Different by Design
Data-driven decision making in school nutrition should be the norm, and we make it possible by targeting every detail of our functionality with the user’s end goals in mind. We don’t rely on blueprints of existing K12 software, and that’s by design. We feel strongly that the status quo just isn’t cutting it. We are calling the tune of what a school nutrition solution should look like.
Hover over each icon to learn how our features compare…
Data Visualization Capability
Profitability:
District, Site, Menu, Item
Participation:
Accuracy
Participation:
Usability & Practical Value
Participation:
Team Transparency & Communication
Menu Performance:
Execution & Monitoring
Nutrition:
Planning & Post-Production
Waste:
Cost & Quantity
Production Issues & Opportunities
Compliance:
Meets Production Record Requirements
Compliance:
Served Requirements Met
Oversight & Quality Control
Non-Program Foods Revenue & Expense
Labor & Overhead Expenses
Other Existing K-12 Software
Spreadsheets
Meets Compliance Standards
Organization & Ease of Use
Source Data Quality
Data Analysis Integrity
Accuracy & Completion Review
Planning Decision-Support
Manager-Focused Insights
Menu Item Setup
Menu Item Ease of Use
Other Existing K-12 Software
Spreadsheets
Organization & Ease of Use
Menu Cycles
Menu Processes:
Planning
Menu Processes:
Monitoring Performance
Nutrition:
Meal Component Validation
Nutrition:
Optimization
Cost Analysis & Targets
Profitability Analysis & Targets
Labor Analysis
Recipe Analysis & Communication
Other Existing K-12 Software
Spreadsheets
Menu Items:
Usage Lookup
Menu Items:
Usage Forecast
Menu Items:
Change Impact
Labor Productivity (MPLH):
Lookup
Labor Productivity (MPLH):
Change Impact
Other Existing K-12 Software
Spreadsheets
Data Analysis Capability

MenuLogic K12
Specially designed and standardized input required to produce meaningful, aggregated output

Other Existing K-12 Software
Reports transactional (not aggregated) data and provides little useful visualization
Input not standardized enough for meaningful analysis

Spreadsheets
Way too much data to be possible or practical
Profitability - District, Site, Menu, Item

MenuLogic K12
Only software that combines expenses and revenue to understand profit
Considers real-life variables like customization, waste, ala carte, condiments, OVS, and more

Other Existing K-12 Software
Does not combine expenses and revenue, so profitability not possible
Does not consider other real-life variables and makes invalid assumptions instead

Spreadsheets
Way too much data to be possible or practical
Participation - Accuracy

MenuLogic K12
Considers menu frequency, attendance variations, ability to mark outliers, and more variables

Other Existing K-12 Software
Does not consider these variables

Spreadsheets
Does not consider these variables
Participation - Usability & Practical Value

MenuLogic K12
Provides district-wide and by site, but also drill down to understand what is driving (or hindering) participation: menu cycle day, item, date range, more

Other Existing K-12 Software
Provides summary (district or site) snapshot view only

Spreadsheets
Way too much data to be possible or practical
Participation - Team Transparency & Communication

MenuLogic K12
Manager visibility into participation for site and menu cycle day, as compared to other sites

Other Existing K-12 Software
Must be shared manually via report or spreadsheet

Spreadsheets
Must be shared manually via spreadsheet
Menu Performance - Execution & Monitoring

MenuLogic K12
Monitor whether menus are executed properly and performing as desired so targeted adjustments can be made before it's too late

Other Existing K-12 Software
BYO (bring your own) data analyst

Spreadsheets
BYO (bring your own) data analyst
Nutrition - Planning & Post-Production

MenuLogic K12
Monitor whether menus are executed properly and performing as desired so targeted adjustments can be made before it's too late

Other Existing K-12 Software
Post-production nutrient analysis snapshot

Spreadsheets
Way too much data to be possible or practical
Waste - Cost & Quantity

MenuLogic K12
Understand by district, site group, site, menu cycle day, item
Considers impact of waste cost as part of menu and item performance evaluation

Other Existing K-12 Software
Snapshot view of data, no aggregation

Spreadsheets
Snapshot view of data, no aggregation
Production Issues & Opportunities

MenuLogic K12
Identify easily and remotely to lead most productive site visits:
-Over-production (waste)
-Under-production (lowers participation)
-Discrepancy (POS, recipe, server error)

Other Existing K-12 Software
Rely solely on random site visits (without data leading you) to identify and correct issues at sites

Spreadsheets
Rely solely on random site visits (without data leading you) to identify and correct issues at sites
Compliance - Meets Production Record Requirements

