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October 17, 2024

Mess management systems: How Smart Technology is Winning the battle Against Campus Food Waste

Table of Content

Introduction

According to a 2019 National Defense Resource Council study, universities across the US produce over 22 million pounds of food waste annually. Additionally, the average waste per college student goes up to 112 pounds, and the numbers go even higher on large campuses. The magnitude of food waste on campuses is even more significant in Indian universities, which have infrastructural limitations within messes and cafeteria facilities. 

Food waste on university campuses results from inefficient food management practices and the lack of a centralized platform for food optimization. Furthermore, lacking features like student traffic monitoring and inventory tracking makes mess management more challenging for administrators. 

Mess management system: the differentiating factor

Mess management software is critical to streamlining and automating mess management in campus housing, hostels, university cafeterias, and similar establishments. Administrators can better operate their dining facilities with intuitive features from the software, like inventory management, user management, meal planning, and customizable settings. Additionally, it allows students to book their daily meals, provide feedback, and make cashless meal payments.

Let’s delve into the salient features of a mess management system and how they help enhance mess operations and curb food waste on campus.

Standardized meal planning and scheduling

With systematized planning, mess managers can build and schedule menus dynamically based on the daily student meal bookings. The meal pre-booking feature allows students to book their daily meals a few hours before the meal timings. Upon arrival at the cafeteria or mess, students can scan the QR codes on the tables, which record their attendance for the meal, keeping the mess managers appraised of the updates. The mess management system utilizes these updates to keep track of check-ins and meal bookings in real-time while helping mess staff plan daily meal preparation effectively. 

Interactive ordering and payments interface

The interactive interface of the mess management system helps students book their daily meals and place orders from a dynamic cafeteria menu. The meal booking facility allows students to order meals for their guests in addition to individual bookings. Cashless payment options also make room for contactless dining and are an added advantage for the diners and the mess staff. These options help mess authorities plan their meal preparation more preemptively, leading to significantly lower food waste. 

Real-time inventory management

Process enhancements in inventory management are crucial in helping kitchen staff minimize food wastage at hostel messes and cafeterias. A mess management system simplifies inventory status tracking and eradicates the risks associated with understocking and overstocking. The real-time updates on inventory levels help personnel schedule on-time stock replenishment that ensures better food quality. Consequently, better inventory management can help enhance the grade of food preparation and reduce the amount of food waste. 

Extensive data analytics and reporting 

A mess management system has built-in data analytics and reporting capabilities, which can generate reports on crucial metrics like sales, inventory, and user satisfaction. Authorities can utilize this extensive data to make informed decisions on food, operations, and feedback that translates to improved mess and cafeteria operations. The AI-powered analytics can recognize student traffic and food consumption trends that offer cues to mess authorities on waste reduction and operating expenditures. 

Mess management systems: The differentiating aspects

A mess management software can help realign the mess or cafeteria administration while making room for higher cost savings. A few differentiating attributes of this innovative system that make these systems the right fit for mess and cafeterias are as follows.

  • Built-in online ordering system for effortless meal booking
  • Hasslefree transactions powered by cashless payments
  • Optimum stock handling with real-time inventory management
  • Shorter wait times to obtain meal orders without queues
  • Minimal food wastage and higher cost gains

Conclusion

The advances of a mess management system can change students' and other diners' perceptions of dining experiences at messes and cafeterias. The features and benefits of this software offer students and mess authorities a qualitative dining experience and frictionless operations. It helps organize the decentralized mess management procedures and equips mess facilities with countermeasures to curb food wastage while enabling higher cost savings. 

SpaceBasic has crafted one of the best mess management systems with a sector-specific approach to address the concerns in this segment. Its exemplary solution has assisted over 50 institutions all over India, with more than 3 million meal bookings, 1 million cafeteria QR code scans, and over 3 crore worth of savings in food. 

Ready to incorporate SpaceBasics' mess management system feature into your mess and cafeteria establishments and maximize its benefits? Book a demo to see how you can achieve this at your university.