Café Merici
July 15, 2010
Dear Parents & Student;
Thank you for the opportunity to serve your child at Ursuline & Cardinal Newman High Schools. We at Epicurean are dedicated to serving the needs of the school and the community at large. We bring talented local chefs and managers who are excited about preparing fresh, delicious, natural and organic food presented well, restaurant style.
We implemented last year a cash-less computerized debit system that has replaced the old cash system previously used in the Cafe. The cashless check out system accelerates the lunch line, and lets your child spend more of their lunch period enjoying their food, and less of it waiting on line.
The system is “Café Prepay” and it is used in many schools throughout the country. More information on Café Prepay can be found on their website: http://www.cafeprepay.com. Its use will shorten the Café’s checkout lines and eliminate the problem of lost or forgotten lunch money. Also it allows parents to monitor account balances, make deposits to the account, and review the detail of student purchases using any computer with internet access on a 24/7 basis. The system is confidential and secured by VeriSign.
We hope that you will take advantage of some of the convenient options the system has to offer. The information in this letter will outline and hopefully answer questions concerning this new system. However, if you still have questions, please feel free to call the food service office at 1-707-524-1130 Ext. 130. We will be returning to Café Merici on August 9th to begin preparation for the upcoming school year.
The system will allow you to pay in advance for Café meals and/or snacks and beverages. The system works with a twelve key PIN pad (located at the register line) that is similar to an automated teller machine (ATM). It will allow your student to enter their personal identification number (PIN) to access their account. Your child’s PIN number is the student ID number. The PIN number will stay the same throughout the remaining years your child is enrolled at Ursuline or Cardinal Newman Schools. Please note that this system is very confidential and secured by VeriSign.
Our goal it to have all students establish a debit account to which you may add money to on line or with a check sent to the Epicurean Group at Ursuline High School. If you choose the check payment option, please make the check payable to Epicurean Group. To prevent fraudulent use of student accounts, each register will be equipped with a picture of your student; this digital image will appear on the monitor for the cashier to view every time your child accesses his or her account, therefore insuring that no other student can use your child’s account.
Money will only be deducted from an account when the student uses the account to purchase meals and/or a la carte items. The system will know the meal status of your student and will deduct the correct amount from the account. There is no limit on the amount of money that can be deposited into a debit account. When account balances fall below $35.00 the cashier will remind the student by providing him or her with a preprinted low balance card and an automatic e-mail will come to you from the Café PrePay.com. At this time you will need to visit the website to add money or sent a check with your student the next school day.
We ask that you please assist us in keeping balances above the $35.00 mark. We want to ensure that your student can purchase a lunch meal. Negative balances will not be permitted. The on-line feature will allow you to check balances and purchases as much as you like. Your student may add money to their account with a check payable to Epicurean during morning break in the café. Please ensure your student has money in their account so that they are able to purchase food.
Three Advanced Payment Options:
OPTION #1: CHECK - You may send a check to Epicurean Group at Ursuline High School, 50 Ursuline,
Road, and Santa Rosa, CA 95403. As soon as we receive the check we
will place the dollar amount into your student’s account.
OPTION #2: DIRECT WITHDRAWAL - You may make a payment through direct withdrawal by using your banking information to debit your personal checking or savings account. There is a small handling fee of $1.00 for using the direct withdrawal option. More information is available at the Café Prepay website: http://www.CafePrepay.com
OPTION #3: CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS – This payment option is available only if you have access to the internet. Epicurean Group cannot accept credit card payments directly. The Café Prepay service allows you to pay for your student’s school meals using your Visa, MasterCard, or Discover Card. To use the service, you must first enroll at the website. A valid email address is required, as you will receive payment confirmations via email. Epicurean Group receives a list of credit card payments made on the Café Prepay website each morning. To keep this service free to schools, a handling fee (depending on the purchase amount) is added to each payment. The fee covers the credit card processing fees, bank transfer fees and the cost of maintaining the website. More information is available at the Café Prepay website:http://www.cafeprepay.com
Epicurean has set up an incentive program that is available through September 7, 2010. This incentive
will be available again at the beginning of Spring Semester, through January 15, 2011. Upon the academic year-end,
all balances will rollover to the next academic year. Graduating Students will be refunded original deposits,
less debit transactions. To begin getting the accounts open please see the table below:
If you deposit $1,000 Epicurean will add an additional $50.00 to the account
If you deposit $750.00 Epicurean will add an additional $22.50 to the account
If you deposit $500.00 Epicurean will add an additional $10.00 to the account
SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO PAY BY CHECK PLEASE USE THE FORM BELOW:
Below is a detachable form to be filled out and returned with your first deposit should you
choose to pay by check. If you are paying for more than one student in the same school with one
payment, please note how much money is to be designated to each student’s account. If you do not
specify an amount for each student, the deposit amount will be divided equally between siblings’ accounts.
Thank you for your cooperation and participation. We hope that you will be patient with us as we make the transition to the new Café Prepay System. The system has worked well around the country since 1994. We are very excited about this new system and hope you will take advantage of all of the convenient options that fit your needs best.
Sincerely,
Epicurean Group
