School Canteen problems and how to solve them

June 25, 2021

School canteens, like many businesses, have their fair share of problems. From long waiting times to the ease of access and efficiency, it can become overwhelmingly difficult to determine the best approach to tackling the problem. If you’re wondering how you can streamline your canteen procedures, read on to find out more about taking your canteen online.

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School Canteen Line Ups

The dreaded canteen line up. Going to the canteen can feel like a treat, but it’s an absolute chore when long queues are involved. Once you factor in the journey from the classroom to the canteen, plus the time spent waiting in line, students really don’t have much time to enjoy their lunch break. This results in parents sending their kids to school with packed lunches, minimising your canteen profits, or children skipping their snack or lunch altogether, none of which are favourable at all.

You may be thinking that long canteen lines can’t be helped though, right? My School Connect can change that. Take your school canteen online and minimise wait times. Lunch, snacks and drinks can all be pre-ordered and paid for online, so students simply need to visit the canteen to collect their food. This also eliminates the need for cash, and the extended wait times as a result of fumbling around for loose change.

Overall Usage

If students aren’t using the canteen, this means less line ups – and this can only be a good thing, surely? Unfortunately, school canteen usage is one of the biggest issues faced by canteen managers. Parents give cash to their children to spend during recess and lunch but, unbeknownst to the parents, this money may go towards other things, such as the latest gadget. It becomes even more of an issue when this cash disappears altogether – perhaps it was dropped on the way to school, or accidentally taken by another child. The bottom line is that the child is unable to access the canteen, and therefore has to go without lunch for the day.

An online cashless canteen system can help. Parents can order their child’s lunch through an easy to use app, and track their orders online. This ensures that the money is going where it’s intended, and that the child is using the canteen. This system is also great for children that may be entitled to free meals from the school. With a cashless system, it’s impossible to tell who’s receiving free meals, minimising the stigma around this issue.

Efficiency of the School Canteen

How efficiently is your school canteen running? If the answer is not very well, then it’s time to invest in some new tools. Save time by streamlining your school canteen’s ordering system with an app like My School Tuckshop. Minimise overhead costs like staffing, and control your inventory from an easy to use dashboard. Going cashless also means less time setting up tills, counting money and ordering change. Saving on resources means that you can focus more on providing the best experience possible for your students. It really is the little things.

Tackle Your School Canteen Problems with My School Connect

Having problems with your school canteen? My School Connect can help. Our online lunch ordering system, My School Tuckshop, makes it easy for you to receive orders, refill your inventory, and track payments. Plus, the fully integrated system makes reporting a breeze, so you’ll know exactly what’s being sold and when. My School Connect offers a range of digital solutions for your school, including school uniform stores, school event management and digital raffles.