Questions for the Mensa  [22.12.21]

No more disposable cups, more vegetarian and vegan menus: This semester, the Hohenheim Mensa is taking up some of the students' wishes that have already been repeatedly voiced in the "Better would be Better" column. In the interview, Mensa manager Bernd Dubrau also responds to current suggestions for improvement and reports on the ongoing Covid restrictions.

 

On the platform "Besser wär Besser" (Better would be Better) you can initiate, evaluate, and discuss ideas and suggestions for improvement on campus. The editorial team asks responsible contact persons to respond.

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Hello Mr. Dubrau, these are extraordinary times - also for you and your team. How are you doing? And how are things going under Corona restrictions?

After the long lockdown, we were delighted to be able to reopen the Mensa to students and employees this semester.

So far, things are going very well despite the restrictions. We've had to reduce seating, but demand is also down. On average, about 50% fewer dishes cross the serving counter each day.

Nevertheless, our team is working at full capacity, as it takes a lot of effort to comply with the Corona requirements. We are currently also more in demand than ever as a caterer for university events. Here, too, the workload has increased considerably due to hygiene regulations.

How come you don't have to show proof of 3G at the entrance when you come to eat? Students who come to study outside meal times, on the other hand, do....

I know: You can't really make anyone understand that. But we didn't make up these crazy rules.

The background: different Corona regulations apply in each case. Mensas, like company cafeterias, fall under Section 16 of the state's Corona ordinance. Accordingly, no separate 3G proof is required for serving meals to members of the respective institution. If, on the other hand, the dining halls are used as places of learning, the Corona Ordinance on Studying, which is issued by the Ministry of Science, applies. The same rules then apply as in the lecture hall.

Have there already been Covid cases in the Hohenheim Mensa?

I can't say for sure whether there have been individual cases among the visitors. Like the other Student Services in the state, we use the "Digital Waiter" service. The data recorded there is passed on to the health authorities on request. So far, we have not received any notifications from there. I assume that we would have found out if there had been a hotspot in the Mensa.

There has not been a known case of Covid in our team itself - knock on wood! We actually have a vaccination rate of close to 100% as well.

Corona aside, what else is going on behind the scenes at Mensa?

If you've taken a look at our menu in the last few weeks, you've probably noticed: At the request of students, we've been offering both a vegetarian and and a vegan dish every day since the start of the semester.

Just a few years ago, these dishes were often our slow sellers. But times have obviously changed dramatically. Now every second meal we serve is meatless.

Perhaps the acceptance also has to do with the type of dishes. In our "Better Would Be Better" column, there was the following suggestion:

"The vegetarian offerings don't always have to include a vegetarian "meat substitute" (which is very expensive to buy and then usually doesn't taste very good either, like all the tofu and soy meat substitutes, for example), but can be vegetarian just because ;-)"

This tip was also brought to us by student groups such as the AKN, with which we are now in regular exchange. And we have also taken it to heart.

However, we do not want to completely do without meat substitutes in the future. The sales figures show that vegetarian lasagna, bratwurst, etc. do have some friends. We are therefore relying on a mixture.

The AKN has also been calling for the abolition of disposable cups in the cafeteria for some time. The proposal was also repeatedly ranked number 1 in "Better would be Better". What about this?

We are also taking up this point. We are currently using up our remaining stocks, after which we will no longer be handing out disposable cups. However, there will be no returnable deposit system for the time being. We believe that the time is now ripe for guests to bring their own cups.

Of course, we also offer reusable cups with the university logo for sale. Here we are saying goodbye to the previous plastic KeepCups and instead using high-quality porcelain cups from the Karlsruhe-based supplier "Mahlwerk," which are very suitable for take-away.

Our impression is that the coffee simply tastes better from them and that environmentally conscious guests are happy to do without plastic products. For the coffee-to-sit, of course you can still use our cups.

By the way, the principle already works quite well with our take-away menus: Most of the people who pick up their meals now have their own box with them.

In our section "Better would be better," some other suggestions for improvement were made: e.g. it is suggested to use the Rostock Mensa as a model in terms of prices and freshness. This has already been awarded the "golden tray" by UNICUM several times.

I have looked at the suggestion and the linked Youtube video. However, I can't really understand the criticism in this case: Students pay €3.25 for a daily menu here, in Rostock only €2.90. However, we have a completely different price level in Stuttgart, which also applies to rents, food, etc. The typical north-south divide also applies to wages. By the way, the price of the menus is already cross-subsidized by student union fees. This should be no different in Rostock.

In terms of freshness and regionality, I don't think we have to worry about hiding either. Especially with regard to the topic of salad, which was also addressed in the proposal. The entry dates back to the lockdown period. Possibly the perception is related to that. At that time, we could not offer a fresh salad bar for several months. And there were restrictions on other dishes as well. When fries are prepared in the kitchen and later served in the cafeteria, they are naturally not as crispy as they used to be. In the meantime, however, we have returned to our old standards.

What about the proposal to offer homemade pizzas and tarte flambée instead of ready-made meals?

We have already thought about this. However, we have a logistical problem here in Hohenheim: We simply don't have the space for topping and the necessary refrigeration equipment to store the dough pieces. The WKD would not approve it under the existing conditions. Incidentally, this is also the reason why we can only serve ready-made rolls in the cafeteria.

Another suggestion for improvement concerns the serving of food. In this regard, "Besser would be Better" states:

"Two to three portions are always provisionally placed on the hot food counter, completely independent of whether guests come to the food serving area or not. This mainly affects the times before 12 noon and after 1 p.m., i.e. when the big rush is still to come or has already passed. The thing is, when you do get those portions, there's usually a lot of disappointment at the table because the food is just cold."

This is an issue we have discussed in the team - and it should not happen again.

In general, we are always open to criticism and suggestions from our guests. However, unfortunately not everything can be implemented immediately. Constructive exchange with the student groups is particularly valuable. It helps us to better understand attitudes and current trends. We would like to continue this.

 

We will report back. Thank you very much for the interview!

 

Interview: Leonhardmair / Translation: Neudorfer