Recipe Item Setup

Overview:

The Recipe Item feature is where you create and maintain your recipes. You can enter the ingredients you use in a recipe item and their portion size. You will have the option to flag a Recipe Item to be counted in inventory, to be sold, and/or to be produced.

There are multiple tabs on the Recipe Item setup feature. The explanations for each tab are somewhat lengthy so individual articles exist for each tab in the Recipe Item Setup feature. This article covers the initial Recipe Item tab.

Things to know!

The Recipe Item Setup feature will only be accessible and visible to users who are given access to it by your system administrator.
Sales Items are Recipe Items that are sold.
Sales Items are imported from your Point of Sale system and automatically added to your database.
The sales mix for Sales Items will also be imported daily from your Point of Sale (POS) system.
A Recipe Item can be flagged to be counted in inventory, sold, and/or produced.
You can also enter Waste for a Recipe Item.
There is a listing for all Recipe Items in Recipes & Sales>Listings>Recipe Items Listing.
Please use this link for a detailed explanation of Measure Class and Recipe Unit Configuration.
This article covers the fields on the Recipe Item tab. Separate articles have been written for the setup tabs for Ingredients, Preparation Instructions, Recipe Groups, Items, and Assigned Sites.

Add or Edit Recipe Items:

To add, review, edit, or delete Recipe Items, navigate to Recipes & Sales>Setup>Recipe Items. Upon selection, a "Setup Grid" similar to the one below will display a listing of all of your Recipe Items. Please note that the below Setup Grid shows recipe items that are sold and not sold:

+ Add, Export, and Search Options:

The blue "+ Add" button is used to add a new Group (versus to view or edit an existing Group).
The "XLSX" button will export the row information on the grid to a spreadsheet.
The search option can be used to find any part of a word or date on the grid. Type in your search criteria to initiate the search.

Special Column Tools:

Magnifying Glass Only Icon: The magnifying glass at the top of each column in the above grid has a search function that enables you to search within that field. If you hover your mouse over the magnifying class you will see options to use to refine your search.
Magnifying Glass and Calendar Icon: If a column has a magnifying glass and a calendar at the top of the column, the calendar can be used to select a date, and if you hover over the magnifying glass after you select a date, you will have options to refine the filter (such as equal to or greater than the selected date).
All Incon: Columns that display "All" have a drop-down arrow on the right that can be used to select and filter for a specific status. For example, the Active column can be filtered for "Yes" items only.
Grid Tools - FAQs: Please click this link for more information on Grid Tools - FAQs.

Edit/Delete: Click the button to the right of the Group that you wish to edit or delete.

Clone: If you are adding a new item that is similar to an existing one, select the "Clone" option on the same row as the item you want to Clone, and it will be copied into the new Item.

Recipe Item Setup - Initial Recipe Item Tab:

If you select to add or edit a Recipe Item, a Recipe Item tab like the one below will display:

In the above example, we are looking at a recipe item that has already been set up for "Breakfast Gravy". Breakfast Gravy is not flagged for prep instructions, to be counted, used in other Recipe Items, or sold. More information is provided below:

Recipe Name: Enter a Recipe Item Name (required field).

Recipe & Sales Category: Use the search to select a Category for this Recipe Item. Recipe Categories are set up in Recipes & Sales>Settings> Recipe & Sales Categories. This is also a required field.

Batch Size: Enter the size or amount of yield from this recipe. For example, if the Item is a sauce then the batch size might be "5 Gallon Tub". Or, if the item is something you sell, it could be "One Serving". This is also a required field.

Prep Instructions: The Prep Instructions option will not display unless it has been enabled in Company Settings. Prep Instructions are optional. Prep Instructions enable you to add a picture of your recipe, a description, the preparation steps, the prep time, and the required equipment to prepare this recipe item.

When you check the box for Prep Instructions two new tabs will appear for entering prep instructions and prep stations. More detailed information on how to set up and utilize Prep Instructions is provided below.

