George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson are a few faces you will not be finding at Engrained, Grand Valley’s first cashless campus restaurant.
The cashless offers cleanliness and efficiency, according to Campus Dining staff members. Guests order and pay in one line, where they self-scan their school I.D., debit or credit card. Guests with cash only can go to Provisions on Demand (P.O.D.), to purchase a $10 or $25 gift card. The setup also eliminates germs and allows employees to have more time to focus on service.
“With speed comes efficiency,” said Tom Minor, Campus Dining general manager. “The employees have more time to focus on guest service and not on the transaction, leading to a better experience for guests.”
Campus Dining did extensive marketing to make the Grand Valley community aware of the cashless system. They created posters, held information tables during move-in, and included it in Campus Dining training.
“We wanted to encourage everyone to get a meal plan or debit dollars and understand the setup,” said Deb Rambadt, Campus Dining marketing manager.
Rambadt said they have received minimal complaints, and described the phenomenon similar to when the university eliminated trays fall 2008.
“After people become educated and understand the setup they adopt it,” said Minor. “This time instead of being with the crowd though, we are ahead of it.”
Minor said that Kleiner Commons currently sees 97 percent cashless transactions and is a future candidate to adopt this method. The idea came from a business trip five years ago to Virginia Tech, a leading school in collegiate dining.
