Fingerprint Technology Speeds up Lunch Lines and Increases Profits in College Food Service

College foodservice operations are speeding up lunch lines and increasing profits using biometric fingerprint scanning technology instead of card readers

(PRWEB) October 28, 2004 -- Many campuses around the country are now adopting fingerprint scanning and identification systems to speed the flow of traffic and eliminate problems caused by lost or stolen cards; increasing profitability at their foodservice facilities.

From 450 students per lunch using a card system, we now serve 640 people a day with our fingerprint system," said Doug Rumbold, foodservice operations and productions manager at Campbell University located in Buies Creek, North Carolina. The system has made us more profitable, and was one of several factors that led to our deli tripling its sales in one year."

In the past, food service users such as students received an ID card and a meal card that could be swiped through a card reader as the individual went through the meal line. However, this method of identification can sometimes be slow, and students frequently forgot their cards. This meant delays while staff looked the person up on the computer, verified they had cash on account and then rung up the meal.

With a fingerprint system, students no longer need to hunt through their pockets to locate their cards. They place a forefinger on a small fingerprint reader by the register. In seconds, the system translates the biometrics fingerprint into a mathematical algorithm and then matches the numerical output to the students meal account information.

With our system, we have the capabilities to edit, delete, set prices, view reports of specific item sales, track sales by cashier and much more," said Campbells Rumbold. There is no doubt that a fingerprint system is faster and more convenient. We are more profitable and foodservice management has been made easier."

Mitch Johns, president of Food Service Solutions (www.foodserve.com) the company that implemented the fingerprint solution at Campbell University and dozens of other colleges and schools throughout the US, is quick to point out that his biometrics security system does not store any fingerprint images in its database -- only mathematical algorithms that cannot be used to recreate fingerprint images.

Both parents and students can rest assured that the fingerprint images cannot be used by law enforcement for identification purposes," explains Johns.

With many colleges outsourcing their food-management service operations, companies such as Sodexho -- a $5.8 billion, 120,000-employee, food and facilities management provider based in Gaithersburg, MD -- are also utilizing biometric identification. Sodexho introduced a fingerprint system from Food Service Solutions to Westminster College in Salt Lake City over a year ago and now uses it to serve up to 5000 meals a week at the campus.

Food Service Solutions gave us the option of cards and fingerprint scanning at 30 to 45 percent less than competitors who offered only a card-based system," said Charly Kizzire, IT Supervisor of Sodexho Food Services at Westminster. It only took two days to install and train staff on how to use it."

The Food Service Solutions system can also be extended to replace one-card" programs that are already in 45% of the nations universities with its fingerprint-based, biometrics solution. Such a system would replace the I.D. card for a variety of applications including university stores, library use, residence hall access, laundry room useage and even attendance.

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