This article is part of the Commissary Module documentation. Click here for more information on the Commissary Module.
A Commissary Order form can be created to include the possible items needed for each Location. Ten days before the set delivery day, an order form gets created automatically so that only item quantities should be populated based on individual restaurant's needs. This form also provides a Daily Forecasted amount based on average past order quantities, average past Sales, and the forecasted total Sales to provide a more accurate reference when purchasing additional items.
While order forms are automatically created, Commissary Orders can also be manually created via the 'Item' menu or the Import Tool.
Creating Orders
Automatic Creation
An order form gets created automatically for each Location for each day that they have a Commissary Delivery. This is driven by the Delivery Days tab of the Commissary Template form where you can specify which Locations receive Delivery on specific days. For example if you set Location 1 to receive Commissary Delivery on Tuesday and Friday, then they'll have an order form created every week dated Tuesday and Friday for their Location. These get created as part of a nightly process 10 days in advance of the order date so they can start filling it out as early as they'd like.
Manual Creation
Users also have the ability to manually create a Commissary Order Form as the need arises in one of two ways: 'Item' menu or via the Import Tool.
To create a Commissary Order using the 'Item' menu, hover over the 'Item' menu and then the 'Transactions' sub-menu and select 'New Commissary Order'. This will open a prompt where the User can select which Location the Commissary Order Form will be created for. Upon clicking 'Ok', the Commissary Order Form will open in a new tab.
Downloading and completing a Commissary Order through the Import Tool allows for bulk entry in a quick, easy way. To navigate to the Import Tool, hover over 'Administration' in the top ribbon and click 'Import'. A new window will open where you will type in 'Commissary Order' in the 'Options' field and 'Create New' in the 'Type' field. Click 'Download Template' to export this template and complete order information as needed before uploading it back through the 'Upload File' button.
- Note: This option only functions as a 'Create New' import type.
Click here for more information on the Import Tool.
Filling Out Orders
For a location manager, filling out a commissary order is 3 simple steps:
- Open it from the list of orders (Operations - Commissary - Commissary Orders in left hand navigation and then double click the order you want to open)
- Fill out the Qty Order field on each row for the items you want to order
- Click Submit & Close under the Save menu in the ribbon (or Save & Close if you're not ready to submit yet)
- If no ordered is needed for this day, press Cancel Order under the Save menu and the commissary will see that this order has been cancelled. Also, if cancelled then no cutoff warning will be sent to the manager if their order isn't submitted and the cutoff is approaching.
1) Location - The Location this order is for
2) Date - The date the order should be delivered to the restaurant
3) Comment Box - Optional box for any necessary comments
4) Delivery Day - The day of week that order will be delivered to restaurant
5) Commissary Location - The chosen Location for this order. A User is able to use this drop-down menu to switch the Commissary Location if needed
6) Customer - A drop-down menu to choose which customer will be receiving the order: the Commissary Customer or the Non-Taxable Customer
7) Locked - Read-only to Restaurant Managers but editable by Commissary. If checked, then the order can no longer be edited by the Location. The Commissary can lock all orders after a certain time if they've begun production on those orders and don't want anymore changes
8) Cutoff - This field lists the cutoff day and time when this order is due to be submitted to the commissary (managed on the Commissary Template screen) and a countdown timer showing time remaining until cutoff
Items Grid - This shows a row for each item that can possibly be ordered. Most fields in this grid are read-only with only the 'Cost' and 'Qty Order' fields able to edit
9) Category - This comes from the 'Commissary Category' field on the 'Sales' tab of the Item record. If no categories are used by your commissary, then this column is hidden
- Notice: The 'Filter' button in the header of the 'Category' column. If you wish to only see items for a specific category, click the 'Filter' button and then select the categories you want to see
10) Item # - The number stored on the General tab of the item record
11) Desc - The name stored on the General tab of the item record
12) Cost - This is the price the Commissary sells this item for and is managed in the Price (selling) field of the 'Sales' tab on the item record
13) U of M - The Unit of Measure this item is delivered in from the Commissary and is managed in the 'Selling U of M' field on the 'Sales' tab of the Item record
14) Qty Order - This field is editable and is where the restaurant enters the quantity they are ordering of this item
15) Avg Qty - This is the average quantity ordered from the Commissary for this item over the past 8 weeks
16) Last Qty - This is quantity ordered from the Commissary the last time this Location ordered it
17) Last Date - This is the last date this item was ordered
18) Daily Forecast - This gives a forecasted quantity needed daily based on average past order quantities and average past sales as well as the forecasted total sales. Example below:
- First gets avg weekly total sales of past 8 weeks (not sales of this item but total sales dollars for the store for the week)
- We'll say weekly sales totaled $10,000 on average over the past 8 weeks
- Then avg order qty of the past 8 weeks for this item
- We'll say an Avg Order Qty for chicken soup was 200 gallons
- Calculate Avg Sales Per Unit as Avg Weekly Sales / Avg Order Qty
- $10,000 / 200 = $50 of sales for every 1 gallon of chicken soup ordered
- Then get forecasted total sales for next week
- $14,000 total sales forecasted for next week
- Calculate the recommended daily qty as Forecast Total Sales / Avg Sales Per Unit / 7
- 14,000 / 50 = 280 / 7 = 40
- This is saying that if on average we order 1 gallon of chicken soup for every $50 of sales and next week we're forecasting $14,000 of sales then we'll probably need 280 gallons of chicken soup. Since commissary orders are often for a couple days and not the whole week we break it down to the daily qty so then if this commissary order is for 2 days then you would multiply 40*2 and order 80 gallons