Pure Basic: soup, snacks and sandwiches for every budget
You may already have seen them in the larger restaurants in the teaching buildings: simple yet tasty hagelslag or cheese sandwiches. Students asked and the University Services Department (UFB) has delivered with its new Pure Basic line. Now there is a lunch for every budget.
Experimenting with the offering
With this new line, Rogier de Bruin (the brand-new UFB Director) and Meta Topée (the UFB Catering Manager) are meeting the needs of students with a smaller budget. ‘We get questions from the student population and the student councils’, says Rogier. ‘They encourage us to experiment with our offering and to add new products. In these expensive times, we think it’s important to be able to cater to everyone.’
Different selection in each building
The range changes three times a year. ‘We try our best to meet people’s needs’, says Meta. ‘For instance, by offering more or conversely fewer plant-based and/or vegetarian products. The international character of the student population also influences what we offer. And you can now also choose your portion size in the larger restaurants in the teaching buildings – as you already could with salads. People with smaller appetites now pay that bit less.’
Back with a vengeance: the customer panel
A good way to test the range is the UFG customer panel. ‘Over the past few years we got really useful information from our customer panel but it had been put on the back burner more recently and needed bringing back to live. We are going to actively focus on it this year.’
Non-profit
The UFB is often asked about its pricing. ‘It’s not common knowledge but we have to stand on our own two feet within the university’, says Rogier. ‘We pay the costs of staffing, of ingredients and of kitting out and furnishing the kitchens and seating areas in the restaurants and cafés. We have to recoup these costs. Our buildings being spread out is also a challenge for the UFB compared to other universities. And charging acceptable prices without making a profit remains a puzzle.’
‘We try to keep an eye on this and compare our prices with other universities and local cafés and restaurants’, says Meta. ‘This shows we can compete and are even somewhat below the average price level. It is important that we getthis message across. We do what we can and are open to suggestions.’
Sustainable initiatives
About half of the current selection is vegetarian/vegan. In the past year, the selection of plant-based products has increased because of demand. ‘We want people to have a choice’, says Meta. ‘What we do is inform them about more sustainable options. The pricing strategy has been adjusted accordingly: plant-based is cheaper. We join forces with LUGO and the sustainability coordinator, for example, during Meat and Dairy-Free Week and other initiatives. We also want to do more to encourage our guests to make healthy, more conscious choices and further reduce our CO2 emissions.
Want to know more?
For more information, please contact Meta Topée.
