Suggested Prep Features - FAQs

Overview:

The Suggested Prep features are used to suggest the quantity to prepare for recipe items that are prepared in advance (before they are sold or used in another recipe item that is sold). COGS-Well refers to these items as "Prepared Recipe Items" or "Prep Items".

An example of a Prep Item is Chicken salad which is made in 5-gallon batches and later used in Chicken Salad Sandwiches. Another example is Thousand Island Dressing which is made in 2-gallon batches and then used in Salad orders.

The Suggested Quantity calculation for Prep Items is based on calculated on-hand and projected usage values for each Prep Item. There is an option to include shelf life in the calculation. Please click this link if you would like more information on Usage Projections.

Prep Items versus Production Items: Suggested Prep can also be done for Recipe Items that are flagged as Production Items. Production Items are treated like inventory items in COGS-Well reporting while the reporting for Prep Items uses the Prep Item's ingredients. Please click this link for a more detailed explanation of Production Items.

How Suggested Prep Works:

The following provides a summary of the primary Suggested Prep features and it includes links to articles with more detail on each feature.

Company Settings:

To get started, If you wish to use Suggested Prep, it must be enabled on the Recipes Tab in your Company Settings. An example is shown below:

Flag Recipe Items as Prepared:

After Suggested Recipe Prep is enabled in your Company Settings, the first tab on the Recipe Item Setup feature will include a field to flag a recipe item for prep. Please note that any item you want to flag for prep must first be flagged for "Recipe is Counted". An example is shown below:

Add Shelf Life (Optional):

The Shelf Life is how long you will keep a recipe item (the number of days) before you no longer consider it useable. When a Suggested Prep calculation is made the Shelf Life will then factor into the calculation for that item (it subtracts items that will expire from the calculated on-hand). The use of Shelf Life is optional. 

Prep Groups (Optional):

You can optionally create and assign Prep Items to Prep Groups. You can select a Prep Group when you run the Prep Worksheet or Enter Prep and it will list the Prep Items assigned to the group. A Prep Item can be assigned to multiple Prep Groups. Please note only recipe items flagged for Prep can be assigned to Prep Groups. Please click this link for more information on Prep Groups.

Usage Projection:

To calculate a Usage Projection, a Suggested Quantity Type for Prep will need to be created. There is an option to include Par Levels in a Suggested Quantity Type. Please click this link to Usage Projections for more information. A link to an article on Suggested Quantity Types is included in the Usage Projection article.

Prep Worksheet:

The Prep Worksheet suggests preparation quantities for Prep Recipe Items. The worksheet includes the option to run for a day as shown below or a week. Please click this link for detailed information on the Prep Worksheet. An example of the Prep Worksheet is shown below:

Enter Prep (Optional):

When Suggested Recipe Prep Features is enabled in your Company Settings, a feature for Prep Entry will be added to the Recipe & Sales Entry menu. Entering the quantities prepared for Prep Items is not required, but it is necessary if you wish COGS-Well to calculate an accurate on-hand value for the suggested prep quantity calculation. Please click this link for more information on Prep Entry:

The values in the columns for On Hand and Projected on the Prep Entry grid above can be drilled down to show how the suggested quantity value was calculated. In the example below we have drilled down on the On Hand value for Breakfast Gravy:

Calculations:

The Projected Usage Quantity default calculation used by the Suggested Quantity Type looks at the theoretical usage for each Prep Item for the last 6 weeks. It then calculates the average theoretical usage for each day of the week for each item. This formula can be modified when you set up a Suggested Quantity Type for Prep.

The Calculated (Theoretical) On-Hand calculation looks at the most recent inventory count, plus the quantity prepped, minus theoretical usage from sales, minus waste, minus expirations due to shelf life, to calculate on hand for each Prep Item.

The Suggested Quantity calculation uses a theoretical inventory on hand, plus the projected quantity, plus any amount needed to reach the minimum Par Level (if you include Par Levels in the Suggested Quantity Type configuration), to calculate the amount suggested to prepare for each item. The suggested quantity to prep is rounding up to the next even batch size.   

Prep Report:

The Prep Report lists all entered prep for a desired date range. An example is below:

Other Things to know

• The reason to enable a recipe item for Prep is to calculate suggested preparation quantities for items that you prepare (Prep Items).
• Prep features are enabled in your Company Settings on the Recipe Tab.
• The Recipe Items you wish to include must be flagged as "Counted" and as "Prepped".
• Staff preparing Prep Items can use the Prep Worksheet to see suggested prep quantities and to record the quantities prepared.
• Prepped quantities can be entered to keep the on-hand quantity that is used in the suggested quantity calculation accurate.
• Prep Items can be inventoried, transferred between Sites, used in other recipes, and entered in Waste Counts.