Etone College, a secondary academy in Warwickshire, serves over a thousand students daily, making an efficient meal service and enhanced service experience a top priority.
The College has a close relationship with CRB Cunninghams and recently upgraded to Fusion Cashless to benefit from powerful real-time data, insightful information, and enhanced speed of service.
"Fusion empowers catering managers like never before by offering real-time knowledge at your fingertips - from customer service details to sales insights." - Duncan Thornley Yates, Catering Manager at Etone College.
With over 50 years of experience providing cashless catering to UK schools, the roll-out of Fusion Cashless at Etone College was straightforward, with all stakeholders benefiting from the new system and training.
Installation day
CRB Cunninghams facilitated a seamless installation process to minimise downtime and ensure a smooth transition for the school community. Engineers attended onsite to install brand-new hardware and software.
"Remote engineers prepare the system for what we class as the flip day, whereby the school is updated with a new cashless catering system. The remote engineers support onsite engineers outside of school hours, typically after the last service, to implement the new hardware in preparation for the live day the following day."
- Martin Philip, Solutions Trainer at CRB Cunninghams
Live day
Following the installation day, the training team delivered engaging training sessions to equip staff with the knowledge and confidence to utilise Fusion's full potential.
During training, the catering staff at Etone College were particularly impressed with Fusion's powerful real-time live data reporting functionality, combined with the reduced administrative burden of the new system due to automatic reporting.
"The live day went very well. All the till operators picked up the new system quickly, and it was a seamless process for the pupils. The pupils also commented that they liked the new tills and that they could see the balances on the screen."
- Martin Philip, Solutions Trainer at CRB Cunninghams
The results
Etone College's catering manager commented how the transition to Fusion was seamless and impactful. The fingerprinting registration process proceeded quickly and effortlessly, with minimal disruption to daily operations.
"I had no interruptions in the catering department. The fingerprinting process was completed to schedule and caused no interruptions whatsoever."
- Duncan Thornley Yates, Catering Manager at Etone College
The comprehensive training provided by CRB Cunninghams offered valuable insights into the system's capabilities, empowering the catering team with the knowledge to optimise meal-time services by reducing queues and minimising food waste.
"Training, from my point of view, was excellent. You've answered all my questions. You've pointed out things I didn't realise the new system could do. So, from a management perspective, I've got more information than I thought I'd have."
"I definitely think it (Fusion) can help with food wastage. When you've got sales figures coming to you, you know what days will be busy based on the menus. Having all the information with us at the right times will help us order and create menus for the students based on the information we're getting daily."
- Duncan Thornley Yates, Catering Manager at Etone College
The upgrade to Fusion Cashless has driven a positive change for staff and students at Etone College. Within a decade-long relationship built on trust and reliability, the transition significantly improved speed, efficiency and reporting capabilities.
Etone College's seamless upgrade to Fusion Cashless has optimised daily processes and provided staff with actionable insights and tools to enhance the overall student experience.
"It’s an amazing opportunity for us to move forward with the kitchens on what we need to provide at the right times. I would certainly recommend CRB Cunninghams based on the equipment they’ve brought out and the training I’ve had; just the whole system works."
- Duncan Thornley Yates, Catering Manager at Etone College
Watch the full video to see Etone College's Fusion Cashless installation
