Palatine  leads the way with  
The QuickDine Electronic Meal Payment System

Quicker and easier,  a new touch screen  "Swipe Card" system is reducing mealtime queues at Palatine Community sports College in Blackpool.

School dinners used to be a time of queues, grumbling  pupils and  time-consuming till operations. Not any more though. Palatine has pioneered a new cashless  "Swipe Card" system to improve the speed and efficiency of their canteen. The system was Installed by LCR of  Blackpool. 

"The cashless system has proven to work beyond our initial expectations. It is our intention to "roll out" this dining solution across all of the authority high schools, as one of our ongoing commitments towards delivering  "best value" said Mr Nic' Trimby,  Education Catering & Procurements Manager for Blackpool Borough Council.

The QuickDine "  PC based system provides every pupil at the school with their own individual magnetic swipe card and canteen account. This enables a parent to pay a lump sum in advance by cheque into their child's personal canteen account or add credit using the on-site coin revaluation units. All the pupil then has to do is select meal or drink items and hand their swipe card to the till operator who records their choice through the till. It's quick and  easy!

However it's not just speed of service that the new system offers. Providing the facility for  parents to  pay by cheque means that pupils no longer have to carry cash around, the risk of loss or theft is reduced. An optional individual food exclusion feature ensures that a  child's money will not be spent on anything other than meals. By further introduction of a daily spending limit Parents are assured that their children cannot overspend on meals. Diet-conscious parents can request an monthly itemised print-out for information about the meals being bought thereby keeping a check on the balance and variety of their child's diet. A bonus points scheme is available to reward healthy eating choices thereby increasing dining room revenues.

The new system also suits the needs of pupils with "free" school meal status. These pupils are issued with cards identical to everyone else's so they do not stand out as being different as with the present ticket/token systems. The stigma long associated with the free allowance is removed. All pupils get instant balances at the till as they use their cards. This encourages them to manage their money whilst becoming familiar with the sort of electronic banking that they will use as adults.

The new system has proven to be an instant success with Palatines pupils who now have more time to enjoy their meals.

One pupil, said "My lunch time is more enjoyable as there is less time spent queuing"

Another pupil enthused

"It's changed my opinion. I used to dislike the waiting around and was worried about carrying cash. Now I can buy what I need quickly without worrying about remembering to bring cash each day"

Running an efficient canteen service with three service periods in a school of over 1000 pupils is no mean feat.

Mrs Martha Davis Kitchen Supervisor adds "The new system is tailored perfectly to the school's needs and has allowed us to provide a better service". "It's so simple that now all of my staff can use the tills".

Head teacher, Mr John McNaughton B. Ed. BA. MA. has also noticed the improvements.  "We are very pleased that the new system provides children with a chance to buy a wide range of meals much more swiftly. Children regularly approach me in school to thank me for introducing the cashless environment. They clearly love the new swipe cards and have fully adopted the new technology which has become part of their school life. It's all part of our commitment to provide the best possible educational environment. We would recommend the system to any school who is serious about making real improvements."

LCR Limited, are appointed as sole distributor for this innovative cashless payment system and have been involved in the supply of payment systems to school meals services for over 27 years throughout the Lancashire, Cumbria, Blackpool, and Blackburn districts.   Please contact us to see how the QuickDine system could benefit your school.