MiMeals Admin Setup Guide

Get your district's cafeteria POS up and running from scratch.

⏱ 20 min read👤 For: IT Admins & Nutrition Directors📋 Version 1.0

In This Guide

1. District & Site Configuration
2. Student Data Import
3. Eligibility Data (Free & Reduced)
4. Menu & Meal Configuration
5. User Accounts & Roles
6. Terminal & Hardware Setup
7. Go-Live Checklist

District & Site Configuration

First, set up your district and individual school sites in MiComs (Central Office).

District Profile

• District name, NCES ID, state agency code
• Contact information (nutrition director, IT contact)
• Fiscal year start/end dates
• USDA claiming method (standard, Provision 2/3, CEP)

Site Profiles (per school)

• School name, site code, grade levels served
• Serving periods (breakfast window, lunch periods)
• Service style (traditional, offer-vs-serve, family style)
• Pricing tiers — full-pay breakfast, full-pay lunch, reduced breakfast, reduced lunch

💡 CEP Districts: If your district operates under the Community Eligibility Provision, all students are served at no charge. MiMeals still tracks meal counts for USDA claiming — the POS just skips the payment step.

Student Data Import

MiMeals accepts student rosters from your SIS (Student Information System) via CSV or direct API integration.

CSV Import Format

StudentID,FirstName,LastName,Grade,School,DOB,Photo
100234,Maria,Garcia,3,Lincoln Elementary,2018-03-15,
100235,James,Wilson,5,Lincoln Elementary,2016-09-22,

Required fields: StudentID, FirstName, LastName, Grade, School. Optional: DOB, Photo URL, HomeRoom, Guardian info.

SIS Integration

MiMeals supports automated nightly sync with common SIS platforms. Contact your MiChoice implementation specialist to configure direct integration.

⚠️ Important: Do NOT include eligibility status (Free/Reduced/Paid) in the student roster import. Eligibility data is imported separately through a secure, access-controlled process. See Section 3.

Eligibility Data (Free & Reduced)

Eligibility data is federally protected under 7 CFR 245. MiMeals enforces strict access controls.

Who Can Import Eligibility Data

• Determining Official — the person designated by your district to make eligibility determinations
• District Admin with explicit eligibility access granted
• Automated feed from MiFarApps (if using MiChoice integrated applications processing)

What Cashiers See

Cashiers never see the words "Free," "Reduced," or "Paid" on their terminal. Instead, MiMeals displays a colored dot next to the student's name. The dot tells the system how to process the meal — the cashier doesn't need to interpret it.

This design is intentional. It's not a limitation — it's a compliance feature. See our 7 CFR 245 Compliance Reference for details.

Eligibility Import Format

StudentID,MealPricingTier,EffectiveDate,ExpirationDate
100234,F,2026-07-01,2027-06-30
100235,R,2026-07-01,2027-06-30

F = Free, R = Reduced, P = Paid (default if not listed). Direct letter codes only — no descriptive text stored.

Menu & Meal Configuration

Configure what appears on the POS terminal for each meal service.

Meal Types

• Reimbursable meals — Breakfast, Lunch, Snack, Supper (CACFP)
• À la carte items — Extra milk, fruit, snack bar items, drinks
• Adult meals — Staff purchases (not reimbursable, full price)

Menu Cycles

Use MiMenus (if available) or manually configure rotating menus in MiComs. The POS terminal displays the day's menu automatically based on the cycle calendar.

Offer vs. Serve (OVS)

If your site uses OVS, enable it per site in the configuration. MiMeals will enforce the minimum component requirements at the point of sale and alert the cashier if a student declines too many components for a reimbursable meal.

User Accounts & Roles

Role	POS Access	Eligibility	Reports
Cashier	✓ Serve meals, void recent	Dots only	Shift summary
Site Manager	✓ Full POS + void any	Dots only	Site reports
Nutrition Director	✓ View only	✓ Full access	All reports + claims
Determining Official	—	✓ Full access + import	Eligibility reports
IT Admin	✓ Config only	—	System logs

💡 PIN assignment: Each cashier gets a unique 4-digit PIN. Generate PINs from the Users panel in MiComs — the system prevents duplicates within a site.

Terminal & Hardware Setup

MiMeals runs in any modern web browser. No special software to install.

Minimum Requirements

• Display: 10"+ touchscreen (tablet or POS terminal)
• Browser: Chrome 90+, Edge 90+, Safari 15+
• Network: Stable internet connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet)
• Scanner: USB barcode scanner (reads Code 39, Code 128)

Recommended Hardware

• 15" touchscreen all-in-one (Elo, HP RP9, or similar)
• Honeywell Voyager 1200g barcode scanner
• Dedicated Ethernet connection (not shared Wi-Fi)
• Optional: receipt printer (Star TSP143III or compatible)

Browser Kiosk Mode

For dedicated POS terminals, we recommend running Chrome in kiosk mode. This prevents cashiers from accidentally navigating away from MiMeals.

chrome --kiosk --disable-pinch https://your-district.michoice.app/pos

Go-Live Checklist

District profile configured with correct NCES ID and claiming methodAll school sites created with correct serving periods and pricingStudent roster imported and verified (spot-check 10 random students)Eligibility data imported by authorized Determining OfficialMenus configured for current cycle with correct componentsUser accounts created — all cashiers have unique PINsHardware tested — scanner reads barcodes, touchscreen responsiveNetwork verified — stable connection at all serving linesStaff trained — all cashiers completed Quick Start GuideCompliance briefing — all staff understand dot system and 7 CFR 245 requirementsTest transactions completed — run 5 test meals with different eligibility tiersVoid and refund tested — verify manager override worksBackup plan documented — what happens if the system goes down mid-service

Need implementation support?

Contact your MiChoice implementation specialist or reach out at support@michoice.app

MiMeals Admin Setup Guide v1.0 • MiChoice Technology SystemsWritten by Tesa 🕷️