updated to reflect expected participation.
  
  
• Requisitions:
  A cycle plan can be called up to auto-determine what to requisition from both the storeroom and the commissary/production kitchen. Eatec Solutions will display each inventory item and the suggested quantity to requisition. The numbers can be adjusted individually or the system can auto-apply one of up to 10 different par levels.
  
  
• Generate Production Worksheets:
  To know what to prepare in the kitchen, simply highlight the items in a meal period, and print a kitchen worksheet, which scales ingredients to the appropriate number of batches or servings. Worksheets can be generated by production area, and can be displayed by batch and/or for total servings.
  
  
• Nutrition Analysis:
  Nutrition information on all or selected items can be viewed and it can also be viewed based on the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) set you wish. See the Nutrition section in Optional Modules & Accessories.
  
  
• Tracking Cycle Plan Consumption and Auto-Calculating What Was Sold:
  Using a worksheet printed by Eatec Solutions, cycle plan consumption can be recorded. The quantities prepared and quantities left over are entered into Eatec Solutions; the system will use this information to determine what was consumed, or "sold". You can also record the time you ran out of an item.
  
  
• Posting Sales and Cycle Plan Profit Analysis Reports:
  In board feeding operations, the point-of-sale system/card-based system typically records the guest count. If items are sold, the revenue will be imported by Eatec Solutions. If there is a per person meal budget, this equates to a "selling" price, against which costs are computed. When consumption is posted, inventory items are automatically depleted and the cost of sales is updated. A cycle plan profit analysis report, for any selected date range, can be generated, and the historical revenue and cost numbers are now also available as a basis for future planning.