mise.

Getting Started

The fastest path from "I just got the .exe" to "I'm tracking food cost on real dishes."

1. Install

You received Mise Manager.exe from us (likely via WeTransfer, Google Drive, or email). It's a single portable executable — no installer.

  1. Put the file somewhere stable on your PC. Desktop or *C:\Apps\MiseManager* are fine. Avoid Downloads (you'll accidentally delete it).
  2. Double-click it.
  3. Windows SmartScreen will warn you on the first launch because the file isn't signed by a Microsoft-registered certificate. Click More info → Run anyway. Windows remembers this choice for that machine.
  4. The app window opens. You're in.

Where does my data live? Mise Manager creates its database the first time you open it, at %APPDATA%\Mise Manager\mise-manager.db. To navigate there: press Win + R, type %APPDATA%\Mise Manager, hit Enter. The database survives upgrades — if you get a new .exe later, your data is untouched.

2. First-launch defaults

On a fresh database you'll see:

  • A single shop called "Main" (top of the sidebar, in the dropdown)
  • An empty Dashboard
  • Empty Suppliers / Items / Recipes / etc.

You can rename Main to whatever fits (e.g. "Tapsi Joint - Manila") via the Shops tab in the sidebar. Or add more shops later if you have multiple branches — see Multi-Shop.

3. The one-hour setup

To get a useful first dashboard, do these six steps in order. Each one unlocks the next.

Step 1: Add your suppliers (5 min)

Sidebar → Suppliers → New supplier

For each vendor you buy from, add:

  • Name (e.g. "Magnolia", "Robinson's Wholesale")
  • Category (Meat / Produce / etc — optional but useful for sorting later)
  • Contact person + number (optional)
  • Payment terms (COD, Net 7, Net 30, etc — optional)

Add at least 2–3 of your most-used suppliers. You can add more later anytime.

Step 2: Add your raw ingredients (15 min)

Sidebar → Items → New item

For each raw ingredient (RAW type), enter:

  • Name (e.g. "Beef tenderloin", "Soy sauce")
  • Type: RAW
  • Base unit: g for weight ingredients, ml for liquids, piece / portion for things you count

Don't try to add everything at once. Start with the 10–15 ingredients you use most. You can always add more.

Step 3: Attach supplier pricing (15 min)

Click any RAW item in the Items list. The right side opens a detail panel showing "Suppliers for this item". Click Attach supplier:

  • Supplier: pick one
  • Pack price: what you pay per pack (e.g. 2000)
  • Pack qty: how much is in the pack (e.g. 2)
  • Pack unit: what unit the pack is in (e.g. kg)
  • Use as default: ON (this drives the live cost)

The detail panel immediately shows the implied cost per base unit. If you bought "2 kg for ₱2000", your cost shows as ~₱1.00 / g.

If you have multiple suppliers for the same ingredient, attach them all. The default (starred) one drives the live cost; the others sit ready in case you switch.

Step 4: Build a menu item + recipe (15 min)

Sidebar → Items → New item again. This time:

  • Name: a dish you sell, e.g. "Pork Adobo"
  • Type: MENU
  • Base unit: piece / portion (most menu items are sold per serving)
  • Selling price: what you charge per portion
  • Target food cost %: typical target (25-35% for casual; lower for fine dining)

Save. Now switch to Sidebar → Recipes. Your new MENU item shows in the list with "not yet" recipe status. Click it.

In the editor:

  • Yield: 1 portion (one serving per batch — adjust if your recipe makes more)
  • + Add ingredient: pick the RAW items you set up in Step 2 and enter how much each line uses (qty + unit). Watch the Total cost and Cost per portion populate live.
  • Cooking yield (optional): if there's significant shrinkage (e.g. you start with 1 kg of pork raw but it cooks down to 800 g), enter the cooked weight here for more accurate per-portion costing.
  • Save when done.

Bonus: click Print in the editor header for a paper-friendly version with the recipe and all its subrecipes expanded.

Step 5: Log your first sale (1 min)

Sidebar → Sales → Log entry

  • Menu item: pick the dish from Step 4
  • Qty: how many portions you sold today
  • Date: today

Save. The dashboard now has real data to draw from.

Step 6: See the dashboard come alive (1 min)

Sidebar → Dashboard

You'll see:

  • Money → today's revenue, food cost %, inventory value
  • Cost intelligence → if your actual food cost % beats the target you set in Step 4
  • Operations report → revenue, COGS, gross profit (initially without operating expenses)
  • Trends → sales by item

That's the loop. Repeat the loop daily and the dashboard becomes a real operating tool.

What to do next

  • Add your operating expenses (rent, utilities, recurring monthly bills) on the Expenses tab → unlocks the break-even projection
  • Add your payroll on the Payroll tab → also feeds the projection
  • Once you've been logging sales for a week, the Day-of-week pattern chart starts showing your shape
  • After 30 days the Dead-stock candidates flag items that haven't moved
  • Use the Prep tab the morning before service to know what fresh-daily components to make
  • Use the Market List tab before going to market to see what to buy, grouped by supplier

See Workflows for what each of those looks like end-to-end.

Quick troubleshooting

  • App won't launch — make sure you didn't put it in a folder that requires admin (e.g. C:\Program Files\). Try Desktop or C:\Apps\.
  • SmartScreen blocks it permanently — right-click the .exe → Properties → Unblock at the bottom → OK.
  • Food cost shows "—" on a menu item — the recipe yield's unit doesn't match the item's base unit. See Troubleshooting.
  • Items I created don't show up in Sales picker — click the Refresh button (top right of the Sales tab). If still empty, try restarting the app.
Core Concepts →