Exactly how much this bonus was to be would be determined by the catering companies themselves, with both Cormet and its contender, ‘Journey of Food,’ offering a rate of nine percent. UvA-HvA has not yet specified how Cormet has distinguished itself in the way it presented its food offerings, but conceded that the caterer has demonstrated more ‘entrepreneurship’.

Big fish

The combined catering contract for the UvA-HvA is one of the largest in the Netherlands. Together, the institutions have about 72,000 students and 9,000 employees, many of which will buy lunch, either to go or dine in, and drink coffee during the day. The caterer will also be responsible for providing drinks and food at the many scientific conferences that are organised in the university’s buildings.

Cormet is already one of the biggest players in catering of schools and universities. It provides food and drinks at Wageningen University, for example, and has won prizes from the ‘Voedingscentrum’ – a government-related institution responsible for educating citizens on a healthy lifestyle for providing healthy food at schools. This time, however, Cormet says it will do more than just provide healthy food. It will align its offering with what is considered ‘trendy’ in the Amsterdam food culture, explains Cormet director Frank Metzelaar.