Point of Sale:

Guarantee accuracy in determining meal status, maximizing your federal reimbursement revenue and eliminate theft.

• Cashiers can learn to operate the software in minutes, and quickly gain confidence to use the system
• Users can practice in “training mode” to build confidence and comfort with the system.
• Get current information about new students and withdrawals through a built-in-interface with your student information system
• Use Touchscreen technology to simplify check-out and expedite service line movement.
• Transform a vending machine into a POS device and deliver reimbursable meals from virtually anywhere on the school campus.
• Back-Date transactions when necessary
• Access entire grades or homerooms rapidly with the Quick Meal Sale feature.
• Optionally Print receipts for cash payments
• Utilize NCR Retail Hardened POS Terminals.

POS Back Office:

Rejoice in the accountability that comes with Lunchbox POS Back Office. Compliance with State and Federal mandates is assured. State audits are worry-free.

• POS Backoffice is the automated tool for producing cash and count reconciliation and reporting daily participation data to the central office.
• Use it to manage POS menu views, including color, position, meal vs. ala carte items and price.
• Control your District’s rules, standards and procedures for charges and low funds.
• For security and accountability, a history of every detail that affects participant accounts is recorded.
• In addition to the standard reports, create your own custom reports using the participant data.
• Turn entrees and a la carte purchases into reimbursable meals with the Dynamic Meal Build capabilites.
• Import student photos from the District’s student information system or CD for positive identification.
• Cash drawer balancing and quick-click end of day processing moves your staff out the door in record time.

Site Manager:

Lunchbox Site Manager Suite has everything you need for a food service operation that exceeds expectations

• Site Manager brings you the option of no-touch, auto-deployment of Lunchbox software updates with no human intervention required.
• Revenue and participation statistics by school and in total are readily accessed to help you make critical decisions.
• User-defined site groups let you analyze reimbursement comparisons between sites to help you better manage participation.
• Site Manager’s open architecture automates communications between Lunchbox and your District’s Student Information System. Import new students or changes to students accounts automatically from you SIS.
• State reimbursement reports specific to your state can be generated with the click of your mouse for immediate submission at the end of the month.

Parent Portal:

Are you ready to partner with parents in the fight against childhood obesity? Is a cashless cafeteria part of your long term strategy?

• On-line deposits to student accounts are immediately available at the POS in real-time, without your staff having to lift a finger.
• Parents have real-time access to monitor their child’s eating history, impose spending limits, and control the a la carte items purchased.
• Reduces the amount of time spent generating charge/low balance letters to send home.
• Parents can set up a low balance threshold to allow auto-replenishment once that balance is reached.
• Decreases NSF checks.
• Parents have the choice to use bank account or credit cards for deposit.
• The School District can utilize our internet payment system for other e-commerce; sports tickets, field trips, book store purchases.
• A powerful tool for more than just depositing money into student’s lunch accounts.

Free & Reduced Application Software:

Lunchbox Free and Reduced Application Software fully automates all aspects of free and reduced meal application processing and ensures compliance with state and federal guidelines.

• Face audits with the confidence that comes from knowing that current and historical meal statuses are accurate and your district is in compliance with government guidelines for eligibility and verification.
• Real Time updates of any meal status changes to the Point of Sale assure accuracy and maximize revenue.
• Import government provided direct certification data for automatic approval.
• The verification process is completely automated.
• Generate custom form letters for temporary status expiration, approval, adverse action and to meet other notification needs.
• All letters are bilingual.
• Special shortcuts and built-in quick entry techniques speed up application data entry at the central office.

For fast applications processing, applications can be scanned in.

Menus:

Complex, labor-intensive processing is now simple with Lunchbox Menus!

• Automated production reporting, cost control with the best possible use of inventory items and centralized menu planning that flow to the POS.
• Plan and distribute menus for unique site groups such as “Elementary Schools”, “Middle Schools”, “High Schools” etc.
• Use menu cycles to plan for a day, a month or the entire school year.
• Create and manage a base set of USDA compliant menu templates that can be used throughout your District.
• Monitor costs associated with Recipes and Menu Plans.
• Quickly update menu plans with substitute food products.
• Qualified menu plans are easily copied from one cycle to another for quick mass distribution.
• Ties directly in to Nutrition Analysis

Nutrition Analysis:

USDA Certified Nutrition Analysis helps battle obesity and foster partnering with parents for healthier children.

• Certify your cafeteria menus according to the most recent USDA database.
• Create and manage recipes using USDA or custom-defined ingredients.
• Create and certify menus with multiple RDA categories.
• Quick Recipe and Menu Nutritional evaluation.
• Menu Plans accessible to parents and students with Nutri-Café.
• Wide array of reports and helpful search options: examples:
• Listing of the nutrient values for an RDA Category
• Comparison of a planned menus versus RDA Category over 1 day, 1 week, or 2 week period.
• Nutrient differences and % of RDA that has been filled for each nutrient during a selected date range.
• Recipe’s nutrients on per serving and per 100g basis.
• Instructions for making a recipe with a list of ingredients, directions or notes.

Inventory Management:

Minimize Cost and Maximize productivity

• Prevent unnecessary orders and keep quantities at optimal levels. View real-time inventory amounts while creating, reviewing and approving purchase requests.
• Update pricing for electronic broadcasting to all sites.
• For accountability purposes, keep a record of all inventory activity with automated history tracking.
• Receive previously ordered products with a single keystroke.
• Dollarize your inventory with the First in First Out method.
• Start up is expedited because USDA ingredients come pre-loaded as inventory products.
• Use inventory to help you decide on future menus and identify ordering needs.

Minimize Cost and Maximize productivity

The Lunchbox Food Service Management System is locally sold, installed, and supported by our Project Managers at Penn Center Systems.

Penn Center Systems understands the importance of good technical support throughout the implementation process and beyond. Our Lunchbox customers receive comprehensive on-site training for Managers, Administrators, IT Staff, and Cashiers from the Project Manager assigned to your District. In addition to training, your Project Manager will be on-site for your first day of “go-live” with your new Lunchbox System.

Our training and support does not stop after the initial implementation of your System. Your annual support agreement provides you and your staff free software updates as well as unlimited support from our help desk. Our support staff is available when you need them and they are ready to answer all your questions.

In addition to our 24/7 Support desk, we continue the training and knowledge base through monthly webinars designed to keep our customers up to date with the latest Lunchbox software versions, industry standards, and inside tips to utilizing Lunchbox the best you can.

In addition to software support, our Service Department is ready to handle your hardware support needs. We offer on-site hardware support for our NCR Retail Hardened terminals. Our service department stocks parts, spares, and replacements for all your peripherals as well.