Canteen & Food Service Management in GridX SCM

Managing a school canteen manually — paper meal tickets, cash handling, and handwritten tallies — is slow, error-prone, and creates long queues at lunch. GridX SCM's Canteen module replaces all of that with a digital menu, pre-funded meal balances, and real-time order tracking. Students order in seconds; parents top up balances from home.

Module Overview

The Canteen module has three main areas:

| Area | Purpose | |------|---------| | Menu Management | Create and manage food items, prices, and categories | | Order Station | Cashier or student-facing screen for placing daily orders | | Canteen Dashboard | Live revenue, order volume, and low-stock alerts |

Step 1: Set Up Your Menu

Go to Canteen → Menu Management.

Click + Add Category to create menu sections:

• Mains
• Sides & Snacks
• Beverages
• Desserts

Then click + Add Item inside each category:

| Field | Example | |-------|---------| | Item Name | Chicken Biryani | | Category | Mains | | Price | PKR 120 | | Available Days | Mon–Fri | | Max Daily Quantity | 150 | | Allergen Info | Contains gluten | | Image | Upload or leave as emoji placeholder |

Items can be toggled Available / Unavailable at any time. When you run out, flip the item to unavailable and it greys out on the student ordering screen.

Step 2: Set Up Student Meal Balances

Each student account has a linked Meal Balance (a pre-funded wallet). This is enabled automatically when the Canteen module is turned on.

To top up a student's balance:

1. Go to Canteen → Balances (or find the student under Students)
2. Click Top Up Balance
3. Enter amount and select payment mode (cash at the counter, or bank transfer)
4. Confirm — the balance updates immediately

Parent self-service top-up: If the parent portal is enabled, parents can top up their child's meal balance using an online payment link. They receive a receipt by email/SMS.

You can also set a minimum balance alert: if a student's balance drops below PKR 200, a notification is sent to the parent.

Step 3: Student Places an Order

At the canteen counter (or on a self-service tablet), the cashier or student opens the Order Station.

1. Search for the student by name, roll number, or scan their ID card/wristband
2. Their available meal balance is displayed
3. Select items from the digital menu — items are grouped by category
4. The running total is shown live
5. Click Confirm Order — the amount is deducted from the student's balance

The student receives a paper or digital receipt (SMS/in-app notification) confirming the deduction.

If the student's balance is insufficient, the system shows a warning. The cashier can allow a credit (configurable per school) or request the student to top up first.

Step 4: Daily Order Cycle

Morning: The canteen staff see today's menu on their dashboard. They can mark items as sold out at any time.

Lunchtime: Orders flow in at the station. Each confirmed order appears in the Today's Orders list with the student name, items, and amount.

End of day: The canteen supervisor opens Reports → Canteen Summary for today:

| Metric | Value | |--------|-------| | Total Orders | 312 | | Total Revenue | PKR 38,640 | | Top Selling Item | Chicken Biryani (147 orders) | | Low Stock Alerts | 2 items flagged |

Step 5: Pre-Ordering (Optional)

For schools that want to reduce queues further, enable Pre-Order Mode:

• Students place their lunch order via the student portal before a cut-off time (e.g. 8:00 AM)
• The canteen kitchen sees the pre-orders and prepares in advance
• At lunch, the student simply collects their tray — no queue, no ordering at the counter

Step 6: Canteen Revenue Reports

Go to Reports → Canteen for historical analysis:

• Daily revenue chart (bar chart, last 30 days)
• Item popularity (which meals sell most per day)
• Balance top-up history — track parent payments
• Student balance statements — printable per student for parent queries
• Export all reports to Excel/PDF

Common Questions

What if a student forgets their ID card? They can still be found by name search at the order station.

Can the canteen serve staff as well? Yes. Staff accounts can also have meal balances and place orders at the canteen station.

Is there a way to set daily spending limits per student? Yes. Under Canteen → Settings, you can configure a maximum daily spend per student (e.g. PKR 500/day).

Can items be priced differently for staff vs students? Yes. Enable Tiered Canteen Pricing and set separate staff and student rates per item.

Summary

GridX SCM's Canteen module modernizes school food service from end to end. Pre-funded meal balances eliminate cash handling, the digital menu prevents order confusion, and real-time dashboards give management instant visibility into daily revenue. The result is shorter queues, fewer disputes, and a fully auditable record of every canteen transaction.