Necessity Of On-Campus Dining
In the world of academia, amidst lectures, exams, and late-night study sessions, one constant demand remains: food. For college students navigating hectic schedules, finding a swift and hassle-free method to dine on campus is paramount. Enter: Volanté’s tap & go solution. Integrated with student cards, badges, and more, with one tap (or swipe), students can access their meal plans, use the declining balance to purchase their meal, and reload their account in a snap.
Understanding Student Meal Plans
Wait, how does a meal plan work with a POS system? A meal plan essentially functions as a prepaid system for on-campus dining expenses. Students load money before the start of the term to pay for their anticipated dining hall meals. After accessing the dining area and selecting their meal items, diners use their student ID, fob, barcoded voucher, or specialized meal card to deduct the cost of the meal from their account.
Meal plans serve as a priority for sustenance on campus. Yet, not all meal plans are created equal. Unlike traditional meal plans that treat your dining choices like a strict diet regimen, Volanté’s approach is more of a culinary dance. Think of it as the best of the meal plans—dynamic, flexible, and perfectly tailored to your needs. Because who wants to commit to a fixed number of meals when you can have a meal plan that understands students changing cravings?
Catering to Student Realities
Let’s face it: the stereotypical college student consuming three square meals a day rarely reflects reality. Volanté acknowledges this and empowers students to align their meal plans with their actual eating patterns. Are they more inclined to skip breakfast but indulge in late-night cravings? Volanté’s declining balance system allows them to allocate funds smartly, optimizing their dining budget for when and what they actually eat.
The Power of Declining Balance
At the heart of Volanté lies its declining balance feature, which may resonate as “flex dollars.” This innovative approach flips the script on conventional meal plans. Rather than being tied to a set number of meals per week, students have a financial balance, similar to a debit card, loaded onto their accounts. As they dine, purchases subtract from this balance, encouraging mindful spending and choice-driven dining.
Implementing a POS in Your Dining Hall
In colleges and universities, the point of sale serves as the gateway for gathering crucial dining data and trends. Whether it’s through self-serve kiosks or cashier POS systems, the ability to capture insights from the moment students tap their cards to the meals laid out before them is instrumental in maintaining the seamless flow of the dining hall.
These systems not only streamline transactions but also offer valuable data that informs menu choices, peak dining times, and preferences, enabling dining facilities to adapt and cater to evolving student needs effectively. Volanté, as a versatile POS solution, embodies this understanding, seamlessly integrating with the ebb and flow of student dining experiences, enhancing not just the transactional aspect but also the broader dining ecosystem within higher education institutions.
Explore how students can effortlessly access meal plans and transactions with this free interactive tour.
