🍋 SchoolCafé Lemonade Quest

What is an Item?

An item is one product you buy: a lemon, a bag of sugar, a carton of milk, a box of mini donuts. Before the kitchen can plan lunch, each product gets typed into SchoolCafé once.

Item (basic info) — "What is this thing?"

• Item Description = its name, copied exactly from the product fact label (the label on the box/bag with all the info). Lemonade stand: the words on the sugar bag.
• Tags = sticky-note filters you make up, like "Citrus", so you can find things fast. Type it and press Enter.
• Item Category, Brand Name, Manufacturer, Product Code = what kind it is, whose brand, who made it, and its ID number if the label has one.
• Storage Category = where it lives (freezer, cooler, shelf). Lemons in the cooler.
• Evaluation Category = a grouping the system uses to evaluate the product. Pick the option that fits.

Units — "How do we count and measure it?"

• Food or non-food? Lemons = food. Paper cups = non-food.
• Fluid or non-fluid? Lemon juice = fluid. A donut = non-fluid.
• Accountable inventory units (one-, two-, three-tier, or None) = how you count stock: single bottles, a pack of bottles, a case of packs. If unsure, None is allowed.
• Direct Menu Item? Yes/No = can this be handed straight to a customer with no mixing? Milk carton: yes. Raw lemons: no.
• Amount, Description, Weight = "1 · Each · 94 grams" means one piece weighing 94 g. Identifiers describe the serving size. Pack is another way to enter inventory info.

Nutrient Info — the nutrition facts (calories, fat, sodium, sugar, protein, vitamins). Copy the numbers from the label. If the label doesn't show a required one, tick Missing Value.

Ingredient Info — extras: Sub-Ingredients (the ingredient list on the label), Standard Recipe Directions (heating directions), Buy American checkbox. Note: what you type here stays in Item Management only.

Contribution Info — how much this product counts toward a meal requirement (for example, the donuts show a contribution of 2), plus the Whole Grain Rich choice.

Allergen Info — which allergies apply (Wheat, Soy, Milk, Egg). Use the three-dot menu → Edit. If none apply, choose the "no allergens" option.

The time-saver: Copy

Three-dot menu at the top of a finished item → Copy. It makes a new item using the old one as a starting point. You must rename it (a copy needs its own name), then fix anything that's different on the new label. Like photocopying your "Lemon Juice" sign and changing it to "Lime Juice".

What is a Direct Menu Item?

A single product that's already ready and can go straight on the menu and your Production Records. A carton of milk, a yogurt cup, a muffin, pizza, fries, heat-and-serve products.

Lemonade stand: a sealed bottle of lemonade you bought. You don't mix anything. You just hand it over.

Before this training you should already have all items added (don't forget milk!) and your Custom Allergens updated.

"Menu Disabled" is the switch that turns the product into something that can be put on a menu. "One menu serving" just means the default serving is 1.

• Menu Item Name = the name your team uses inside the system.
• Marketing Name & Description = the friendly name and short blurb families see in Family Hub. "Sunny Lemon Sip" instead of "LEMONADE BTL 12OZ".
• Tags = sticky-note filters again.
• Menu Item Category = what kind of menu food it is (for example Entrée).
• Preparation Site Item = only check if one school's kitchen cooks food and sends it to another school. One stand makes the lemonade, a different stand sells it. Most districts: leave unchecked.
• Leftover Category = what happens to leftovers: Carryover (save for tomorrow), Return to Stock (put back unopened), Waste (throw away), or Unspecified. Staff use this when filling out Production Records.
• Max Days = how many days it can be kept. Required.
• Show in Summary = print this item on the printed menu calendar.
• Added Sugar Product = for things like cereal, yogurt, flavored milk.

Optional: Steps card, HACCP, Control Points

• HACCP (say "HASS-ip") = a food safety plan that finds the risky moments when making food. "Keep the lemonade cold so it doesn't spoil."
• Enable Recipe on the Steps card lets you add steps. No Cook = ready to serve.
• Control Point = a safety checkpoint with a temperature or time, like Cook or Hot Hold.

Serving Group Exceptions (optional)

Different serving groups (age groups such as PK, K–8, 9–12) can get different amounts, or none.

• Chocolate milk: not served to PK, one carton for K–12.
• Chicken nuggets: 5 for K–8, 8 for grades 9–12.

Lemonade stand: tiny kids get a tiny cup, big kids get a big cup, and the very littlest skip the lemonade.

Direct Menu Item vs. Multi-Item Recipe

Direct Menu Item = one ready thing (a bottle of lemonade).
Multi-Item Recipe = several items combined (lemons + sugar + water = lemonade; or tortilla + chicken + lettuce + cheese = wrap).

Don't make a recipe for "Cereal Variety" or "Assorted Fruit". Those are Variety Menu Items (covered later).

• Recipe card = the recipe's name (follow your district's naming rules) and tags.
• Servings card = Amount (what one student gets, e.g. 1), Description (Each), Number of Servings (how many the recipe makes, e.g. 100). "One pitcher fills 100 cups." Strict Batching = plan only in whole batches of that size (off in the demo).
• Steps card (HACCP Process) = pick the food safety plan. The Recipe Report option (the demo used Same Day Service) tells how the recipe is handled for food safety, with a text box for notes.
• Steps and Ingredients = build the recipe. Press Add to make a step. Each step has Recipe Directions (cooking words) and Search Ingredients (pull in items you already entered, enter quantity and unit, Save).
• Control Point (small arrow next to Add) = safety checkpoint. Cook and Hot Hold auto-fill temperature and time. Check them against your documents.
• Drag the dots next to a step to reorder steps.
• Menu Info → Menu Item card = appears after you turn on the menu switch (Servings card → Menu Disabled → Continue → Confirm). Fields: internal name, Marketing Name & Description (💬 icon), Tags, Menu Item Category, Leftover Category and the leftover options, Prep Site, Show in Summary.
• Copy Recipe (three-dot menu) = start a Turkey Slider from the Chicken Slider. Rename it, pick what to copy, then fix differences.
• Multiple serving sizes = one recipe can serve small portions to elementary and bigger portions to secondary. No duplicate recipes needed.

Lemonade stand: the recipe card on the fridge: "Squeeze lemons → add sugar → add water → stir → keep cold". Each step is a Step, each thing you grab is an Ingredient.

Production Records and the Menu Cycle checklist

Production Record = the kitchen's daily notebook: what was prepared, served, and left over. Menu Cycle = your plan of menus. Use it as a checklist: every food in it must already exist as an Item/Direct Menu Item/Recipe before you move on to Menus.