“The number one reason students don’t eat in cafeterias,” said Tommy Wafford, “is the wait time in line.” Meal Viewer makes that time more enjoyable for students, Wafford explained. Meal Viewer is a digital signage product that can be coordinated with twitter feeds and surveys. It displays the current menu, which includes nutritional and allergen information. It can also show school related videos. Updating the menu is seamless and can be done quickly. The school board approved capital outlay of $200,000 to implement the digital signage and software in middle and high schools. They will be receiving a $6500 reimbursement to Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
There are many companies that provide this service to schools throughout the nation, including Nutrislice, Electromenu, School Nutrition and Fitness and The Howard Company.
Meal Viewer is a software company Wafford co-founded to help his mother, Glenda, who was a food service director. Now his mother works for him as well as his father. The Georgia limited liability company was established in 2014.
Food and Nutrition Services Director Lori Drenth tried this program at Weeki Wachee High School to see if it would benefit Hernando County schools. St. Lucie County, in its third year with Meal Viewer, was the first school district in Florida to buy into the Meal Viewer program, and 14 others have joined in.
What schools have seen is a 4% increase in the cafeteria program, which translates to increased revenue. In food services, menus can change daily, sometimes during the meal or between lunches, depending on whether a food item is in stock.
The USDA also requires posting of allergens. Traditionally, dry erase boards are used, but students don’t always pay attention to those. Digital signage gets their attention and helps food service stay compliant with USDA regulations.
Drenth stated increase revenue is one benefit. She also wants those tech savvy students engaged with twitter feeds and surveys to promote feedback and provide information. Wafford said the software comes with an app for smartphones which will show students and parents the menu and allergen information.
Another feature of the app is a rating system so students can grade the food served. Rather than using a five-star rating system, Meal Viewer’s app has a 1-100 grading system, which students can easily understand.
The app comes with emoticons, which appeals to elementary and middle school students. Older students can add comments. The summer “Cruise In” lunch program could be tied to that, so students could see where the bus is, get driving directions, eat lunch, and leave reviews.
The data collected will benefit food service in several ways, including defending serving a food choice that students have rated or finding foods that the students will enjoy.
Meal Viewer’s multi-zonal digital signage is generally implemented in high schools first, but the app is district wide. High schools and middle schools will have the digital signage first, which will allow the district to determine whether it is beneficial for all schools, and whether they want to continue using it.
“If I can’t keep your business, I don’t deserve your business,” Wafford said, so there are no long-term contracts. Meal Viewer is his fourth successful software company, but the one that directly impacts food service. Since January 1, the company has added 25 new programs or products, including a carb counter for diabetics that make it easier for students to make healthy choices. Upgrades like these are included, without charge.
Wafford supplies the hardware and software, which comes with a license for each unit. There is a three-year warranty on the commercial-grade hardware. The multi-zonal signs can be from 42-80 inches wide and have areas for YouTube videos of local games, twitter feeds, announcements, etc. Or, the school district can opt to just use the basic fonts, graphics, and artwork that come with it.
In explaining the time-saving aspect of the product, Wafford stated that before the software was designed, it took his mother, Glenda, 25 hours each week to distribute menus to 38 schools after creating pdf files. Once she began using the software, she was able to accomplish that in about 25 minutes – per month.
Drenth will have the ability to make a change to a menu within ten seconds – even during lunch – that will update the menu board at the school, as well as the app, simultaneously. It can also be used to provide information to almost everyone at once, and can be connected to the student’s Paypam account.
“Students speak a digital language,” Wafford said. He explained that they will immediately start watching themselves on a screen. A high school in southern Georgia that was known for fights in the cafeteria said the positive impact for their school came almost immediately. When Meal Viewer signs were installed, students were able to watch footage from the football game from a few days before, and were standing in line, without fighting.
The initial outlay for this school year for the purchase of the hardware, and a separate software license for each unit, will cost the district approximately $200,000 for middle and high schools. With the purchase, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will reimburse Hernando County Schools $6,500. If the district wants to implement this in elementary schools, it can later add them.
According to Glenda Wafford, who used this with the 38 schools she managed in Aiken, South Carolina, the participation from students increased and behavior problems decreased because students were entertained. The athletics department also benefited as the sports teams were being critiqued every week, which made them work harder for peer approval.
School Board members were split on the idea. Mark Johnson wanted this discussed at a workshop instead, and Gus Guadagnino wasn’t sold on the product because there wasn’t enough time for questions. Susan Duval asked a number of questions relating to the benefit to food service. Beth Naverud uses a similar product in her restaurant business and was in favor of implementing it. The School Board did approve the contract with a 4-1 vote. Guadagnino cast the only vote against the motion.
The Hernando County School District is piggybacking a bid with the Richmond County School System in Georgia.