Computer Enters Realm of Cafeteria
School cafeterias have rarely been havens of innovation, unless you count discovering new ways to disguise leftover meatloaf.
But the computer revolution is so pervasive that even cafeterias can’t escape. More and more districts are using computer networks to manage their school lunch programs, arrange menus and even calculate nutritional content of meals.
One of the companies that provides such systems, Panda, was sold last week by Alpha Microsystems of Santa Ana.
Panda is a 2-year-old outfit that makes software used by school lunch programs in about 20 districts in California, including districts in Santa Ana and Pasadena. The company was acquired for about $1 million by another company in the school lunch software business, privately held Pacific Triangle Software Inc. of San Mateo.
Dennis Parsons, general manager of Panda, said the system is particularly useful to big school districts with a large number of students participating in government-backed school lunch programs.
The system helps districts process applications from needy families to determine which students are eligible for discounted or free lunches under state and federal assistance programs. As students enter the cafeteria, bar-code labels on the backs of their ID cards are passed through a slot that keeps track of how many meals they are served and how much money they should be charged.
Panda comes packaged with other software that helps lunch program administrators plan menus. The system costs about $30,000 for most midsized districts, including the cost of the card scanners, computers and other devices needed. But the system helps streamline often labor-intensive record keeping, and speeds up government reimbursement.
“Kids like it because it’s like they have their own little credit card,” Parsons said. Asked whether they would like it better if it made macaroni and cheese a bit more palatable, Parsons winced.
“I wouldn’t say that to a food service director,” he said.
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Greg Miller covers high technology for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-7830 and at greg.miller@latimes.com