Parent Sales Item: If you importing modifiers from your POS and if you have built recipes for the modifiers, then the modifier recipe item can be linked to a "Parent Sales Item". To provide an example, let's say that one of your menu offerings is named a Traditional Breakfast and it is set up as a sales item in your POS.

You offer a choice of Bacon, Sausage, or Ham with the Traditional Breakfast, and these options are set up as Modifiers on your POS. You are importing the sales for both the Traditional Breakfast and the Modifiers so they are all Recipe Items in COGS-Well.

Importing Modifiers from your POS, using them in COGS-Well, and linking them to a Parent Sales Item is a complex concept and we request that if you would like to learn more or set up Modifiers, then please contact us at support@COGS-Well.com.

Recipe is Counted:

The Recipe is Counted: If you want to count the ending inventory for this item (this is normally done for recipes that are made in larger batch sizes where not all of the batch is utilized right away), then click the box to create a checkmark and this Recipe Item will show up on inventory count worksheets and inventory count entry screens. If flagged, then additional fields will appear for the inventory category and production as shown below:

Count Units & Count Units per Batch: A recipe item that is counted will utilize the batch size as the pack size on the Inventory Count Worksheet and the Inventory Count Entry features. You can also, optionally, define a Count Unit name and the number of Count Units per batch if you would like to count partial batches.

Inventory Category: If a recipe item is flagged to be counted then an inventory category will be requested. This is the inventory category that the value of the recipe item being counted will apply. You can use the drop-down to view and select a category. For more information on inventory categories please click this link: Inventory Categories.

Report Unit: The default Report Unit for this item on an Extension Report will be the Pack Size (which for a Recipe Item is the Batch Size). You can use the drop-down to select the Count Unit instead.

Production Entered: When a recipe item is flagged for production, it is also referred to as a "Production Item" and you can enter production counts (how much of a production item is made/prepared).

When production is recorded, the usage of the ingredients in the production item recipe is recorded (based on portions in the recipe and quantity produced) and the production item is treated like an inventory item in COGS-Well. Inventory usage (both actual and theoretical) will be reported for production items.

A production item can also be transferred, counted in inventory, and used in another Recipe Item. In this example, if you wanted to track production for Breakfast Gravy, then you would click the box to flag it. For more information on production and production items please click this link: What are Production Items?

Shelf Life (days): There is an option to use Suggested Quantity Types with the Production features to suggest the quantities to produce (prepare) for Production Items. The Shelf Life for a production item is how long you will keep it (in the number of days) before you no longer consider it useable.

When a calculated on-hand amount for a production item is calculated, the Shelf Life will then factor into the suggested production quantity calculation for each item. The use of Shelf Life is optional and it only makes sense to enter it for a suggested quantity to produce if you are counting and entering production quantities for this produced item.

Prepared in Commissary: This field will only display if the Production Entered box is checked and if you have enabled the Commissary features in your company settings. If this field is flagged, COGS-Well will deplete the ingredients in the Commissary when Production is entered and not when this recipe item is transferred. For more information please click this link for Commissary Features - FAQs.

Recipe Information:

Used in Recipes: If this is a recipe item that you use in other recipes (in this example, breakfast gravy is used in the Biscuits and Gravy sales item), click the box to create a checkmark. Additional fields for recipe information will appear. Please see the example for Breakfast Gravy below:

Primary Measure Class: There are three industry-standard Measure Class options - Weight, Volume, or Count. The Primary Measure Class should reflect the Batch Size you entered so that it can calculate the cost for a Recipe Unit.

In the above example, the Batch Size is in Quarts and Quarts are in Volume Measure Class. Therefore, the Primary Measure Class for Breakfast Gravy should be Volume (use the drop-down to select Volume). If this recipe item was for a Batch Size of 36 Donuts, we would select Count as the Primary Measure Class. For a 5-pound Batch of Hamburger, we would select Weight.

Recipe Unit (for the Primary Measure Class): The Recipe Unit for the Primary Measure Class will default once the Measure Class is selected. Volume defaults to Fz (Fluid Ounce), Weight defaults to Wz (Weighted Ounce), and Count defaults to Each.

