We've been working in lunchrooms and central offices long enough to have learned what's really important in
cafeteria management technology.
Providers who know what they're doing. And systems that do what they say.
That's why we've poured all of our experience with small, medium and large school districts into software systems that you can count on day in and day out. Why we back it up with effective training and responsive customer support. And why our management team stays personally involved after every installation, to make sure you're getting the most out of your system, with the least amount of trouble.
The truth is we've always done our best thinking in the lunchroom. And we look forward to applying the lessons we've learned in your district.
Smoothing the way to a trouble-free lunch. (And breakfast.)
At Meals Plus, we've been working in lunchrooms and central offices long enough to know what's really important in a cafeteria technology system: simply put, a provider who knows what to do, and a system that delivers everything that's promised.
- Point of Sale
- Free & Reduced
- Menu Planning
- USDA Nutrient Analysis
- Inventory Management
- Time Clock
- Financial & Statistical
- Accountability
- Online Services
- Training & Support
General features:
- Designed exclusively for K12 food service
- Complete "toolbox" for school nutrition management
- Easy to learn & use
- Single, centralized database – Microsoft SQL
- System functions are integrated
- Microsoft Windows based – point & click
- Runs on standard PCs with minimal technical requirements
- Compatible with most student information systems
- Automatic program updates via internet connection
- Available as individual components or as part of an Enterprise Suite
- Compatible with other district business software
- Reports can be converted to Excel & PDF files
- Qualified training
- User-friendly on screen and printed user's manuals
- Knowledgeable, friendly help desk
POINT OF SALE
Fast, simple and easy to use.
Our POS system was designed by software engineers with direct experience in school settings. We've used that know-how to create technology with benefits for everyone working in the cafeteria.
- Easy for cashiers to learn and use
- Built for speed
- Customizable cashier serving screens
- Offline Serving Mode when network connection is lost
- Single database that allows visiting students to use meal account at any school
- Real-time updates from Free & Reduced
- Multiple student input options: PIN pad, barcode and fingerprint
- Two ways to enter data: touch screen or standard keyboard
- A dietary restriction feature for fewer mistakes
- A la carte controls
- Reprocess transactions served with incorrect eligibility status
- A "serve by teacher/group" function that makes it easy to group students
- Mobile compatible
- Detailed audit tracking
Reports include:
- Monthly participation
- Accuclaim edit check
- Daily cashier activity summary
- Daily cafeteria close-out
- Select state reports (daily deposit)
- Item sales summary
- Checks report
FREE & REDUCED
Accurate, compliant and flexible.
Tracking student eligibility for NSLP — and accurately processing reports — can be a major concern. That's why our Free & Reduced component lets you identify and track students easily and accurately.
- Adheres to USDA guidelines
- Minimizes manual data entry
- Centralized database provides real-time update to Point of Sale;click 'save' and you're ready to serve
- Imports direct certification data
- Generates letters in multiple languages
- Automatically crosschecks to eliminate duplicate applications
- Accommodates any verification protocol: Basic, Alternate, Random or Alternate Focused
- Expands your capabilities to accommodate scanning and Internet applications
Reports include:
- Date-driven rosters
- Notification letters
- Verification letters
- Temporary list
- Demographic report
MENU PLANNING
Standardized, streamlined and expandable.
The Meals Plus system helps standardize and streamline your district menu planning, while maintaining compliance with USDA nutrition guidelines.
- Uses USDA Child Nutrition Database
- NSMP or Food-based planning and tracking
- Accommodates cycle menus
- Includes 10,000 USDA ingredients
- Ability to build and add custom ingredients and recipes
- Easy to navigate in and out of recipes and ingredients
- Accommodation for HACCP guidelines
- Post-production record keeping
- Fully integrated with inventory management component to automate usage tracking
Reports include:
- Production forecasting
- Print menus daily, weekly or monthly
- Menu costing
- Recipes by ingredients or step-by-step
- Nutrient analysis by item & menu
- User-defined custom reports
NUTRIENT ANALYSIS
Straightforward, feature-full
and adaptable.
You'll find that our Nutrient Analysis component is easier to work with than manual systems or other software programs. And that's not all.
- Uses USDA Child Nutrition Database
- Approved by USDA for NSMP weighted analysis
- Food-based weighted analysis
- Ability to build and add local ingredients
- Easy to navigate in and out of recipes and ingredients
- Allows for age or grade analysis
- Accessible from central office or school site
Reports include:
- Nutrient analysis by item & menu
- Ingredient profile
- Recipe profile
- RDA list
INVENTORY MANAGEMENT
Organized, efficient and complete.
With Meals Plus, you get a centralized ordering and management system
that helps you keep track of commodities, purchased foods, supplies and more — and maximize the efficiency of your inventory operations.