MenuLogic K12
Production records that meet USDA compliance prototype standards

Other Existing K-12 Software
Production records that meet USDA compliance prototype standards

Spreadsheets
Production records that meet USDA compliance prototype standards
Compliance - Served Requirements Met

MenuLogic K12
Ensure minimum # of meal components served as compared to # of meals

Other Existing K-12 Software
Manually review data from hundreds (or thousands) of individual production records

Spreadsheets
Manually review data from hundreds (or thousands) of individual production records
Oversight & Quality Control

MenuLogic K12
Monitor % completion, trust built-in validations, review alerts to possible error(s)

Other Existing K-12 Software
Manually review the data from hundreds (or thousands) of individual production records

Spreadsheets
Manually review the data from hundreds (or thousands) of individual production records
Non-Program Foods Revenue & Expense

MenuLogic K12
Captures values accurately and without effort to be easily plugged into USDA tool

Other Existing K-12 Software
Not included

Spreadsheets
Difficult, time-consuming, and inaccurate to track via spreadsheet or off invoice
Labor & Overhead Expenses

MenuLogic K12
Provides real-time insight into the impact of labor and overhead expenses on the menu and the overall profit/loss of the operation

Other Existing K-12 Software
Not included (or considered)

Spreadsheets
Not possible or practical to connect to menu decisions using this method
Meets Compliance Standards

MenuLogic K12

Other Existing K-12 Software

Spreadsheets
Organization & Ease of Use

MenuLogic K12
Thoughtfully designed by (and with input from) experienced school nutrition pros to include value-added features

Other Existing K-12 Software
Meets minimum requirements

Spreadsheets
It works, but requires significant manual input and has great potential for error
Source Data Quality

MenuLogic K12
Allows for district or site setting customization, but maintains structured input to allow for meaningful output

Other Existing K-12 Software
Input too variable to produce meaningful output

Spreadsheets
Way too much data to be possible or practical
Data Analysis Integrity

MenuLogic K12
Specialized item types and production record features that capture bar customization, OVS, condiments, ala carte, more

Other Existing K-12 Software
Does not include these variables

Spreadsheets
Way too much data to be possible or practical
Accuracy & Completion Review

MenuLogic K12
Alerts to review potential errors
Multiple validations within production record

Other Existing K-12 Software
Manual review of digital or printed production records

Spreadsheets
Manual review of digital or printed production records
Planning Decision-Support

MenuLogic K12
Suggestions based on historical data while planning
Smart Notes to carry planning reminders or directions forward to present or future days

Other Existing K-12 Software
Historical data not aggregated for use while planning
Relies on manual review of digital or printed production records

Spreadsheets
Manual review of digital or printed production records
Manager-Focused Insights

MenuLogic K12
Visibility into participation averages and comparisons to other sites
Ability to report attendance deviations for accurate participation analysis
Transparency in profitability and costs (if turned on/off)

Other Existing K-12 Software
Not included, relies on manual review of digital or printed production records

Spreadsheets
Menu Item Setup

MenuLogic K12
Menu Items include only the most important fields (cost, nutrition, price)
Managing fewer items data fields makes accuracy more achievable

Other Existing K-12 Software
Must complete hundreds of data fields (accurately) to properly connect all ingredients, recipes, and inventory stock item price
More data fields means higher margin of error to have confidence in per serving cost analysis

Spreadsheets
Menu Items manually added to production record templates or individually by end user
Menu Item Ease of Use

MenuLogic K12
Cost per serving automatically scales with varying serving sizes
Pricing group feature makes ala carte and meal price updates easy

Other Existing K-12 Software
Cost per serving does not always scale with varying serving sizes
Does not consider cost and price (revenue) of item

Spreadsheets
Cost per serving does not scale with varying serving sizes
Does not consider cost and price (revenue) of item
Organization & Ease of Use
Easily create, copy/swap, and schedule daily menus into menu cycles all in one process Organizing daily menus and cycles by name alone can become cumbersome over time Effective if you’re a spreadsheet wizard (or your team wizard is 100% available)MenuLogic K12
Other Existing K-12 Software
Spreadsheets
Menu Cycles

MenuLogic K12
Create and schedule menu cycles

Other Existing K-12 Software
Create and schedule menu cycles

Spreadsheets
Create and schedule menu cycles
Menu Processes - Planning

MenuLogic K12
Confidently design menus that meet and exceed USDA requirements by leveraging historical data to know how to optimally arrange menu items and menu cycle days

