Illumia Blog

Improving the hospital cafeteria experience doesn't automatically mean a massive technology overhaul. Meaningful change can come from solving one operational challenge at a time. 

Whether it's reducing checkout lines, simplifying payment workflows, or giving employees a more convenient dining experience, a series of small improvements can add up to significant gains. 

Bryan Health, a four-campus hospital network in Nebraska, is proof that baby steps can lead to bigger things. 

When Becky Coatney joined Bryan Health as Manager of Operations for Nutrition and Dining Services in 2022, the organization was already using Quickcharge traditional point of sale (POS) with cashless payments for their cafeterias.  

Instead of replacing existing systems or launching a disruptive migration, her team identified a series of incremental improvements, each solving a specific operational challenge. 

Easing the Employee Dining Bottleneck 

Hospital staff has limited time to eat before returning to patient care. Long checkout lines don't just create frustration. They reduce the time employees have to recharge during their breaks. 

To help move staff through the cafeteria more efficiently, Bryan Health expanded its dining operations with self-checkout stations across all four campuses. 

The main goal was to reduce lines for staff, but Coatney also noticed another benefit: adding self-checkout stations sped up the entire POS operation. 

"The self-checkout really came about because we were looking for a way to move our employees through our checkout lines a little faster. But they're moving through our regular cashier lines faster too because of that." - Becky Coatney, Manager of Operations for Nutrition and Dining Services, Bryan Health

Eliminating Manual Work Behind the Scenes 

Front-of-house efficiency is only part of the equation. Bryan Health also needed a better way to process employee payments for its mobile "Faux Truck," an employee dining concept born during the COVID-19 pandemic when food services were very limited. 

Staff asked for food trucks on campus, but that presented a practical challenge for Coatney’s team: where would they park so that the staff could easily access them? Plus, deciding which food trucks to invite was its own complication. 

So, Bryan Health created the Faux Truck. 

Working with the organization's print team, the culinary staff designed a life-size cardboard food truck complete with a serving window and a rotating monthly menu. Employees could purchase a complete meal, including sides, dessert, and a beverage, for one flat price. The concept quickly became a popular alternative to the traditional cafeteria while giving staff something to look forward to each month. 

Faux Truck transactions were originally recorded manually, using employee names and identification numbers on a spreadsheet so purchases could later be charged through payroll deduction. The manual process took time and introduced opportunities for errors if an employee's preferred name didn't match their payroll record or an ID number was entered incorrectly. 

Now that Bryan Health uses Quickcharge POS Anywhere, transactions are processed accurately through payroll deduction in real time, eliminating manual entry, reducing errors, and making the checkout experience significantly faster. 

Some of the most valuable technology investments aren't the ones customers notice. They're the ones that eliminate repetitive manual and error-prone tasks for staff. 

Building Employee Engagement Into Everyday Operations 

Technology can also strengthen employee engagement. 

Bryan Health introduced an employee loyalty program in July 2024 as a way to reward repeat cafeteria visits. 

Employees quickly embraced the program. In just six months, employees earned more than 8,000 five-dollar rewards. During 2025, that number grew to approximately 25,000 rewards. 

The program created an incentive for staff to regularly eat on campus, which helped boost cafeteria revenue. Plus, it’s a real way for the hospital to show appreciation to its employees. 

A Platform That Grows With Your Operation 

None of these technology improvements required Bryan Health to start all over; each capability built on the last. 

Instead of treating technology as a one-time implementation, the organization continued adding features as new operational needs emerged. With Quickcharge, the Nutrition and Dining Services team could improve checkout speed, simplify mobile payment workflows, strengthen employee engagement, and centralize operational reporting without disrupting existing processes.

"I really appreciate the fact that I can pull all my data and my metrics from one location. I think that's a big part of the day-to-day operations." - Becky Coatney, Manager of Operations for Nutrition and Dining Services, Bryan Health

And Bryan Health isn't finished innovating. 

Coatney's vision includes expanding into mobile ordering so employees can place orders before leaving their units and pick them up on the way to their next destination.

"My vision for the future would be having kiosks and mobile ordering where an employee upstairs could say, 'I'm going to order my vanilla latte so I know I can just run down and grab it. It's paid for and ready, and I can just get it and go.'" - Becky Coatney, Manager of Operations for Nutrition and Dining Services, Bryan Health

It's another example of how Bryan Health continues to remove friction from the employee dining experience. Sometimes, the best strategy is identifying one problem, solving it, and building from there. 

Curious about what Quickcharge can do for your organization? Speak to an expert now.