Swaad Anusaar - A review of the state of food outlets on campus

Introduction

BSP conducted a campus-wide survey of food outlets available on campus We received a total of 388 responses from students varying across all programmes and years of study. We used a standard Google form circulated throughout campus via mail, posters, and other official channels. The survey was conducted over nine days, from August 24th to September 1st. Our main objective was to include as many food outlets as possible in our research. However, to maintain data integrity, we excluded outlets with fewer than ten responses. The final report contains a comparative and qualitative analysis of 16 food outlets across campus. We analysed each of the 16 outlets on six parameters: taste and food quality, variety, hygiene, seating and space, portion size and pricing.

The average score for the likelihood of a person choosing online food services over on-campus eateries is 2.98 out of 5 which suggests that on-campus eateries are likely failing to cater to the needs of the student body.

Note: The results of this report should be interpreted as a general way to approach overall outlet proficiency and not be confused with absolute rankings of these outlets.

Methodology

Participants were asked about their 1st preferred, 2nd preferred, and least preferred food outlet on campus. Using suitable weightage and normalisation technique, a popularity index was calculated for each outlet.

Furthermore, for each metric, a weighted average was calculated giving more weightage to 1st preference and so on, and the data was visualised. We also calculated an overall outlet standing based on the combined performance on each metric giving suitable weightage to popularity index as well. This allowed us to identify the top 7 best and worst performers on campus. Then we analysed the reason for the worst performers by using frequency analysis and text feedback analysis and present a list of improvements that these outlets and the administration may consider to improve their experience for the student community.

1. Factors that determine choice of food outlets

2. Popularity Index

Metric-wise performance

We asked our respondents to give an integral score between 1 and 5 to their chosen preferred outlet. Then, we took the weighted average of the data to get a final score for each outlet in each parameter.

1. Taste and Food Quality This chart shows the average taste and food quality rating of each outlet, where 5 is for the best food quality.

2. Food Variety

This chart shows the average rating a particular outlet in terms of variety of food options, it offers to their customers. Score ‘5’ is for offering the most number of food choices.

3. Hygiene

This chart is a metric to display what our respondents think about the cleanliness and hygiene state of a particular outlet. Score ‘5’ is for being the most clean outlet.

4. Seating and Spacing

This chart shows how well a food outlet performs in terms of infrastructural adequacy and proper space management. 5 is the highest rating indicating excellent seating and spacing conditions.

5. Portion Size This chart presents how much our respondents are satisfied with respect to the size of the food portion a particular outlet offers, in comparison to its cost. 5 indicates full satisfaction from the respondent.

6. Pricing

This chart illustrates the level of satisfaction among our survey respondents regarding the price of food items offered in relation to their taste. 5 represents full satisfaction from the respondent.

Price Range

This plot displays the average expected cost range (in Rupees) for two people in a particular outlet.

Waiting Time

This chart shows the average time interval (in minutes) a particular outlet takes to prepare the food after the placement of its order. Note that these values depend on other factors such as current queue at the outlet and peak hours.

Overall Top 7 best performing outlets

1. Holistic (Aravali Night Mess)

2. Satpura Night Mess

3. Udaigiri Night Mess

4. Zanskar Night Mess

5. Delhi-16

6. Nilgiri Night Mess

7. Nescafe

These outlets' top rankings can be attributed to several key factors, including their widespread popularity, excellent food quality, and affordability. Furthermore, they offer reasonable portion sizes for their prices and maintain the standards of hygiene and cleanliness.

Overall bottom 7 worst performing outlets

1. IIT Delhi Staff Canteen

2. CCD (Cafe Coffee Day)

3. AMUL

4. Kailash Night Mess

5. Chaayos

6. ICH (Indian Coffee House)

7. Rajdhani

The primary factors contributing to the low scores of these outlets include their limited spacing and seating and issues related to hygiene. While some of these eateries excel in food quality, their overall rankings suffer due to their poor performance in other areas.

Text feedback analysis

We asked the student body to comment on specific issues that they have faced at various food outlets. We grouped them by major themes and present this data point as a pie chart. This chart shows the major areas that should be prioritised to improve the overall food outlet experience.

1. Customers often received stale food, raising concerns about its quality and taste, particularly in the staff canteen, where instances of foreign objects or insects in dishes were reported.

2. The frequent mentions of cleanliness issues, such as dirty dining areas and uncleared tables, highlighted a need for improved hygiene standards in food outlets.

3. Complaints about pests, particularly dogs and rodents near food courts, prompted calls for enhanced cleanliness and hygiene practices.

4. Students requested additional seating space to accommodate the growing student population while expressing concerns about the cleanliness and maintenance of seating areas.

5. Specific issues related to the cleanliness of restrooms were also raised, indicating the need for better maintenance and cleanliness practices in these facilities.

Recommendations and improvement suggestions

1. Food Quality and Safety: The recurring issue of customers receiving stale food and finding foreign objects in dishes, especially in famous outlets like the Staff canteen, is a critical problem. To solve this, the outlets should train staff and cooks to handle food more conscientiously and follow strict quality control practices.

2. Hygiene and Cleanliness: Numerous complaints about the cleanliness of dining areas and the presence of stray animals near them, like in Satpura Night Mess, indicate an urgent need for improved hygiene standards in food outlets. This can be achieved by increasing the frequency of cleaning routines, investing in pest control measures and hiring additional staff with a primary focus on cleaning duties and monitoring stray animals.

3. Seating and Space: The demand for additional seating space is a common problem faced by most of the outlets. To address this, the eateries should consider expanding seating capacity while ensuring the best possible utilisation and proper maintenance of existing seating areas.

4. Regulatory and Complaint-Handling Body: The consistent problems in food quality, hygiene, and cleanliness highlight the necessity for a regulatory and complaint-handling body under the IIT Delhi Administration. This entity would enforce standards and facilitate customer grievance procedures by holding accountability and, hence, improving the overall dining experience.

For a detailed report of how we arrived at the above numbers and the rationale for the formulae we used, please consult the Appendix.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EP40lBSxO1I68Sj8RZoRKNYiuG6ubBRKZJqSYcyCh6I/edit

Report by: Akshay Raj and Nikhil Gupta

Edited by: Basil Labib