Students pay the lowest price, which only covers the cost of goods, part of the personnel and other preparation costs. The remaining costs are subsidised. Please present the Student ID at the cash desk each time you pay. 

Yes. If you are studying at the University of Bonn, you can use the Mensa Card for copying at the public copiers of the University of Bonn. 

If you are studying at the University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, you can easily use your student ID as a Mensa Card. The second wallet on the card is set to function as a Mensa Card. All further information about the Mensa-Card given here is therefore valid for your card.

As an institution under public law, we are a non-profit organisation and as such obliged to issue food subsidised by state funds only to authorised persons. These are primarily the students who pay the least amount to us. However, employees of the Studierendenwerk and the universities can also eat with us at a reduced price. In order for the staff at the cash registers to directly classify you as such, you will need your Uni ID card or a Mensa Card with the employee status. You do not necessarily have to pay with the card. 

With Uni Bonn App

Show your Uni ID card integrated in the Uni Bonn app. You can receive the Mensa Card for a deposit of 5 euros.

Without Uni Bonn App

1. Please send us an e-mail with your official signature to: mensa-card(at)studierendenwerk-bonn.de [Keyword: Mensa-Card, Bediensteter]. In addition to a certificate from your superior, we accept your official e-mail address and signature as proof of eligibility as an employee of the University of Bonn or the University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg.
2. You will receive a reply via e-mail from the info.point of the Studierendenwerk Bonn including the form "Mensa Card: Ausgabe"; please fill out this form.
3. Please hand in the completed form, the certificate from your superior and info.point's reply e-mail at the cash register specified beforehand.
4. For a deposit of € 5.00, you will then receive an employee Mensa Card.

We are first and foremost service providers for students. On the basis of the Studierendenwerksgesetz NRW law, we provide services in the social and economic fields. This is why food is subsidised for students as well as for employees. Nevertheless, every guest is welcome in our facilities. However, the highest price category applies to guests. It covers the production costs, while prices paid by students and staff are loss-making and are compensated by grants.

Quality not only begins with the selection and purchase of food products, but also with its hygienic storage as well as preparation. There are mostly legally regulated standards, which we strictly adhere to in order to guarantee a high and constant level of quality in all our five canteens and ten cafés.

Almost 40 years ago, the 12 Studierendenwerke of NRW joined forces for a cooperation on joint shopping for university gastronomy. The goals then and today were to reduce costs and at the same time modernise and further develop the purchasing process. Thanks to a bundled demand quantity, more favourable purchase prices and framework agreements with suppliers can be realised. Only suppliers who supply all Studierendenwerke in NRW on identical terms are taken into consideration. The quality of purchased goods is strictly controlled at regular tastings.

For some food items, framework agreements cannot be agreed upon in accordance with the above conditions of the NRW Purchasing Cooperation. In these cases, individual Studierendenwerke become active on their own and give notice of a call for tenders. This defines the product requirements, such as quality and quantity. In addition, a bill of quantities is drawn up and criteria are defined according to which the ingredients to be purchased are selected. Finally, all received offers are viewed and tasted and the supplier that best meets the conditions of the tender is selected. The result is a joint contract lasting between six months and several years.

First, the goods are processed and delivered according to the defined and legally required quality characteristics. Regarding perishable goods, for example, this means they are cooled and the refrigeration chain is not interrupted. Before the Studierendenwerk Bonn accepts such goods, inspections are carried out: The employees at the goods receiving department check whether the temperature in the delivery van meets the requirements. If this is not the case, acceptance is refused. The next step is to ensure that the quality requirements for processing in our university canteens are met - e.g. prompt preparation and compliance with HACCP regulations, such as temperature specifications.

We voluntarily create reserve samples of all food produced. This means that managers or cooks in the individual canteens take samples of all dishes and keep them at -18° C for at least seven days. This enables us to prove the impeccable quality of our products in case of doubt.

Gastronomic establishments must comply with certain standards that must be observed. Our establishments are regularly inspected by the TÜV SÜD Food Safety Institute GmbH and the Health Department. Compliance with hygiene standards is checked and certified. The HACCP concept as well as personnel, environment, equipment and product hygiene are also reviewed. Microbiological tests are also carried out. Last but not least, we are also inspected by the Health Department.

The so-called HACCP is a quality tool that was designed for the production and handling of foods. The acronym stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. These are measures that are defined and followed in order to avoid illnesses and injuries among consumers.

Hygiene standards in catering establishments are based on the Hygiene Regulation (EG) Br.852/2004, the Food Hygiene Regulation Art. 1 (LMHV) and the so-called "Good Hygiene Practice".

In our catering outlets, our administrative departments and in the construction and operation of our properties, we implement specific measures to save water, energy and raw materials.

Our responsibility also extends to the social sphere: all employees are employed under contracts based on the collective agreement for the public sector (TVöD). We consistently avoid using seasonal staff and promote the inclusion of people with disabilities.

When sourcing our ingredients and products, we take care to avoid additives wherever possible. We also work specifically with partners and brands that are committed to fair trade. These include, for example, Fairtrade International e. V., Charitea and Lemonaid, which guarantee fair growing conditions in the countries of origin and provide financial support for local social projects.

Our LogiCUP takeaway cup is an innovative reusable cup. The LogiCUP is issued in exchange for a 50-cent deposit. The reusable cups can then be conveniently returned to return machines, much like returnable bottles, using a barcode. The return machines are conveniently located in high-traffic areas on campus (canteen, lecture theatre, library). The cup can withstand hundreds of washes.

