Challenge
Traditionally the White House Mess menu was broadcast on a channel throughout the White House on its internal cable television network. The menu was 37 Powerpoint slides. This posed concerns for the White House Mess staff. Making changes to the broadcasted menu was cumbersome and the slide sequence did not always match the time of day. The system needed to be updated to take advantage of current technology.
The Mission Data Team was charged with creating a display that would concisely and elegantly show breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus and include a user friendly admin dashboard for the White House Mess staff to manage the system.
Solution
Mission Data created a solution that included new features for the menu display such as an RSS feed from various sources displayed as a news ticker at the bottom of the display screen, the daily weather in Washington DC or the city the President is traveling to, a photo rotator showcasing meals and daily specials, a section dedicated to spotlighting guest chefs, and the menus. Each of the above sections update on different time intervals throughout the day.
A custom admin area was developed where menu items for breakfast, lunch, and dinner can be easily altered by the White House Mess staff, and the head chef is able to update the menu from outside the White House. If a guest chef is on premise, the system can be easily updated to highlight the featured menu items along with the daily specials.
