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Mess Committee

Mess Committee

About Details

About Mess Committee

The Mess Committee of IIM Kashipur is an independent, not-for-profit organization that caters to the nutritional requirements of 700+ stakeholders throughout the year, including students, faculty and administrative staff.

The team gains comprehensive experience in managing an organization by overseeing the mess's end-to-end activities. The students control every aspect of the mess functioning, including choosing the menu, purchasing, budgeting, financing, managing personnel and inventory thereby making the team competent enough to handle an actual business.

When deciding the menu, the Committee makes every effort to take each student's preference into account through a structured feedback system.

The team also organizes special meals for students during fasts and festivities. In addition to this, providing sick food for students who have fallen ill is also one of the services that the mess facilitates through a package takeaway system.

The committee has a dedicated lineup of experienced cooks, a trusted vendor management system and a robust procurement channel imbibed with stringent quality checks that help ensure that top quality-tasty food is delivered to all its stakeholders every day.

The working of the committee provides hands-on experience of running an actual organization and helps the team members prepare for the real world by instilling in them valuable qualities of punctuality, quick decision making and time management.

It is extremely important for the team to be proactive in the face of a dynamic and ever-changing environment and therefore we truly live by our Institute's motto of 'Learning by Doing'!

Members
Events

Mess Menu Diversification

Developing the mess menu every month with new variety is important for keeping the food options fresh and exciting. Considering seasonality, local produce, and diner feedback while experimenting with different cuisines, fusion dishes, and healthy options was primarily focussed upon during this year. An extensive variety in the food menu was ensured based on received batch feedback. New sweet and snack items such as Brownie with ice cream, burgers and cream rolls were introduced as part of the regular menu. Additionally, the frequency of boiled egg offerings was increased within a week along with the addition of Bourn Vita and Papad to the menu.

Regional palate

Incorporating a regional palate in the mess menu is essential for catering to the diverse cultural backgrounds of the diners. For instance, at IIM Kashipur, the mess offers a range of dishes from different parts of the country to accommodate the varied food preferences of the students. Dishes such as Idli, Dosa, Vada from South Indian cuisine, Kadhi Chawal, Rajma Chawal from Punjabi cuisine, Vada Pav and Pav Bhaji from Marathi cuisine are inculcated in the mess offerings to give a taste of home to the students from these regions thereby promoting an exchange of cuisine and culture within the institute.

Special Dinners

Hosting Special dinners on festivals and events is a great way to celebrate and promote cultural diversity. This Year the Mess Committee at IIM Kashipur made feasts memorable by bringing the taste of Kashipur street food to the batch through various live counters offering Chaat, Street Style Pizzas, Paan and Kulfi to name a few. The initiative offered the students a taste of the variety and was greatly appreciated by both batches.

Synonymous with the special dinners, the Committee also tried to offer special meals frequently to commemorate events and milestones thereby developing a culture of sharing happiness through food.

Mess services at MDP, Institute Programs & Academic Events

Providing mess services at MDP, Institute programs and Academic events is an important aspect of providing a comfortable and convenient experience for the attendees. The mess caters to the menu provided by the organizers and ensures that the food is of high quality and meets the standards set by the institution. In addition, when dignitaries are present, the mess staff makes necessary arrangements to ensure that they are well taken care of. This mainly includes devising special seating arrangements, delivering prompt service, and providing a personalized dining experience to the guests. The mess also takes into consideration any dietary restrictions or preferences of the attendees and provides appropriate food options accordingly.

Gala Dinner during Uttishtha

This year the committee successfully hosted a ‘Gala Dinner’ as part of Uttishtha -the annual entrepreneurship summit of IIM Kashipur to add to the fervour and joy of the conclave while catering to a footfall of 500+ stakeholders and entrepreneurs by serving 20+ delicacies. The event was a huge success and a great learning experience for the team in terms of event management and organisation.

Staff Management

Staff management is a critical aspect of operating a successful mess, and staff appreciation is an essential component of effective management. Celebrating staff appreciation day and distributing gifts and sweets on special occasions such as Diwali and Christmas can help boost staff morale and show them that their hard work is valued and appreciated. The same tradition was carried forward this year as well with full rigour and compassion in addition to providing opportunities for skill development to the staff.

Food Procurement

Food procurement is a critical aspect of running an efficient and cost-effective mess. It involves different vendor management, timely ordering, and forecasting to reduce wastage. Vendor management is essential for ensuring that the mess sources high-quality ingredients at competitive prices. This involves establishing relationships with trusted vendors, negotiating prices, and conducting regular quality checks to ensure that the ingredients meet the desired standards. Timely ordering is important to ensure that the ingredients are available when needed and to avoid delays that can disrupt the smooth operation of the mess. Accurate forecasting is essential to ensure that the right amount of ingredients are ordered, and that there is minimal wastage. This involves analysing historical data, considering the number of guests, and considering any special events or occasions.

Reducing wastage is crucial for cost-saving and environmental sustainability. This can be achieved by carefully managing inventory, avoiding over-ordering, and utilizing leftover ingredients efficiently.

Finance management

Finance management in a mess involves collecting fees from students, paying staff salaries, managing daily expenses, and using money judiciously. Timely fee collection, fair staff salaries, efficient expense management, and wise financial allocation are crucially done by the members of the Mess Committee.

Food wastage board for sensitization

A daily food wastage board was implemented in order to keep a track of food getting wasted on a daily basis so as to sensitize the batch in order to minimize food wastage.

Hot water dispenser provision and hand dryer installations.

The Committee spearheaded the installation of a hot water dispenser for students in the mess to facilitate hot drinking water availability for beating the cold weather blues along with carrying out the installation of multiple hand dryers in the mess washrooms for the ease and comfort of the batch.

Events Images