On average, 7,000 people eat at our facilities every day. With production volumes of this magnitude, it makes a crucial difference whether and how much waste is generated, and how resources are conserved.

We use various methods to minimise waste as much as possible. Firstly, the majority of dishes are prepared using the ‘cook and chill’ method. This means that, depending on demand, they are served ‘just in time’ for consumption. If any meals are left over at the end of the day, they do not end up in the bin but are stored for up to three days without any loss of quality. Nevertheless, it is not possible to completely avoid having leftover food at the end of a working day that can no longer be frozen or is not permitted to be frozen. We therefore donate them to Food Saver, who redistribute them. When preparing food, we save considerable amounts of water by, for example, using gentle cooking methods in the convection oven (combination steamer). We also offer seasonal cuisine wherever possible.

When purchasing new kitchen appliances, we choose models with low energy consumption. We also consistently use reusable systems such as the LogiCUP to prevent waste and conserve resources. We time our deliveries so as to avoid food wastage due to spoilage.

Anyone fancying some tuna will have to look long and hard to find it here. Since 2010, the Bonn Student Services Organisation has decided to stop serving tuna altogether. There are many reasons for this: firstly, tuna is an endangered species. Tuna fishing also endangers other fish species that end up in the nets, including dolphins. Furthermore, the oceans are generally overfished and stocks have declined dramatically.

All our branches stock farfalle, fusilli, penne, spaghetti and tagliatelle, as well as our homemade pasta made from 100% durum wheat semolina, all of which is exclusively organic. We also stock only organic fresh potatoes. Furthermore, we serve only organic coffee from our Fairtrade partner and stock fairly traded confectionery and tea. The drinks from ChariTea and Lemonaid are also made from organically grown ingredients, as is the organic cocoa oat dessert.

The prices in our canteens are based on social, i.e. economic principles. Every student should be able to afford a warm lunch every day. In principle, students pay only the cost of the goods and part of the personnel and other preparation costs. The remaining costs are subsidised.

A part of our offer is relatively heavily subsidised, such as the so-called main components, the side dishes, the salad bar and the stew.

The so-called special dishes are more adequately calculated, but still subsidised (for students).

The financing of Studierendenwerk Bonn is essentially based on three pillars:

• Revenues generated by the student union itself, i.e. sales revenues in the canteens and cafeterias as well as rental income in the dormitories,
• Students' social contributions and
• state subsidies.

The state subsidies are divided into:
        

• General state subsidies for the ongoing operation of the canteens,
• Other subsidies for the operation of child daycare facilities, and
• an expense reimbursement for the grant administration.

The students' social contribution is 97 Euro per semester (as of 2018).

No. Studierendenwerk Bonn is an institution under public law and is recognised as a non-profit organisation. Our basis for acting is the Studierendenwerkgesetz NRW. According to this law (§ 1 StwG NRW), we provide students with services in the social and economic fields, in particular through the establishment, provision and maintenance of economic and social facilities. These are essentially canteens, cafeterias and dormitories. All income generated by us serves this purpose.

According to §11 paragraph 1 StwG NRW, the economic management and the accounting of the Studierendenwerke are determined according to commercial principles. Business enterprises and dormitories are to be managed in such a way that the income (§ 12 Paragraph 1) covers the total costs, taking into account the principles of economic efficiency in the case of profit; an appropriate reserve is to be formed.

No. Even after the price increases (in 18/19 and 2022/23), the income from university gastronomy does not by any means cover the incurred costs for personnel, the use of goods, buildings, energy, maintenance, etc. Politically, this is not intended. The continuing deficit is offset by other income, including social contributions from students.

The increased and still rising prices for food and energy over the course of 2022, driven first by the Corona pandemic and now intensified by the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine, make it necessary to adjust the prices in the canteens and cafés.

In its meeting on 20^th of June 2022, the Board of Directors & Management of the Studierendenwerk Bonn decided by mutual agreement to price in part of the massive increase in costs, starting in the winter semester 2022/2023.

All product categories in the canteens and cafés are affected, as well as all price groups: students, staff and external guests.

The main components, for example, will increase between 25 and 45 cents, the side dishes by 15 cents.

As a result, the price for an average lunch (one main component + two side dishes) will increase by about 60 cents for students and by about 70 cents for staff.

Exception: stew: still for 1,- euro!

Nevertheless, an important message is: the price for the stew is deliberately left low, so that every student can still afford a hot meal for one euro (for staff: 1.80 euros).

No, with regard to the subsidised prices for the students, they continue to only cover the cost of the goods and a small part of the preparation costs. The majority of the preparation costs are covered by the general state subsidy and students' social contributions.

No extra state funding

Separate funding by the state of NRW to relieve the Student Service Organizations (Studierendenwerke) and avoid price increases is not known at the moment and is probably not planned.

Costs, especially for personnel, are continuously rising every year. Between 2011 and 2017 alone, personnel costs at Studierendenwerk Bonn rose by around 28 percent (TVöD - Tarifvertrag öffentlicher Dienst). State subsidies for the canteen, on the other hand, have remained unchanged for more than 20 years. After three years of extensive price stability (only the components were adjusted in 2015), it was time to evaluate and adjust the overall price structure.

For students, the main components have been increased by about 10 - 20 Cents each. We have increased the side dishes by 10 Cents each. This means that on average, students pay 40 Cents more per day for a menu - depending on the individual selection. However, the price for the stew remains unchanged and will continue to cost students only € 1.00. On average, staff members will contribute 70 Cents more per day to the increased costs.