Effective use of a menu plan fixes the cost of your catering supplies.

The Interchef System assists you in planning your menu. As caterers well know, the menu plan needs to take in account the needs of many different user groups. Indeed sometimes the groups are so diverse that a different menu cycle needs to be setup to accommodate them. By involving all users at the early stages much heart ache and hard work. Having constructed the perfect menu plan this can then be used to calculate a forecast of the ingredients required to produce the dishes. With volumes calculated and matched against existing nominated products Interchef can be used to fix the price of the ingredients.

Using pen and paper to construct your menu cycle can take months. However with Interchef it can be done in a matter of hours. Once completed it is easy then to add and delete items as required. Indeed it is just as easy to re-write the whole plan from scratch if that's what you want to do.

So, not only will Interchef help you do your menu planning but it can help in fixing the costs of the ingredients required.

 

Production controls reduces wastage.

As orders are placed onto Interchef in terms of the number of dishes required, the system will only order enough ingredients to produce your recipes for those numbers of portions. Interchef produces a kitchen production sheet (KPS) for each day's production. The production sheet details how many portions you have to produce and how much ingredient is required. It is possible to attach method statements and any HAACPP information.

A picking list is available on Interchef. This document tells the chef or storeman what to issue from the stores into the kitchen for that day's production. The picking list ties directly into the KPS. By using both the picking list and the KPS you can reduce the tendancy to over produce meals and eliminate the 'jus in case' buying.

 

Stock controls stops over ordering........it also assists managers in keeping a track of stock and ensuring that it is absolutely secure.

Interchef's stock position is calculated daily and is a 'live' stock. Stock is calculated based on what products are left after all issues have been made into the kitchen(s) and all deliveries from suppliers have been made that day. So, at any point we are able to tell what the stock position should be. We recommend that stock is updated on the system on a regular basis at least weekly. Supply Direct will count your stock at least once per month.

Counting your stock is important as the number of items you have in stock is used to automatically reduce or increase the orders placed on suppliers. Any discrepancies between Interchef's position and the actual stock will be invoiced to a separate account code for payment and analysis.

 

Interchef is multi-user.

By being an Internet based product Interchef is immediately multi-user. The benefits are obvious in that data can be accessed from anywhere in the world 24 hours per day 7 days per week.

But being on the Internet doesn't mean that the data is not secure. All customers data is protected by encrypted password and user ID logins. You can only ever see your own data and no-one else's.

 

One invoice means you spend less time having to check sign off and process it.

Typically within industry it costs €100 (£60) to process an invoice. If we assume that one delivery results in one invoice and you receive 20 invoices per week. Your annual bill for processing the invoices would be €104,00 (£62,400). As opposed to €5,200 (£3,120) per annum with Supply Direct.

In addition, you one invoice can be used as a management tool as Interchef is able to separate costs for different parts of your organisation. For instance if you run the catering department within a office, school or hospital you may need to keep a track of how much is being spent on pupils, patients, staff, visitors and any functions you may have. Interchef can do all this for you. Each cost centre can be given its own department code and receive an itemised bill for their activity.

 

Having proper contracts in place for the supply of food produce is essential if you are to maintain proper checks on the goods being received. In the unlikely event of a food poisoning incident you need to be able to prove 'due diligence'.

All of Supply Direct's suppliers are bound by our terms and conditions. In addition they all must undergo an audit from STS Limited who are in independent group of current practicing environmental health officers. Each supplier must submit to two audits per annum, one announced the other unannounced. Supply Direct will on;y use suppliers with a B rate pass and above.

 

By linking any cash tills or machines to Interchef you benefit from not having to re-key any of the data. In addition, the till information is available at your fingertips and in a user friendly format.

How does it work?
As long as your current till can produce a text file with PLU codes, Interchef can import data from your till. The most popular configuration, is for the tills to produce a text file containing that day's transactions. These are then amalgamated together into a local ODBC complaint database. The database is then used to export the information to Interchef. Equally tills can be updated using Interchef. So, if you would like to see today's menu on each till this can be sent via the ODBC database at the start of each new day.

 

Interchef is compatible with most accounting software packages.

Currently, we have links to Sun Accounts, Sage and Pegasus Accounting Packages. Those customers opting for the One Stop Shop service can benefit from having all of their invoices linked into their accounting system. This mean that invoices do not have to be re-keyed. It is also possible to pre-check invoices before they are posted. For instance if an invoice arrives over a certain pre-agreed value then Interchef can an alert via email to the manager in charge.

 

The One Stop Shop option guarantees a fixed price.

Supply Direct can guarantee a fixed price for any negotiated period (normally 12 months). The fixed price can be for a given menu cycle and uptake against that menu or on a fixed price per dish or item. The benefit here is that customers know exactly how much their catering costs are going to be.

 

Orders are automatically placed with suppliers.

If your key catering personnel are off work for whatever reason, you do not have to worry about placing orders with the suppliers. Interchef will automatically place all of the orders with the suppliers. The only thing you have to worry about is that the chefs are there to prepare the meals. Orders are place shortly after 1pm, one working day before delivery. Customers have up until 1pm to make any amendments.

 

Through economies of scale we are able to purchase more effectively than a single unit could do on its own.

As a company we are purchasing in excess of £40 million worth of food produce per annum. This allows us to negotiate much better deals than you could on your own. It also means that when supplier or delivery problems occur we have more leverage with suppliers and tend to have them sorted out more quickly.

 

Knowing that all food produce has been vigorously vetted by us and our independent auditors before it arrives in your kitchens means that you can relax.

All of our suppliers must submit to an audit before being allowed to supply. This audit is carried out by independent current practicing Environmental Health Officers. Suppliers are given a grading of A, B, C, D or E. C and above is a pass. Each supplier is given a report copied to us (and you if required). The report details how the inspection has been carried out, the criteria used, the results of the audit and what steps the supplier needs to take to improve their rating. The supplier will need to demonstrate at all subsequent audits that it has completed the improvement orders or it may risk losing its certificate.

In addition we at Supply Direct have developed our own Site Procedures and Quality Assurance manuals that enables each kitchen to implement its own food safety policy. It also lays down procedures which if followed will ensure that any Environmental Health Inspections are easily passed.