More Than Meals: The Heart of Campus Life at Ashoka University

Dining at Ashoka University offers a vibrant community space with diverse, high-quality meal options, catering to various dietary needs while ensuring hygiene and creating a central hub for campus life.

Dining at Ashoka University is more than just a place to eat, it’s a central hub of campus life where students, faculty, and staff gather. With three floors dedicated to food services, the dining hall boasts a capacity of 950 seats. The first two floors serve as the mess area, while the third floor serves combo meals which is very popular among students.

The mess provides a diverse and balanced menu, ensuring hygiene, quality, and nutritional value. Recently, a nutritionist was brought on board to help design menus that cater to the varied dietary needs of the students. Non-vegetarian meals are available three days a week, and the menu is carefully planned to balance the crowd across different floors.

In addition to the main dining hall, the campus features several external outlets including Fuel Zone, Hunger Cycle, Subway, Dhaba and Dosai.

The AC04 building houses a café that serves around 250 meals for lunch. The dining team also caters to special dietary requirements, such as vegan, Jain, or specific health-related diets, ensuring everyone on campus is accommodated.

Ashoka’s dining services are well-known for their extensive meal options for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner. Popular dishes include various types of biryani and elaborate breakfast spreads that rival those of a five-star hotel. The meal pricing is also student-friendly, with lunch and dinner costing ₹86, breakfast at ₹76, and snacks at ₹36.

Food safety is a top priority at Ashoka. The dining team follows strict protocols to ensure the quality and safety of the meals. They use food thermometers to check cooking temperatures and maintain a FIFO (First In, First Out) system to manage inventory. Waste management practices include segregating waste and reducing food wastage by encouraging students to clean their plates after meals.

The dining hall also plays a crucial role during campus events, offering special menus for traditional and national holidays like Republic Day, Independence Day, Holi, Eid, and Christmas. The Grubfest is a popular food festival celebrated on campus with unique dishes, music, and dance.

The dining services are managed by Pankaj Kumar Sehrawat (Senior Manager-Dining), Yogendra Sharma (Assistant Manager), and Suraj Singh Bohra (Executive). The team includes around 150 staff members, including chefs, servers, and housekeeping personnel, who work tirelessly to ensure a pleasant dining experience for everyone.

Dining at Ashoka University is not just about food, it’s about creating a vibrant community space where students can enjoy a variety of cuisines, celebrate special occasions, and feel at home. With a focus on quality, hygiene, and variety, the dining services at Ashoka ensure that everyone on campus is well-fed and satisfied.