Instructions for the canteen app

Using the mobile app, you can carry out important everyday functions related to school meals. This essentially includes ordering food and canceling it. You can also view your balance and adjust your payment method.

The app intentionally focuses on the important functions for daily needs and is not intended to be a complete replacement for the web portal. It does not provide all the details that the web version provides. In order to use the full range of functions (e.g. adding more children, managing BUT, etc.), please use the application’s web portal.

After logging in, you will be taken to the app’s homepage.

The school name and the name of your currently selected child will be displayed here. Likewise, the current balance, which is available to all children within the same contract.

By clicking on the orange background of the customer card you can turn it over. You will then be shown a QR code that your child can use to identify themselves when collecting meals at school. Of course, this assumes that your child uses the app on their own mobile phone and that mobile phones are allowed at school.

Pulling down the screen or clicking on the icon at the top right will reload your data from the server.

The child’s current meal for the day is displayed in the lower area (if reserved).

Below there are 4 menu buttons for further functions:

• Card - Displays the home page with the balance
• Menu - Shows the weekly plan and allows you to reserve meals
• Reserved - Represents the child’s current reservations
• Account - Offers further settings such as language, payment method

The app is available for free download for Apple iOS and Android via the respective app stores.

Unfortunately, the app cannot currently be used on Huawei phones due to US export restrictions. In this case, please use the web version of the customer portal.

After starting the app, you must first enter your institution number. This determines which school your child should be searched for. You will receive this from your school or your caterer. This will usually also be communicated to you in a letter from the caterer or school.

The facility number only needs to be entered once and will then be saved.

If you have children in different schools, you can save the access data for each school in the app. These will then be displayed for selection at the bottom of the registration process, so that you can easily and quickly switch between the contracts of the different schools.

Several children in one school can be managed through a common contract. You don’t need another contract for this!

It is also possible to log in using the biometric functions of the mobile phone (e.g. Face ID, fingerprint). In this case, the access data does not have to be entered again and again, but can be stored securely on the mobile phone.

The link Create new account takes you to the PCA web portal. Here you can create a new user account in your institution.

In order to use the app, a user account must first be created via the web portal. Likewise, the registration process must be completed once, even if you have already been sent access data via the school or caterer. Only then can the canteen app be used.

In the weekly plan you can see the individual meals offered at the school.

You can switch between weeks using the buttons below the dishes or by simply swiping right or left.

You can reserve a dish by simply clicking on it, as long as the order deadline has not yet expired. If a dish is greyed out, it can no longer be reserved.

If a dish is reserved, a symbol reserved is displayed on the right.

As long as the cancellation period has not yet expired, the reservation can be cancelled by clicking on the dish again. Unfortunately, this is no longer possible after the cancellation period has expired.

The order and cancellation deadlines are displayed in the upper part of the window.

You can make further settings for your reservations using the ‘More’ button at the top right of the window. These are now described in more detail below.

First you will see general settings for automatic reservation.

You can use the automatic reservation feature to pre-select meals for individual days of the week. These are then automatically booked for the respective day and no longer need to be selected individually.

This means that you will no longer forget to reserve food in good time.

Cancellation of individual meals is of course still possible until the cancellation deadline expires!

The first line shows you whether the automatic reservation is active or not. Likewise, when a reservation is active, the days for which meals are automatically reserved are displayed in green.

You can change the settings by clicking on the line.

In the lower section you can see the allergens and additives stored for your child.

When editing the automatic reservation, first enter the period for which you want to change it. If you do not enter an end date, the reservation will be valid until further notice.

Next, select the day of the week for which you want to order food.

Now select the main course and, if applicable, the side dish, which should be automatically reserved for that day.

Then close the dialog by clicking on Done.

Then do the same for all days of the week for which meals should be reserved.

If you no longer want automatic reservations, click on the link Delete automatic reservation at the bottom.

This will stop the automation and you will have to select food manually for each day.

All future open reservations in the specified period that have not yet been booked will also be cancelled. Please remember to make a manual reservation on the relevant days.

This page shows you all reservations that are currently stored. You can choose between different forms of representation.

In this display you can see the meals that have been reserved but not yet booked, along with their details. If a photo has been uploaded, the photo of the dish will also be displayed.

By clicking on the dish it can be cancelled.

In the All section, a calendar shows you the days on which food is reserved.

You can identify the status of the reservation by the color of each entry. The following colors are available:

• Orange - The meal has been reserved but not yet booked.
• Blue - The meal was booked but not picked up.
• Green - The meal was booked and picked up.

Alternatively, all reservations can be displayed as a list.

Previous, current and future reservations are displayed here.

You can use the account settings to make the most important settings in your customer account.

Please make further extensive settings directly via the web portal.

On the account page you can see the settings that can be made.

On the children page you can switch between different children of the same contract.

The reservations for the selected child will then be displayed and you can make reservations and cancellations for the child here.

You can switch between direct debit and bank transfer via the payment method dialog, provided that these are offered to you by the caterer.

In the case of direct debit payments, you can also enter the threshold and the amount to be collected, which will be automatically collected if the threshold is exceeded.

Whether or not the system should top up the card is checked once a morning from Monday to Friday before the meal reservation. A direct debit will only be triggered if the amount falls below the threshold at this point.

If you would like to transfer money, please use the bank details provided here. Alternatively, you can also use the displayed Girocode with your banking app.

You can make further settings using the Options icon at the top right.

Here you can specify, for example, whether we may show you push notifications about important events such as the receipt of a transfer or a reminder for today’s meal.

You also have the option to change the language of the app here. You will be offered the same languages to choose from as are available in the web portal.

You also have the option to rate the app. We would of course be happy to receive a positive review of the app at any time. If you have any other questions or suggestions for improvement, please feel free to contact our customer service by email. We always try to integrate requests into newer versions wherever possible!