POS Checkout Modes
Every POS terminal serves each meal using a POS template. The template controls the menu, prices, and a set of mode flags that change how checkout behaves on the device. This article is a reference for each of those flags: what it does, when to use it, and how it changes the cashier's flow.
Templates are configured separately and assigned to terminals on the POS > Terminals page. See Setting Up POS Terminals for the assignment workflow, and Ringing Up Students at the POS for the underlying checkout flow.
Mode flags don't show as labels on the POS screen — they change how checkout behaves silently. The descriptions below tell you what to expect.
Serve Mode: Cafeteria vs Classroom
Serve Mode controls the primary way students are added to a transaction. It has no on-screen label — you'll notice the difference when you tap the + button to start a transaction.
Cafeteria
Students walk up to a register. Tapping + opens the student search dialog so the cashier can transact each student individually (scan, PIN, search, or No ID). This is the default for serving lines.
Classroom
A whole homeroom is served at once. Tapping + opens the Bulk Attendance dialog instead of the student search:
Search and select a homeroom from the chips at the top of the dialog.
A grid of every student in that homeroom appears with photo, name, and current status.
Tap student cards to cycle through their states.
Tap Confirm to apply the changes. Attendance records (if applicable) are written and transactions are created in one batch.
If a student is set to Absent after they were already rung up earlier in the day, their existing transaction for today is automatically voided.
Voiding a completed transaction creates a linked reversal rather than deleting the record, preserving the audit trail.
Fast Mode
Fast Mode is a one-tap flow designed for high-speed lunch lines where every student gets the same default meal. When Fast Mode is on, the checkout screen changes:
The two queues collapse into a single transaction list.
The body swaps to a Session Summary showing Attended, Participated, Reimbursable, Non-Reimbursable, Earned, and Total.
A student scan / PIN / selection immediately records the transaction without waiting for a cashier to create a tray or click Complete Transaction.
The "Previous" link in the queue header is renamed to Search transactions so you can find a specific completed sale to void or flag.
Allergens, special meals, duplicate-meal, and insufficient-balance acknowledgements still require confirmation before the service can continue.
Free Meals Mode
Free Meals Mode is for sites where every meal during this service should be served at the free price tier — typically Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) sites or non-reimbursable services where you don't need to identify each individual student.
When the template has Free Meals Mode enabled, a quick-add button appears next to the + button in the Fast Mode queue. The button is labeled with the most recent student (e.g., "+ Jane Doe") or acts as an anonymous quick-add. Tapping it once records a reimbursable meal.
Attendance Tracking
When Attendance Tracking is on, serving a meal also records attendance for the student on that date. This is most useful for breakfast-in-the-classroom and similar models where the cafeteria staff are also the attendance-takers.
In Classroom serve mode, Attendance Tracking changes the Bulk Attendance dialog's click flow:
Attendance on (3 states): 1st click = Absent, 2nd click = Present (attendance only, no transaction), 3rd click = Present + Served (attendance + transaction).
Attendance off (2 states): 1st click = Not Served, 2nd click = Served. Status labels reflect service only, not attendance.
Attendance records written from the POS appear in POS > Attendance in the Gaia web app, sourced as POS System.
Cash Acceptance
Cash Acceptance enables the cash-handling workflow on a terminal. When it's on:
Starting a session prompts for a Starting Cash Balance, a bill-by-bill count of $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 (no coins).
Ending a session prompts for an Ending Cash Balance with the same form.
Session Notes Required
When Session Notes Required is on, the Review Session dialog at end-of-service shows a required Session Notes field with helper text "Session notes are required." The End Session button stays disabled until the cashier types something. Use this when your district wants a written record of every service period.
Combining Modes
Modes are part of the template, not the device. The same physical terminal can run a Fast Mode lunch and a standard à la carte breakfast on the same day, just by assigning different templates to each meal.