Outdated Systems, Mounting Frustration
The work of producing a semester’s menu cycle would take dining staff six months to complete. Users could not collaborate within their current system, so staff members had to wait for others to complete their part of the project before they could add their own contribution. This lack of collaboration created disconnect, with inventory, purchasing, the head chef, and other dining staff being locked into deeply pillared silos that were unable to communicate efficiently.
As a result, timelines were compressed and each person felt rushed to complete their work, leaving them with an end product that wasn’t what they anticipated in the beginning.
Fortunately, St. Norbert chose to adopt NetMenu, Illumia’s cloud-based foodservice operation and cost management solution, which opened a world of integration, not just with other systems, but within the department itself.
"It really has allowed us to be nimble and flexible in our menu development, which has been great. Decentralized workflow has been incredible for us.”
Melissa DaPra, RD, CD | Director of Dining, St. Norbert College
Improved Workflows Offer Flexibility and Agility
“Illumia has really allowed this flow of information to happen, because we’re no longer using obsolete or unsupported software,” said DaPra. “We’re not putting our menus and recipes in Excel — we’ve got this dynamic software with cost updates, with information that flows from the point of purchase to the nutrition and allergens on the customer-facing side. It really has allowed us to be nimble and flexible in our menu development, which has been great. Decentralized workflow has been incredible for us.”
During COVID, NetMenu’s decentralized workflow allowed dining operations to function while some employees worked remotely and others remained on site. Even after quarantine, when most operations had returned to normal, NetMenu was vital in addressing one of the biggest ongoing concerns for foodservice operations across the board: supply chain interruptions.
According to DaPra, “Directly ordering through the platform has been incredibly important, especially in the supply chain environment. Our purchaser can go home, and if there’s a last-minute hiccup where our salesperson is checking in with her, she has the ability to make that decision just in time, without having to consult the chef or the dietician.”
Supply chain disruption isn’t the only emerging issue NetMenu has helped St. Norbert tackle; it also addressed challenging labor shortages. With data like nutrition information being verified and centralized within the system, frontline staff members have been able to do higher level work. Inventory that was previously done at the manager level has been delegated down to frontline staff, including student workers. Outdated positions, like an inventory and billing clerk, have been eliminated, allowing administrators to allocate staff where they will be most useful.
A Unique and Elevated Student Experience
And what about the all-important student experience? Transparency around nutrition information has done more than ensure student safety — it has made St. Norbert a top choice for students with dietary concerns, thanks to its allergen station powered by NetMenu.
“Once we adopted NetMenu and we started using NetNutrition, we were able to construct and build our allergen station,” said DaPra. “We now serve 166 students with a special dietary need. We’ve become a bit of a magnet school. We have 30 to 40 with Celiac disease. We’re pretty close to 10% of the population who’s identifying, asking for help, and seeking accommodation at our allergen station, and all of that is really made possible with NetNutrition.”
Additionally, the menu display interface improved communication and transparency among all diners and allowed staff to get the most accurate, up-to-date nutrient information for creating labels and signs — a huge timesaver for outlets with grab-and-go items, such as in the school’s coffee shop.
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Once we adopted NetMenu and we started using NetNutrition, we were able to construct and build our allergen station. We now serve 166 students with a special dietary need …We’re pretty close to 10% of the population who’s identifying, asking for help, and seeking accommodation at our allergen station, and all of that is really made possible with NetNutrition.
Melissa DaPra, RD, CD Director of Dining, St. Norbert College
Given the recent decline in undergraduate enrollment — 6.6% from 2019 to 2021, or about a million students, according to the National Student Clearing House Research Center — offering a unique benefit to students is more vital than ever, and St. Norbert has achieved real differentiation.
While the driving force behind the adoption of NetMenu was a need to replace obsolete and unsupported systems, as well as reducing manual processes, DaPra said, “We realized that if we could have this one consistent, quick, rapid flow of information, we could solve many problems with one tool.”
Among the problems solved for St. Norbert, NetMenu empowered dining staff with decentralized workflow, made purchasing nimbler to combat supply chain disruptions, and optimized processes to offset labor shortages. Additionally, it has supported new growth initiatives not limited to the wildly popular allergen station, but also including new projects like grab and go, kiosks, and mobile ordering.
Thanks to the combination of problem-solving and growth support NetMenu has brought to St. Norbert, the administrators who participated in its selection are more than satisfied with their choice. “I was very integral to finding a one-stop-shop solution to help St. Norbert College in our dining program,” said DaPra. “It’s been a great experience for us.”
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