If you are a new Food Service Professional at your school complete the following steps to learn how to use the Lunch module and POS (Point of Sale).

1. Watch Instructional Videos Click here to watch "Setting up Lunch." Click here
   A. Click here to watch the Lunch Overview
   B. Click here to watch Setting up Lunch
   C. Click here to watch POS (Point of Sale)
   D. Click here to watch Lunch Reports
2. Explore the Lunch module after you have watched the instructional videos to gain familiarity with the program. If you would like to explore/practice a with a demonstration school, click on the "Practice" tab on this page.  Some new users feel much more comfortable exploring a demonstration database then their own school.
3. Make yourself familiar with the Food Service Professionals user page. As we add new features to JMC, resources for these features will be listed on this page if they are applicable to Food Service Professionals.
4. Download  the Lunch documentation by clicking here.   

We have recently released comprehensive Lunch documentation for Next-Gen clients.  Click here to download.

In general, Food Service Professionals set up JMC in the following way:

1. The lead Food Service Professional has the JMC Office program on their office computer to complete the following steps:
   • Review family and student lunch account information.
   • Determine Free or Reduced Status for students and print the reply letter with all federally mandated information.
   • Set up Breakfast, Lunch, and A La Carte prices.
   • Send low balance notices home to parents/guardians via email, USPS, or the student.
   • Run reports for end of the month reporting and analyze lunch information.
2. Any computer in the “lunch line” must have the Point of Sale (POS) software loaded onto it to record Breakfast and Lunch transactions. The POS software can be loaded onto as many computers as you would like, but each user will need their own user name and password. When customers enter the “lunch line” there are a variety of ways to identify who the customer is. Customers are able to:
   • State their last and first name. This process is free but is the slowest way to identify the purchaser.
   • State or type in their Student number (or ID Number). This process is free and is a very quick and easy way to determine who the customer is. Schools have had students from ages 4-18 remember their student numbers successfully and easily.
   • Pass a bar code under a bar code scanner. Customer bar codes can be printed, at no cost, from the Lunch module. A 3rd party bar code scanner must be purchased for this option to work.
   • Various other methods of identification can also be used including finger print scanners. These are 3rd party hardware options. Contact us if you are interested in these other options.
3. Online Parent Access allows parents/guardians to view family balances, their students’ up-to-date balances and what they have eaten on a daily basis throughout the year. In addition, we do work with 3rd party software to allow parents to deposit money into their accounts with a credit card.

• Roll all of the account balances over from the previous year in Lunch: Data Setup: Import Account Balances From Previous Year.

• Import students’ lunch status from the previous year in Lunch: Data Setup: Import Free and Reduced Status From Previous Year.

• Delete any Lunch accounts that will not be used for the current year.

• If you use Family Lunch Accounts, create lunch contacts for all new students using Lunch: Data Setup: Initialize Family Lunch Contacts. This should not be done until all primary contacts have been entered in the Attendance module and attached to each student.

• Adjust lunch contacts for any students who have lunch contacts that are different than their primary contact.

• (Optional) Enter the state and federal reimbursements in Lunch: Data Setup: Edit Meal Prices.

• For all parents/guardians who applied for free or reduced status, determine free and reduced status in Lunch: Free/Reduced: Determine Free or Reduced Status.

• New Teachers/Office/Administrator/Staff should have a lunch account created for them. This is done by creating each of them as a new student and making their grade level “A.”  This means they are recorded as an adult. The Lunch module needs every adult to be in a price group so you will need to choose a price group from the pop-up menu. (It usually doesn’t matter which price group you choose because adults typically pay the same price no matter what price group they are in). Uncheck their Attend, State Reporting, Rank, and Honor Roll flags/boxes in the General tab. You can leave the Active flag/box checked or uncheck it.  Now that adults are in their own grade level many schools will leave it checked so they can print labels, send emails, run reports etc. for the adults entered in JMC. Also, you can only see/edit adults by choosing the “Adult” grade level in the pop-up menu on the top right corner of the screen.

The POS program is used to charge student, adult, staff, guest meals and a la carte items.

We have the following resources to help you learn more about the POS program.

• The POS instructional video is a great instuctional video for those who are new to the POS program or for food service professionals who want a refresher. Click here to watch the POS instructional video.
• The Lunch documentation contains a section on the POS program. Click here to download the Lunch documentation.
• If you are brand new to the POS program you can click on the "Practice" tab on this page and download and use a practice POS program. This may require some help from your technology professional.

How are Adults handled in the Lunch module? Follow the directions below.

1. New Teachers/Office/Administrator/Staff should have a lunch account created for them. This is done by creating each of them as a new student and making their grade level “A.”  This means they are recorded as an adult.
2.  The Lunch module needs every adult to be in a price group so you will need to choose a price group from the pop-up menu. (It usually doesn’t matter which price group you choose because adults typically pay the same price no matter what price group they are in).
3. Uncheck their Attend, State Reporting, Rank, and Honor Roll flags/boxes in the General tab. You should leave the Active flag/box checked. Now that adults are in their own grade level many schools will leave it checked so they can print labels, send emails, run reports etc. for the adults entered in JMC.
4. Also, you can only see/edit adults by choosing the “Adult” grade level in the pop-up menu on the top right corner of the screen.