After ten years, UvA and HvA will continue without a main caterer
The UvA and HvA are taking control of catering back into their own hands. On 1 January 2027, the contract with caterer Cirfood will expire and the Uva and HvA will start managing the local businesses that will provide catering services themselves. This is evident from Facility Services’ new Food & Drink vision.
For ten years, Italian catering giant Cirfood has provided catering services at the UvA and HvA, but this will come to an end on 1 January 2027. The educational institutions want to be back in control of the catering and will not be working with a main caterer again. This is evident from the new Food & Beverage vision that Facility Services (FS) shared with the caterer and subcontractors today.
“This new management model will shorten the lines of communication, bring us closer to the operation and enable us to respond more quickly to trends with our offering and tailor this to each campus,” says Irmgard van Genderen, head of facilities management at FS, about the plans. The UvA and HvA also want to work exclusively with local businesses. The aim is to “bring a piece of Amsterdam” to the campuses, which should contribute to “vibrant campuses”.
This will mean that many new kitchens will be added to the UvA canteens, as is already the case in the food court in REC H. “But also think of pop-ups,” says Van Genderen. “We will become much more flexible and will be able to more easily realise seasonal offerings, such as placing a herring cart when the new herring is available.” The fresh vending machines – the machines that sell fresh meals, such as in REC ABC – will also be scaled up.
Coordinating party
The UvA and HvA are still looking for a coordinating party to organise the day-to-day operations. This will be a party that does not provide catering itself and therefore has no financial interest in the turnover. Taking on the work themselves would be an enormous task. After all, it involves catering for more than 85,000 students, nearly 11,000 employees and 3,000 PhD students from the UvA and HvA combined.
Currently, nearly half of the catering is already provided by local entrepreneurs who work as subcontractors for Cirfood. Cirfood currently provides the other half. Soon, there will be considerably more room for new entrepreneurs. From 2027, they will enter into a so-called concession agreement with the UvA and HvA, which means that the entrepreneur will obtain the right to carry out their work but will remain responsible for their own turnover.
The entrepreneur will continue to make their own choices, “because they know better than anyone how to respond to trends and needs”, but FS will now be able to steer things more easily. Van Genderen: “If, for example, we hear from the Central Student Council (CSR) that there is a need for something, we can immediately sit down with the local entrepreneur.” FS will also purchase its own cash register systems in order to gain insight into what is being sold at all locations and to be able to respond to this.
The Nieuwe Mensa, the vegan canteen set up last year by students to make the canteens at the UvA more affordable, will also have to secure a new location under the new plans. Because the Nieuwe Mensa is a non-profit organisation and therefore differs from the local commercial entrepreneurs, FS is currently investigating whether there is an alternative to a tender process that would allow the Nieuwe Mensa to remain. Van Genderen: “We cannot guarantee anything at this point, but the New Mensa is a success. We would prefer to see it on different campuses.”
Tender
All entrepreneurs will have to reapply for a spot at the UvA and HvA starting in 2027. This will be done through various tenders, with the tender for local entrepreneurs opening at the end of January. In addition, tenders for the cash register systems, vending machines, the management partner and an app will also follow this year.
The assessment criteria for the tender for local entrepreneurs are not yet known. However, it is already clear that affordability, variety, quality, sustainability and connection will be important themes. This is evident from surveys conducted by FS among staff and students.
Affordability
With the new plans, FS hopes to achieve significant improvements. According to FS surveys, catering at the UvA and HvA has been rated unsatisfactory for years. High prices are the main point of criticism. According to Van Genderen, affordability will therefore be an “important assessment criterion” in the tender.
In addition, the UvA will also set requirements for affordability. Van Genderen: “One requirement is that local entrepreneurs include at least one cheap meal.” FS also wants to work with promotions and introduce a “Too Good to Go” concept to combat food waste. There will also be an app in which these promotions appear via pop-ups.
Should affordability not simply be the standard? Not according to Van Genderen. “We have really looked at the needs, and there is also a group of people who say: on Fridays, I always want to treat myself and buy a luxury sandwich. So you can’t just offer a budget meal.”
Bitterbal
The needs of staff and students also form the basis for the sustainability of the new canteen. “As an organisation, we want to provide an inclusive offering that takes everyone into account,” explains Van Genderen. “And if we look at the till sales, the chicken sandwich is still in second place.”
So that chicken sandwich will remain on the menu for the time being. The canteens will become 75 per cent vegetarian or vegan. The banqueting, lunch or drinks that FS provides for employees is currently 95 per cent vegetarian. The remaining five per cent is accounted for by the bitterballen, which for many people are still an indispensable part of a drinks party. However, FS is striving for completely vegetarian banqueting. “The alternatives to bitterballen are also getting better and better.”
Going completely vegetarian is not an option, according to Van Genderen. “We want to leave the choice up to the people who buy a meal. Moreover, we are located in the middle of a city. People can easily walk to a nearby restaurant, which would be at the expense of our turnover.”
Cirfood
Liesbeth Nijhuis, Cirfood’s district manager for the UvA and HvA, has known for some time that the university wishes to continue without a main caterer. “We understand the decision based on the vision that has been set out. We do expect there to be challenges, given that the UvA and HvA are complicated partners, even for us. Where possible, we will continue to advise and assist the UvA and HvA after 1 January 2027, if we are given the opportunity to do so, whether or not in a different role.” Facility Services is still in talks with Cirfood about a possible role for staff in catering after 2027.
Renovation
In the coming year, FS will further develop its Food & Drink vision. At the beginning of this year, there will be another survey in which staff and students can express their wishes for catering. Later this year, renovations are planned to make the campus suitable for the new entrepreneurs.
