Grouping is a feature of the FOOD-TRAK® System which results in organized, effective reports and forms. It makes little sense to produce an item usage report where items are listed randomly, by index number or even alphabetically. The same holds true for receiving log construction. Reports and forms make more sense and are easier to use when the items are grouped into meaningful categories.
FOOD-TRAK also provides three levels of group types. Departments are the highest grouping level, followed by master groups and finally subgroups. Departments are typically used for cost centers (ex: food, liquor, supplies) and are normally set up to correspond with general ledger cost of goods accounts. In fact, general ledger account numbers can be assigned to departments as well as master and subgroups to streamline the process of assigning items to accounts for invoice account distribution purposes. There must be at least one department for each company, and many users only set up one department (usually food). Master and subgroups are used to further categorize items within departments.
So what groups should you use? Most operations use groups that define types of food. The most common group names for a food database or department are:
FOOD DEPARTMENT
® MEAT
® DAIRY
® SEAFOOD
® PRODUCE
® BAKED GOODS
® GROCERY
® PREPARED FOODS
Liquor operations would look quite different:
LIQUOR DEPARTMENT
® BEER
® WINE
® LIQUOR
® OTHER
If your company produces profit and loss statements which break food or liquor costs into categories (like those listed above), it is suggested you utilize those category names as your groups. Since the system produces extended inventory values subtotaled for each item group, these numbers may be utilized directly by the general ledger for P&L production, saving you the time required to regroup and extend the items.
Three types of information are stored for each group.
The first piece of information stored for each group is a Name. Try to choose the same name used on the P&L if applicable, or at least one that is easily associated with the items you plan to assign to it.
The second piece of information is the general ledger Account Number. By assigning account numbers to groups, the system can automatically distribute purchases of those items to their associated groups. While it is possible to assign an account number to each individual item in the system, assigning accounts to groups can save time in some cases.
When deciding which account to distribute an item purchase to, the system first looks in the item file to see if an account number was assigned. If no number was assigned, it then looks to the item group. If the item is in a subgroup and no account number is assigned to that subgroup, the system will look at the master group. If no account number is assigned to the master group, the system will look at the department. If no account numbers are assigned to the groups, then the system checks to see if an account number was assigned to the vendor.
For example, let’s say all food purchases go to the same general ledger account number. In This case, you can save yourself extra keypunching by simply associating that account number with the FOOD department. There is no need to type in the same number for each group and for each item in each group. Looking at a different example, say foods are charged to accounts by category. Meats go to one account while produce goes to another. In this case, assign account numbers to each group. On the other hand, if the meat master group has poultry, pork and beef subgroups, and if each of these subgroups have different account numbers, assign the appropriate account numbers at the subgroup level and leave the master group and department levels blank.. You have a choice of four types; DEPARTMENT, MASTER GROUP, SUBGROUP and CREDIT GROUP, respectively. Since we already discussed the meaning and use of departments, let’s move on to the other three group types.
The Credit Group represents the third piece of information required to set up report groups. Usage attributed to this group is subtotaled, but NOT included in the grand total. Use this group type for items purchased for other departments that you don’t want included in the cost of goods. There can be no subgroups assigned to a credit group. Credit groups are selected by checking the box marked "Credit Group" on the Report Group / Edit Group form.
Proceed to set the Options for the item.