- Fully integrated with menu planning and production component to automate usage tracking
- Capable of tracking a true perpetual or summary inventory system
- Includes Bid Analysis component
- Enables electronic ordering
- "FIFO" valuation method includes all items for an unlimited number of sites
Reports include:
- Item listing
- Open Items/Orders
- Physical 'worksheet'
- Transaction history
- Inventory on-hand
- Ending inventory count
- Summary/Close
- Bid analysis (bottom line & cost per serving)
TIME CLOCK
Neat, orderly and on top of everything.
Take the hassle and paperwork out of tracking employee time,
leave and professional certification.
- Integrated into system and accessible from the enterprise portal
- Tracks multiple job assignments
- Tracks leave balances
- Tracks employee certification hours
- Tracks comp time
- Automates vacation/leave request and approval process
- Enables employees to view and print time sheets
- Allows employees to clock in and out at any location where Meals Plus is running
- Fully secure, with unique user IDs and passwords
- Exports data to payroll software system
- Built-in management tools
- Comprehensive report options
Reports include:
- Time sheets
- Leave tracking
- Comp time
- Discrepancies
FINANCIAL & STATISTICAL
Integrated, inclusive and automatic.
Meals Plus delivers a powerful systems integration and financial
management tool that enables automated sharing of information between
schools and the district office — and facilitates data-based decision making.
Our reporting system provides up-to-date revenue / expense information to
better analyze the financial health of individual schools or the entire district.
- Provides overview of the money side of your operation
- Exchanges data (import/export) with your district accounting system
- Accommodates district-specific account codes
- Handles performance calculations using industry norms and NFSMI recommendations
- Uses up-to-date expense information to help analyze the financial health of your district
- Offers multi-year historical comparisons
Reports include:
- Operating statement
- Trial balance
- Balance sheet
- Plate costs
- Indirect costs
- MTD/YTD summary
- Profitability
- Breakfast & lunch counts
- Meals per labor hour
- Sales by category
ACCOUNTABILITY
Centralized, connected and timely.
One of the tastiest features of the Meals Plus system is the way
it centralizes all of your district's data. You get real-time access
to accurate data on a school-by-school or district-wide basis —
and eliminate inconsistencies between schools and the central office.
- Enables true centralized data management
- Update student data
- Setup and edit user profiles
- Modify Daily Deposit data
- Exchange data with the district student information system via automated or manual import
- Export data in a range of formats, to share with other district software systems
- Provides real-time access to school-by-school Point of Sale data
- Allows Point of Sale pricing updates from the central office
Reports include:
- Daily sales/collection
- Accuclaim edit
- Monthly claim form
- Reimbursement
- Participation: daily by attendance, by status
- Daily participation listing
- Revenue summary
- Unclosed dates
ONLINE SERVICES
Wide-ranging, web-enabled and worry-free.
We're the one-stop shop for automated school meal account management. From free & reduced meal accounts to credit card transactions, our online meal payment and application options offer up benefits for the whole student body.
- Simplifies the process by allowing parents/guardians to prepay
- Allows parents to see account balances and what students are buying
- Provides online meal payment/school fees option
- Sends balance notification via email
- I ntegrates with POS to accurately update balance and activity
- Utilizes SSL security protocol
- Enables generation of management reports through an Administrative portal
- Allows parents and guardians to apply for meal benefits online
- Speeds application processing
- Makes it easy to administer – no more dealing with messy handwriting
- Eliminates the need for paper files
- Utilizes SSL security protocol
- Integrates with Free & Reduced program to accurately update eligibility
TRAINING & SUPPORT
Experienced, hands-on and accessible.
Implementing a cafeteria management system shouldn't require a leap of faith on your part. When you have a question, need to train new staff or find yourself facing an unexpected problem, you deserve a living, breathing person who's ready, willing and very able to keep everything from crashing down on your head.
- Experienced training and support personnel who actually spend time in school cafeterias
- An 800 number that's always answered by a human being(and closely monitored for response times)
- Service level metrics that are continually monitored
- Onsite and remote training including POS "go live"
- Support-call logging to save you time and hassles
- HDI-certified staff
- Easy-to-access, comprehensive self-training tools
- Highest staff-to-customer ratio in K-12 cafeteria systems
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Intuitive, centralized and robust.
Meals Plus provides a robust integrated system that includes everything from intuitive lunchline software to easy bottom-line reporting — making it a cinch for you to stay on top of all your key areas, from the back office to the district office. Designed exclusively for K-12 food service, the Windows®-based technology (available as individual components or as part of an Enterprise system) runs on standard PCs with minimal technical requirements.
- Easy to learn and use
- Provides a single, centralized database (hosted by customer or Meals Plus)
- Minimum bandwidth requirements
- Serves as a comprehensive system for managing your entire school nutrition operation
- Backed by an uncompromising commitment to customer service
- Microsoft .net framework
- Microsoft SQL database
- TCP/IP 'web enabled' client-server system
