Digital platform for a school canteen

Context

The idea came from real life, as a parent. At the school canteen, kids carried cash in their backpacks, families had no idea what their children were buying, and credit, tabs and payments depended on handwritten notes.

Challenge

• Serve quickly during break time, when the line forms all at once.
• Give families autonomy and transparency.
• Organize credit, payments and billing without creating extra work for the canteen.
• Handle children’s data with care.

Approach

I designed and built the platform end to end:

• Student card with a digitally signed QR code. The register validates the signature on every scan, which blocks counterfeit cards. Cards are generated in batches, ready to print.
• Web register: staff scan the card and record the purchase in seconds.
• Top-ups from a phone: families request credit (PIX, bank transfer or cash) and the canteen confirms once paid. Everything is recorded in a ledger.
• Postpaid with monthly closing: for families who prefer to pay at the end of the month, per-student invoices are generated automatically and payments settle the oldest first. Since the hosting had no task scheduler, closing runs safely on the first visit of the month.
• Pre-ordered snacks per shift, with a cutoff time.
• Family portal: children, balance, statement, purchases and reports by food group (fruit, savory, sweets, sugary drinks…).
• Guardian sign-up with approval, plus two-factor authentication.

Continuous improvement

The platform started with a pilot and evolved in short cycles based on user feedback: more than 70 incremental releases in about six months, including postpaid billing and pre-orders.

Outcome

• The canteen’s routine digital end to end, from card to billing.
• Families with visibility and control over their children’s balance and spending.
• A product that keeps improving, guided by real use.