Other Existing K-12 Software
Planning based on projections and assumptions not backed by historical data

Spreadsheets
Planning based on projections and assumptions not backed by historical data
Menu Processes - Monitoring Performance

MenuLogic K12
Ability to monitor menu performance results means a shift in time and focus from planning to monitoring (and adjusting to ensure) success

Other Existing K-12 Software
Not a monitoring tool

Spreadsheets
Not a monitoring tool
Nutrition - Meal Component Validation

MenuLogic K12

Other Existing K-12 Software

Spreadsheets
Nutrition - Optimization

MenuLogic K12
Projections in planning from actual / real historical data provide ability to optimally arrange menu items and menu cycle days to understand how to meet weighted nutrition requirements

Other Existing K-12 Software
Projections based on limited historical data means projected nutrition analysis less accurate

Spreadsheets
Way too much data to be possible or practical
Cost Analysis & Targets

MenuLogic K12
Per meal cost targets calculated and provided while planning
Cost breakdown by weighted meal category

Other Existing K-12 Software
Cost analysis does not consider historical OVS and does not provide meaningful breakdown

Spreadsheets
Way too much data to be possible or practical
Profitability Analysis & Targets

MenuLogic K12
- Combines revenue and cost
- Considers ala carte impact
- By site, menu cycle day, item
Considers real-life factors
(OVS, customization, Labor/Overhead, Popularity)

Other Existing K-12 Software
Does not combine revenue and cost, so profitability not possible

Spreadsheets
Labor Analysis

MenuLogic K12
Applies Labor and Overhead costs at the point of menu design

Other Existing K-12 Software
Does not include

Spreadsheets
Does not include
Recipe Analysis & Communication

MenuLogic K12
On our development roadmap…
Recipe organization and recipes that are easy to read, scale, and use

Other Existing K-12 Software
Usability oftentimes difficult, making analysis less dependable.
Readability and ease of scaling many times lacking

Spreadsheets
Usability oftentimes difficult, making analysis less dependable.
Readability and ease of scaling many times lacking
Menu Items - Usage Lookup

MenuLogic K12
Quickly view a menu item’s usage history, cost, revenue, profit/loss by district, site group, site, date range

Other Existing K-12 Software
Relies on snapshot reports, without consideration of menu frequency

Spreadsheets
Way too much data to be possible or practical
Menu Items - Usage Forecast

MenuLogic K12
Historical sales and menu frequency are applied to future projections (usage, cost, revenue, profit/loss)

Other Existing K-12 Software

Spreadsheets
Menu Items - Change Impact

MenuLogic K12
Adjust attributes (cost, price, menu frequency) and instantly see projected results/impact

Other Existing K-12 Software

Spreadsheets
Labor Productivity (MPLH) - Lookup

MenuLogic K12
Quickly view Meals Per Labor Hour (MPLH) by district, site group, site, menu cycle day, date range

Other Existing K-12 Software
Data needed to calculate MPLH available, but must be manually combined in single snapshots per calculation

Spreadsheets
Data from POS software could be manually combined via spreadsheet, but at a very high level and snapshot view
Labor Productivity (MPLH) - Change Impact

MenuLogic K12
Change attributes (meal or ala carte sales, labor hours) and instantly see projected results/impact

Other Existing K-12 Software

Spreadsheets
Read More About Our Features Here:
Dashboard
Production Record
Menu Design
Lookup & Forecast
Reporting
Resources & Support
Dashboard
Production Record
Menu Design
Lookup & Forecast
Reporting
Resources & Support
Let’s Clear the Air
We color outside the lines and don’t fit into the mold you might be used to.  Allow us to explain ourselves…

Point of Sale
We are not a Point of Sale (POS) software…we will leave that work to our friends! POS software functions are integral to any operation, but also includes data we use for understanding the full scope of menu performance and program profitability. MenuLogic K12 works alongside your existing POS solution to capture information needed to aggregate, analyze, and action data with optimization top of mind. Â

Inventory Management
We do not provide inventory counting or tracking functions. MenuLogic K12 does provide insights to support decisions that can impact inventory usage and ordering projections, based on historical data. If the purpose of the inventory value your team is tracking is to understand Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), we provide you a link to reality with the detail to back it up: a clear understanding of what your COGS should have been.Â

Recipe Analysis
You don’t have to build a new ingredient and recipe database to use MenuLogic K12. We understand how long that process can take and the end result, no matter what existing software or method you choose, will likely look the same. We wanted to create the shortest path possible to the information you need. Our solution works alongside your existing recipe development tools to maximize impact and minimize hassle.