Matthew Smith, Dining Services operations manager, says automatization has expanded hours and added customization.
Freshman Enoch rings up his items in the Coastal Market, using the new automated system.
Sodexo, the company behind food services on campus, has transitioned from human cashiers to self-checkouts in the Coastal Market and Harbor Grille. Matthew Smith, the operations manager, said the biggest factors behind implementing these new systems are the University’s push for innovation and student requests for longer operating hours.
“We’re getting with the times. We’re being innovative,” Matthew Smith said, adding that self-checkouts have become the norm in common convenience stores such as Wawa.
To increase hours of the Coastal Market, located in the Batten Student Center, Matthew Smith partnered with students in the role of Batten supervisors. The Coastal Market used to close at 6 p.m., but is now open as long as the Batten Student Center is open, until 11 p.m. Matthew Smith said there’s been a huge increase in traffic and the number of sales during this time of day.
“When we first opened up this semester, I was actually asked to come and meet with the Batten supervisors to explain their role in what we’re doing, and by informing them that they’re helping us help their peers by staying open later and having them be here to lock it up for us, it really resonated with them,” Matthew Smith said.
The self-checkout systems in the Grille expanded customization by making options more visible to students. Matthew Smith said at the smoothie station, protein boosters have become increasingly popular, with students often adding extra scoops to protein drinks. The deli has seen a similar trend with rising popularity for toppings once kept in the cooler that are now displayed on the digital screens, such as spinach. Matthew Smith said at Starbucks, alternative milk options have always been available, but students are now more likely to choose them, seeing the full list on the ordering screens.
“I think the new checkout system saves a lot of time and makes the Grille a lot more enjoyable,” freshman Riley Dack said.
The setup has looked different for each location, and this is because the checkouts operate through two different companies. The Grille checkouts are through Infor, while the Coastal Market checkout is through Mashgin. Infor checkouts are more trial and error, meaning employees are still adjusting settings for items, such as Starbucks drinks and smoothie modifiers. Mashgin sent a representative to campus for programming the items into the register and remaining on-site during the first day of service to guide customers.
“The one thing that I don’t like, personally, and some of my employees are saying the same thing, is that we lost the personalized interaction with the customer. Especially myself, as bubbly and outgoing as I am, I’d get up on the register and take orders and just crack jokes and laugh, and just have a moment with the customer, where now we don’t get that,” Matthew Smith said.
“In my opinion, the new self-checkout is not my favorite. I miss the face-to-face interactions, and it tends to take me longer to order due to not being familiar with the system, which leads to longer waiting lines,” junior Sam Smith said.
While the new systems have eliminated some human interaction, they have not eliminated any staff positions. Before the new system, the Coastal Market typically operated with one staff member working an eight-hour shift. That employee didn’t lose their job, but instead, has switched to a front cashier position in the dining hall, according to Matthew Smith.
Extending the Market’s hours has actually increased demand for products, meaning staff are still needed to keep everything stocked. At the Harbor Grille, employees who once handled cashier duties doubled as food service workers, both taking orders and preparing them, so no positions have been cut with the introduction of self-checkout.
At the Coastal Market, the new system has reduced checkout errors by letting students scan their own items, making transactions more accurate. Built-in cameras monitor trays to ensure nothing is missed, and Mashgin flags any issues like items stacked up or left off to the side and notifies staff.
At the Grille, the self-checkout systems have helped cut down on “handouts,” or items given away without being rung up. Employees are required to follow the rule that if it isn’t on the ticket, it doesn’t go out. The Harbor Grille is open Monday through Friday from 10:45 a.m. to 8 p.m., and the Coastal Market from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Students can pay using Flex Dollars, Marlin Dollars or bank card.
