Swift dining and digital convenience on campus

When developing a campus, you know how important it is to offer a wide range of easily accessible food outlets, not only for improving the culture and making the campus more attractive for students, professors, and visitors but also for creating an environment with healthy eating habits that fuel learning.

Meal plans accessible all over campus without time-consuming lines

Waiting in line is a thing of the past, especially for digital-native students accustomed to swift online transactions. Students do not want to spend half their lunch break standing in line. The experience should be smooth, with a mixture of top-tier ordering technology and well packaged and attractive meal plans accessible across all the campus dining spots.

Achieving this does not have to be difficult. What you need is technology that connects and streamlines the campus dining program and benefits without the hassle of heavy administration and complicated invoicing. A solution that gives every student, guest or member of the staff the freedom and flexibility of accessing food service benefits at any spot, any time, simply by using their ID badge.

The student ID badge is a match with the Pej wallet

The Student or Staff ID is an important asset for ensuring a seamless campus life experience. It is a proof of enrollment and identity within the school community and the key to accessing the university’s facilities. The student ID is widely used. Why not give it even more value? With the right food service technology every single ID transforms into a versatile tool for accessing meal plans, benefits and discounts at any campus food outlet.

The ID can be intricately linked to a digital wallet with a clear overview of the purchase history and account details. The user monitors their balance and conveniently refills funds from a connected bank account.

During the checkout process, whether at a physical counter, through an app, or at a smart fridge, the ID badge connects to the digital wallet and accurately determines the price based on the meal plan and ensures the right information is applied to the receipt. The wallet can also be linked to a credit card, QR code, or RFID tag, if not an ID badge.

Administration that practically runs itself

To make the ID match the wallet and deliver personalised or packaged meal plans and benefits you need easy and intuitive administration tools; one guest and account management tool to rule them all.

In this solution, all the dining spots and ordering channels are added. When that is done, students, staff, meal plans, benefits and payment options are enrolled. You can build any incentive with any type of input. Pej’s guest and account management tool is built on a highly sophisticated rule engine that handles events on a granular level, if that is what you wish. Administration can be done by the campus administration or by the contract caterer.

To put these solutions in context, this is what a day as a student could look like:

Ellen’s day on campus

8:00 AM – Ellen wakes up to a message from her parents who’ve topped up her balance for exam week. She smiles, checks her app, and sees the extra funds.

8:30 AM – Heading to class, Ellen stops at the campus coffee bar for a latte and breakfast sandwich. A friendly chat with the barista, a tap of her student ID, and she enjoys the perks of her topped-up balance. She savours the benefits – every fifth coffee free and a 10% discount on her balance according to her meal plan.

10:45 AM – Between classes, Ellen grabs a granola bar and water from a vending machine, tapping her student ID for a swift payment.

12:30 PM – As lunchtime approaches, Ellen browses through the diverse meal options available at the canteen buffet, conveniently using her phone to gather information about the ingredients and origins of each dish. She adds her selections to her digital cart. Leaving the buffet, Ellen quickly scans her phone to complete the payment, confirmed by a green light. Acknowledged by the staff with a nod, she joins her colleagues at a table, happy to enjoy her meal.

3:00 PM – Needing an afternoon boost, Ellen visits the student union’s coffee machine for a quick, affordable cup tapping her student ID.

5:30 PM – After classes, Ellen and her friends order ahead using the campus app to get food from the trucks. She chooses a vegetarian taco and a smoothie, looking forward to a tasty evening meal.

8:00 PM – Before returning to the dorm, Ellen stops at the convenience store. She appreciates the ease of the self-checkout kiosk, where she scans and pays for her items, thankful for its 24/7 availability.

It is not about the tech, it is about the value

By combining technology with a student and staff-centric approach, Pej’s digital canteen adds significant value to the entire campus ecosystem.

Students and staff:

Convenience and efficiency

■ Order and pay for meals through ID, using web, app and self-service kiosk platforms, offering flexibility, convenience and time savings.

Personalisation

■ Enjoy personalised benefits and offers easily administered by campus operations in the Pej Guest and Account Management tool.

A better campus life experience

■ Access meal plans and benefits at every canteen, restaurant, food truck, café or bakery on campus. Quick and convenient dining leaves more time to engage in extracurricular activities, social life and studies.

Campus operations:

Operational efficiency

■ Streamlined operations with a centralised system for managing a wide range of meal plans, payments, and reports. The administrative burden is heavily reduced, allowing campus operations to focus on other important tasks.

Cost-effective innovation

■ Integration of innovative solutions like smart fridges without the challenges of scattered IT systems. Cost-effective implementation of digital technologies, contributing to operational efficiency.

Data-driven insights

■ Access valuable data on ordering preferences, popular benefits, and peak ordering times. Informed decision-making for improving student and staff satisfaction and overall food service strategies.

The campus environment:

An improved atmosphere

■ A transformed campus atmosphere with a focus on the contemporary student dining experience.

Increased student satisfaction

■ Meeting the demands of digital-native students enhances overall satisfaction and improves eating habits for better study results.

Campus branding and recruiting

■Modernised dining facilities make the campus more attractive when retaining and recruiting students.