Reducing administration time and increasing school meal uptake
Founded in 1894, Campbell College is an independent school based in Belfast. Located on an impressive 100-acre estate, the school educates 1200 boys aged 3 to 18 and attracts pupils internationally with its outstanding reputation.
As a school for pupils of varying ages, Campbell College required a cashless catering and online payment system that suited and represented the varying needs of its pupils.
From cash to cashless
Before Campbell College switched to CRB Cunninghams’ cashless system, its process relied heavily on collecting cash with an older catering system that operated via money and cards. Staff regularly banked and recorded cash while issuing and re-issuing lunch cards, which took time and resources. This administrative burden is one of the key reasons for the college’s move to a fully integrated cashless catering solution.
“Before CRB Cunninghams, we were using an old system heavily based on cash, and it was very important to find an integrated solution.”
– Maura Canavan, Finance Manager at Campbell College.
The main challenge was replacing the college’s existing system with a solution that provided speed of service for catering staff whilst also offering the ability to manage other purchases through the cashless catering system, such as school shop items, and with an interface to their online payment system.
CRB Cunningham’s solution
After discovering CRB Cunninghams’ extensive cashless software range, Campbell College connected iDStore data management to their Fusion Cashless for a truly integrated cashless solution.
Increasing and maximising profits
Through Fusion’s ease of use, Campbell College has maximised its profits by increasing the number of pupils served during lunchtime.
With the ability for pupils to pre-order their meals, quicker and more efficient tills, and less time spent handling money, the school has increased its meal uptake, and pupils can guarantee access to their favourite food.
“We have maximised our profits each day and have seen a rise in numbers we get through lunchtimes.”
– Andrew McNab, Business Manager at Sodexo, Campbell College’s catering provider
Reduced food wastage
Having visibility over sale trends has also significantly impacted the school’s profits and uptake. Fusion provides a central database with various reporting options, showing transaction histories and trends.
This visibility allows the staff at Campbell College to analyse best and worst-selling food items and use this data to plan meals according to items most likely to sell, reducing food wastage from unwanted items. This type of reporting is available at the school or centrally from a council or head office.
“I find the financial reports really useful. I can check sales daily and identify any issues very quickly. It lets me analyse if we’ve had a drop in sales in one area, and then I can see why, and we can react quickly.”
– Wayne Harper, Facilities Manager at Campbell College
Seamless connection
Despite Campbell College’s vast 100-acre grounds, CRB Cunninghams’ tills are widely spread out and seamlessly connect, providing a robust and reliable service to the staff and pupils. Our software is not bound to the dining hall; it is used across all aspects of the school, including on-the-go via the Fusion Online pre-order app, pre-order kiosks, and more.
By reducing cash usage in the dining hall and school shop, meal uptake has dramatically increased in the canteen due to a more efficient and faster lunch service. By automating all administration and financial tasks, Campbell College’s catering team can focus on feeding pupils nutritious and delicious school meals.
“The uptake in online payments has been amazing. The parents have really taken it on board. They can top up their son’s lunch account, see what they eat, and get alerts when their balance is low.”
– Maura Canavan
Straightforward lunchtimes
Fusion’s menus and product setups have proved essential to Campbell College staff. These functions allow catering staff to digitally adapt the menus daily, set restrictions for when meals aren’t available, update allergen information, and more. Combined with biometric recognition, lunchtime at Campbell College is now straightforward and efficient.
One central database
In addition to switching to a cashless catering system, the school implemented iDStore to reduce administrative burdens and maintain the school’s data on one central database. iDStore synchronises multiple databases into one location and communicates with all applications, removing the need for numerous updates and ensuring that all system data is up-to-date and correct, dramatically reducing administration burdens for staff members across the extensive college.
Since implementing a cashless catering and central data management system, lunchtime processes at Campbell College have been streamlined. The benefits extend to catering and business staff, parents, and pupils.
‘I would definitely recommend CRB Cunninghams to other schools and organisations’
– Maura Canavan
