Pre-ordering and cashless system

We are moving into the digital age, so most of our kitchens now have online pre-order systems to ensure the service is run professionally and meets financial targets.

There is a choice of three fantastic systems, ‘Cypad’, ‘Evolve’ or ‘School Grid’. Using either these systems  offers the following advantages:

• The system records a student’s allergens and doesn’t include for selection meals that contain allergens, and so protecting the student
• It supports flexible dining arrangements. Orders for meals can be made for one day, one week or one term in advance
• Where pre-ordering hasn’t taken place at home, there is a user-friendly classroom facility available
• It encourages the increased uptake of meals in two ways:
  • The customer always receives their first choice.
  • It improves customer communication. Whether parents are eligible for free or paid meals, they will be more supportive of a service that removes any potential for their children to be hungry because of being served food they don’t like
• Food is batch-cooked for the appropriate service time, which optimises freshness and visual appeal.
• It reduces wastage, supports the effective management of food costs, and so helps us minimise our charges to schools
• It speeds up lunch time service and makes for a more organised service overall
• It helps the catering team identify children who self-limit their menu selections, helping them achieve greater balance in their diet by offering samples of different dishes
• Our recipes and nutritional information for every menu selection are available to parents and carers
• The system includes a robust debt management tool which shows quickly where money is owed and by whom. Account histories can be viewed, and reminder letters automatically sent to parents, either by email or with a pre-formatted letter template.

Citywide works with schools to decide which system is better for their needs and how they want the system to be run. The school can decide how children order meals, for example if pupils order at home with parents or if they order in the classroom at registration.

Find out more about each system:

• School Grid
• Evolve
• Cypad