Gastronomic service for universities
studierendenWERK BERLIN is an institution under public law and therefore entrusted with a public task. The tasks are defined through "Studierendenwerksgesetz" (Studierendenwerk's law) of the state of Berlin. Our fundamental task is to offer services to students.
Beyond that, we are also permitted to provide for university members and guests of the universities. We are glad to do so: many university members have been our regular guests for years.
Even if we do not always recognize every face immediately because we have over 35,000 guests per day: We are delighted about your visit and want you to feel comfortable.
On this page, we would like to answer the most frequently asked questions at a glance.
We can only keep the prices for students low because they pay a so-called social contribution with their semester fee, which is provided to studierendenWERK BERLIN. In addition, the studierendenWERK receives a subsidy from the state of Berlin.
It is strictly controlled that these grants are really used exclusively to provide for students. Therefore, the catering of university members or guests of the universities must be completely cost-covering.
This includes not only the food value, but also the operating costs of the canteens and coffee bars, costs for cleaning, energy and procurement, costs for investments and, of course, personnel costs. The price categories for university employees and guests of the universities are correspondingly structured.
The studierendenWERK does not aim for profit. But it must observe all the conditions mentioned. It must ensure that the purchased food meets all important quality standards and must prove that it operates cost-covering when providing for university staff and guests.
There is no cross-subsidization of student prices through earnings made when providing for other groups of guests. The prices for students are supported on the one hand by the financial subsidy of the State of Berlin, and on the other hand by students themselves, whose fees make a substantial contribution to financing studierendenWERK BERLIN.
On the one hand, this often has to do with the quality of the goods used, but it is also due to the special conditions applying to studierendenWERK BERLIN as an institution under public law.
For example, we employ our staff according to tariffs, specifically the TvöD. Seasonal fluctuations in the number of guests can only be counteracted to a limited extent by personnel - for example, if fewer guests visit the canteens during the lecture-free period, we still employ our permanent staff in the kitchen, at the counter and cash desk.
In the public service there are further conditions which other gastronomic providers are not subject to: We are therefore obliged to ensure that our suppliers also adhere to important legal regulations such as the Minimum Wage Act. As a result, we cannot always assign the "cheapest" supplier.
When preparing our meals, we do not only ensure compliance with all applicable standards, but also that the food meets the highest requirements. For example, we offer numerous meals whose ingredients come from sustainable agriculture or fishing, and our coffee and cocoa exclusively come from Fair Trade. This also makes a price difference in comparison to other suppliers now and then.
The studierendenWERK BERLIN serves around 35,000 guests daily. Our facilities are highly frequented, especially at lunchtime. Therefore, it is important to make the billing of meals as uncomplicated as possible. The search for the wallet or the necessary money on the one hand and the change on the other takes a lot of time and causes excessively long queues at the checkouts.
The use of the MensaCard has therefore proved its worth. It enables cashless payment at the checkouts and ensures fast flow in this area. For each price category there is a specially coded version of the MensaCard. The cards are available at every checkout of the studierendenWERK for a deposit of 1.55 euros.
When you purchase the card, you must prove that you are a university employee. This can be done using your employee ID card or another confirmation from your employer. If you do not have an employee ID card from your university, simply ask your HR department for an employee identification certificate. Unlike students, who must have their student ID card with them every time they visit the canteen, university members only need to prove their status once, directly when purchasing the MensaCard.
Basically, the studierendenWERK BERLIN is also allowed to take care of the university guests. However, they need a MensaCard as well. You can purchase the MensaCard at all checkouts and at the corresponding vending machines. Please note the General Terms and Conditions for the MensaCard.
Guest card machines are available in the following facilities:
- Coffeebar HU Grimmzentrum
- Mensa TU Hardenbergstraße
- Mensa FU II
- Mensa HU Nord
- Mensa HTW Wilhelminenhof
- Mensa FU Lankwitz
- Mensa HU Oase Adlershof
- Mensa TU Marchstraße
- Mensa Berliner Hochschule für Technik
- Mensa FU Otto Suhr Institut
- Mensa TU Skyline
If, for example, universities are hosting a congress and would like to visit the canteen with a larger group of guests, this is generally possible.
Please contact the canteen management of your choice in the canteen of your choice in advance or write to the e-mail address provided for inquiries. We will be happy to make you an offer for the catering of your guests. As all canteen offers have different and menu-dependent prices, we can only provide a quote on a voucher basis. Following your event, we will then invoice the redeemed vouchers.
A voucher currently costs 11.95 euros per person and includes a soup or starter, a lunch including side dishes, a dessert and a drink to be consumed in the canteen.
So that we can be well prepared for your event - after all, we have to order the corresponding additional quantity of food and adjust the duty roster for the cashiers, cooks and, last but not least, the dishwashers to the increased workload - we ask that you contact us at least three weeks in advance.
Not all of our facilities are equipped with the necessary personnel and space to be able to provide services outside, e.g. the production of cold plates, beyond the scope of day-to-day operations.
For this reason, only a few facilities offer break-time catering during the lecture-free periods - depending on the available organisational and personnel capacities.
The following canteens will be pleased to make you an individual offer:
- Mensa FU II
- Mensa FU Pharmazie
- Mensa HWR Badensche Straße
- Mensa Kunsthochschule Weißensee
- Mensa HU Süd
- Mensa TU Hardenbergstraße
- Mensa HTW Treskowallee
- Mensa HTW Wilhelminenhofstraße
Warm lunch meals are only available in our canteens. The break-time catering is therefore only suitable for cold buffets.
In this case as well, we are obliged to cover our costs. The prices for break-time catering do not only reflect the food prices, but also the operating and personnel costs of the studierendenWERK.
Since changed work schedules are drawn up for the services outside the regular canteen operation and we usually have to place supply orders deviating from regular procurement processes, we also ask you to contact us at least three weeks in advance.
If you agree with the respective offer, we will prepare the break-time catering for you. However, we do not have vehicles or drivers, so that delivery and collection must be organised by the customers themselves.
It is unfortunately not possible to provide catering for your event outside the canteens’ regular opening hours.
The personnel of our canteens and coffee bars is planned in order to guarantee the daily operation. Although working at night or on weekends is possible under certain conditions according to the TVÖD tariff, it usually means a high organisational effort for the canteens and coffee bars as well as higher prices for customers due to the time surcharges for our employees.
We do not offer pure crockery hire.
We only provide crockery in connection with catering.
So coffee incl. coffee cups etc.
