Auto-assign on renewal (menu slots)

When a customer doesn't choose meals before the cutoff, the app can automatically fill their order using the menu slots (Menu #) they picked last time. The same slot numbers in the new menu are assigned, so renewals stay close to each customer's usual taste. This replaces the old Chef's Choice feature.

Steps

1. Open Menus, then open the Settings tab.
2. Turn on Enable slot-based auto-assignment and click Save. This is a Pro feature — on a lower plan you'll see an upgrade prompt here, and it unlocks as soon as you approve the charge.
3. Go back to Weekly Menus (or Templates). Each meal now shows a Menu # slot number.
4. Keep the same slot meaningful across weeks (for example, slot #3 is always the spicy option) so renewals match each customer's taste.
5. Drag a meal by its handle to move it in the order — the meals it passes close up behind it. To put a meal at one exact position instead, type the number in its Menu # box; it swaps places with whatever is there.
6. Deleting a meal leaves its position empty rather than shifting the others, because those numbers decide what renewing customers are served. The empty position is shown in the list, and the next meal you add lands in the lowest empty one. Use Close gaps when you want the numbering tidied up.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if a customer hasn't chosen their meals?

When billing runs, the app checks whether the customer has a saved selection. If not, it looks at the most recent week they did choose, reads which slots (Menu #) they picked, and assigns the meals sitting in those same slots in the current menu. Selection respects the customer's meals-per-week.

What if the customer has never made a selection?

There is nothing to base the slots on, so no meals are auto-assigned. Billing still runs normally and you or your team can add the meals manually afterwards.

What is a Menu # (slot)?

Every meal in a menu has a stable slot number shown as Menu #1, #2, and so on. The slot is a fixed position, not just row order, so the same number can hold a different meal each week while still representing the same kind of meal.

Do I have to turn this on?

No. It is off by default. When it's off, the Menu # column is hidden and no meals are auto-assigned on renewal. Slot numbers are still recorded in the background, so turning it on later works on existing menus and orders.

Why did the app ask me to confirm a position change?

Because customers already have orders scheduled from this menu. Their saved meals stay exactly the same — the app moves each one's stored position along with its meal, so the next renewal still matches. The confirmation lists every position that changes and how many scheduled orders follow. If no orders are scheduled yet, nothing is asked and the change saves straight away.

What does “Elsewhere at #3” under a meal mean?

It shows what your other templates put at the same position. Auto-assignment only works well when a position means a similar meal every week, so this lets you line the templates up without opening each one. An empty position shows it too, which is how you spot a week that is missing a meal the others have.

Why is there an empty position in my menu?

A position empties when you delete a meal from that menu, or move one into another section. Nothing is renumbered automatically, so the position stays visible and empty until you drop a meal on it, add a new meal (which fills the lowest empty position), or click Close gaps. It is worth filling: a renewing customer who picked that position gets one meal fewer, and the app makes the box up to size by repeating meals they already have.

How do I know if an order was auto-assigned?

Auto-assigned orders are marked in the billing record (auto-assign mode: slot). You can see this when reviewing the subscription in Subscriptions.

What happened to Chef's Choice?

Chef's Choice has been replaced by slot-based auto-assignment. Instead of marking a fixed set of default meals, renewals now follow each customer's own past slot choices, which keeps their orders closer to what they actually like.