You can use the drop-down in this field to select a different Recipe Unit for this Measure Class which searches the Recipe Unit Library. Please note that the Recipe Unit you select does not have to be used when you use an item as an ingredient in a Recipe Item. You can select from any Recipe Unit in the same Measure Class (examples = Cup, Liter, Quarter, etc.).

Recipe Unit Factor: A Recipe Unit Factor is required for each Measure Class that you define a Recipe Unit for, to calculate the cost for the Recipe Unit. Enter the number of recipe units that are in the Batch Size you entered. In this example, the Batch Size is 5 quarts. A quart is 32 fluid ounces (Fz). 5 quarts X times 32 Fz = 160 Fz(s) per batch.

More on Recipe Information: Configuring Measure Classes, Recipe Units, and Recipe Units per Batch can be tricky so we have dedicated an article to Configuring Recipe Information. Please use the link to learn more. The Batch Size for a Recipe Item is akin to the Pack Size for an Inventory Item.

Default Recipe Unit: The Default Recipe Unit defines the recipe unit that you will most commonly use for entering the quantity of this recipe Item when you utilize it in a Recipe Item. The default will initially show as the primary recipe unit and you can change it by selecting from the drop-down for the recipe unit library.

Please know that the default is only for convenience. When you use this recipe item as an ingredient in a recipe, you can select a recipe unit other than the default.

Added Measure Classes: If you want to use this recipe with more than one measure class, you can add additional measure classes. Please see this article on Measure Class and Recipe Unit Configuration for more information.

Sales Item:

Recipe Item is Sold: If this is a Recipe for an Item you sell, click the box to create a checkmark next to Recipe is sold. Additional fields will then appear to define the sales-related Item attributes. Please see the example below for an example of a recipe item that is flagged as being sold:

Please Note: This example shows a California Burger Recipe Item. This item sold so it is also referenced in COGS-Well as a "Sales Item". The batch size is one serving, it is not a recipe that is counted or used in other recipes. Because this recipe is flagged as sold, the fields for the current retail and model price, theoretical costs, target cost, and target price display. An explanation for each field is below:

Current Retail Price: The retail price is the most recent price for this Sales Item that was imported from your Point of Sale system. In the above example, the Retail Price is $12.50.

Retail Theoretical Cost %: The Theoretical Cost divided by the Current Retail Price. In the above example, it is $2.907 divided by $12.50 = 23.26%.

Model Price: The Model Price can be used to model the impact of a different price for this Sales Item. In the above example, we have entered $13.50. When you run the Menu Engineering Report, you will have the option to run it using the Retail, Model, or Average Price.

Model Theoretical Cost %: The Model Theoretical Cost percent is the Theoretical Cost divided by the Model Price. In the above example, it is $2.907 divided by $13.50 = 21.53%.

Theoretical Cost: This cost is perpetually updated based on the most recent ingredient portions and invoice cost. It utilizes the last price you paid on an invoice for the ingredients in the recipe.

Target Cost %: Use this field to enter the theoretical cost percentage you are targeting for this Item. For modeling purposes, you can change the target cost % to see what the Target Price should be to achieve the Target Cost %. Please see the Target Price definition that follows.

Target Price: This is a calculated field that displays the Sales Price you should charge to achieve your target cost %. In the above example, to achieve a Target Cost % of 20%, you should charge $14.53.

Active: This setting defaults to Active. If you want to make a Recipe Item inactive, then click the box to remove the checkmark. An example of when you might do this is for a seasonal offering like Strawberry Shortcake which is available every year but only for one month. You can make an inactive item active again.

Save, Delete, and Exit:

At the bottom of the screen are the Save, Delete, and Exit buttons.

Save - Saves the entry or entries without exiting.

Delete - Deletes the Item. You will be asked, "Are you sure"?

Exit - Exits without saving any new entries or edits. If you have made changes, you will be asked, "Are you sure"?