Caterers
Your primary solution for digital dinners.
Caterers are increasingly being asked to bring a digital meals solution into their school tenders. We partner with you on the three things that win the contract and keep it: parent meal ordering, dietary management and direct parent communication.
Built for caterers
Meal ordering, dietary management and parent communication — solved.
Three pillars sit at the heart of every successful school catering contract. Scopay gives you all three out of the box, with billing reconciliation and a point-of-service to back them up.
Meal ordering
Ordered ahead. Served with confidence.
Parents order meals in advance through the Scopay app, choosing from a menu already filtered to show only what's safe for their child. Every selection is visible to the school and the kitchen before service begins. So you cook what's actually been ordered.
- No phone calls to the office.
- No crossing out on a paper form.
- No child arriving at lunch without a meal.
Dietary management
Safe by design, not by memory.
When a child has a dietary requirement, it's verified by the parent, approved by the school and confirmed by you as the caterer. Before a single meal is ever ordered. Every child's safe menu is set in advance, visible at the counter and locked to their profile.
- No paper registers.
- No relying on staff to remember.
- No risk that a busy lunchtime becomes a dangerous one.
Parent communication
Talk to families directly. Grow uptake every week.
Communicate with parents through the Scopay app the moment menus change — promote themed days, flag allergen updates, re-engage lapsed families and answer questions without going through the school office. The same channel handles top-up reminders and low-balance nudges.
- No relying on the school newsletter.
- No meals going unserved because parents didn't know what was on.
- No revenue sitting on the table at the end of service.
School billing
Every meal logged. Every penny reconciled.
Every meal served is recorded digitally in real time. Against the child, date and cost. Schools sign off daily, caterers confirm, and the numbers are agreed before the invoice is raised.
- No disputed counts at month-end.
- No hours of back-and-forth between school and caterer.
- No revenue lost to meals served but never billed.
Point-of-service
Every child recognised. Every meal safe.
At the serving moment, every child is recognised, every allergy is visible and every meal is recorded. The child selects their face at the point-of-service screen; the server sees their name, meal and dietary requirements before the plate is handed over.
- No tokens.
- No wristbands.
- No memory required.
How it works
From allergy proof to reconciled invoice. One connected flow.
Six steps that keep parents, the school office, your kitchen and your finance team aligned on every meal, every day.
01
Step 1
Parents upload allergy information
Parents submit their child's allergy and dietary information in the Scopay app. The school and caterer review and approve it before any allergy-safe ordering is unlocked.
02
Step 2
Configure allergy-safe menus
Build allergy-safe menus alongside your standard menus, so every child with a dietary requirement has a tailored, chef-approved set of options ready to order.
03
Step 3
Parents only see relevant menus
Parents with dietary requirements only see safe meals. Everyone else sees the standard menu. Plus trip menus and themed days where relevant. No unsafe dish is ever offered.
04
Step 4
Promote menus and grow uptake
Communicate directly with parents through the app to drive uptake. Push themed days, trip menus and new dishes, and re-engage families who've stopped ordering.
05
Step 5
At the counter
Every meal is recorded digitally at the point-of-service. The child selects their face, the server sees the meal ordered plus any allergy or dietary needs, and walk-ins are captured and logged on the day.
06
Step 6
Billing and finance
Every meal is logged digitally and submitted daily between the kitchen, school and caterer. So invoices are agreed before they're raised and disputes disappear.
Point-of-Service
The right meal, to the right child, every time.
Our Point-of-Service works together with our School Dinner System and allows pupils to select their name from their year group. Clearly showing the server who they are, any allergy information, and what they have ordered.
- Reduced risk. Allergy and dietary information visible at the exact moment of serving.
- Faster service. Photo check-in moves the queue quickly, more time for children to eat.
- Automatic reconciliation. Every meal recorded against every child, the moment it's served.
- Walk-ins captured. 100% walk-in revenue captured and recorded.
The Scopay app
The app that powers parent ordering. And keeps you in direct contact.
Every meal you serve starts in the Scopay app. Parents choose from a menu filtered to their child's dietary profile, top up balances and hear from you directly. The same app captures consents and feedback, so you can run themed days and grow uptake week on week.
- Allergy-filtered menus locked to each child's profile
- Direct messaging from caterer to parent, no school middleman
- Top-up reminders and low-balance nudges built in
Win the tender. Deliver the service.
Bring Scopay into your next school catering pitch. We'll support you through the tender and the rollout.