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Gastronomy
More than just Cafeteria!

12 cafeterias, 19 cafés and 2 pizzerias – with delicious dishes, fresh snacks, coffee specialities or soft drinks! The quality of the food on offer, current food trends as well as sustainability and regionality are particularly important to us. Whether vegetarian delicacies or the traditional curry sausage - there is something for every taste! The opening hours may vary -  you can find them on the page of the respective establishment. 

 

 

FAQ
Prices and cashless payment
FAQ

FAQ
Prices and cashless payment
FAQ

What are the price categories and to whom do they apply?

In our dining halls and cafés, we offer optimal value for money for every budget. The three price categories apply: Students, Staff and Guests. The student price applies to all students enrolled at a university in Germany or abroad. The staff price applies to employees of Hamburg's universities and affiliated institutes. The guest price applies to all other customers. Children of enrolled students of Hamburg universities under the age of 12 receive a free meal upon presentation of the Youngster Card.

How are the prices calculated?

Prices are the same for the dining halls and cafés of all public universities and are based on social, i.e. needs-based, principles. Every student should be able to afford a hot lunch every day. Therefore, the prices are calculated on the basis of the cost of goods including a proportional surcharge for personnel and other preparation costs. For the two price categories "staff" and "guests" a corresponding surcharge applies.

Why are the vegetarian dishes sometimes more expensive than the dishes with meat?

In principle, all dishes are calculated uniformly, regardless of the offer. This applies to both dishes with meat and vegetarian dishes. Unfortunately, the prices for the components of the vegetarian offer are sometimes very high. This is especially true for fresh cut vegetables and vegetarian semi-finished products.

At what price can I eat as a student if I am not enrolled at a Hamburg university?

Our student prices are valid for students of all universities from Germany and abroad.

How can I pay in the cafeterias and cafés?

In most cafeterias and cafés you can pay cash at the cashier. Exceptions are cafeteria and café at Bucerius Law School and our locations in Bergedorf. In all cafeterias and cafés, you can pay by debit or credit card. At the HAW locations you can use the HAW card, at the HCU the HCU card and at the Bucerius Law School cafeteria and café the in-house card. You can find more information on the website of the respective cafeteria or café.

Where can I get the card?

As a student, you will receive your card at the university.

What do I do if I have lost my card or it is defective? 

If your card is defective, you can contact your university. Students of HAW can then transfer their credit to a new card or have it paid out at the cash desks in the refectories and cafés. In case of lost cards, the card is valid as cash and the money is lost.

Question not answered?

We are happy to help! You can also find answers in our search or under contacts 

by mail

In addition, the local managers and staff in the dining halls and cafés will be happy to help you in word and deed. 

 

Organisation

Organisation

When are the cafeterias and cafés open?

We are happy to be there for you. The opening hours vary for the individual dining halls and cafés according to the needs and customer demand. You can find the opening hours on the location pages of the cafeterias and cafés.

During the semester break, when no one is there, we sometimes take a break. This will be announced in time on the homepage, the menus and via notices.
 

What is offered in the cafeterias for children?

Children up to the age of 12 can eat with us free of charge upon presentation of their YoungsterCard. The prerequisite for the children's plate is that the parents are enrolled students at the universities we serve.

We provide high chairs for children in the dining halls and there is a play corner in the Campus dining hall. All desserts and cakes are specially produced without alcohol, so that even the little ones can snack.

Where can I find help in the cafeterias and cafés as a person with a chronic illness/disability/impairment?

All Studierendenwerk establishments, with the exception of the cafeteria Stellingen and cafeteria Geomatikum, are easily accessible for wheelchair users. The establishments are barrier-free. We offer an escort service from the serving counter to your table in all cafeterias and cafés upon request. Please ask the staff at the counter for more information.

Can I eat in the cafeteria even if I am not a student?

All guests are welcome here. You can eat in our dining halls and cafés at any time.

I would like to display information material in the cafeteria. Am I allowed to do that?

The distribution and display of information in the dining halls and cafés of the Studierendenwerk Hamburg is generally subject to approval. We offer the various student committees a platform to pass on information to the students in the Hamburg university area. You will receive a corresponding distribution card from your AStA. The distribution/display of commercial advertising is expressly prohibited without permission. If you are not sure whether you are allowed to distribute the information, please send us an e-Mail

Offer

Offer

Can I get vegan food in the cafeterias?

We offer vegan meals in all dining halls. The vegan meals are marked with symbols on the menus. 
In the cafeterias Überseering, Stellingen and HCU a vegan meal is offered daily.

The portion is too small for me - is there a second helping?

Our portion sizes are fixed and follow the recommendations of the German Nutrition Society. In order to avoid surpluses and a lot of food waste, we are keen to serve appropriate portions. However, your needs and especially your hunger are different and we do our best to fill you up. Therefore, a larger portion of the side dishes is always possible directly when the food is served. Just let us know that you want a little more. However, double portions must be paid for.

Why is there not always what is on the menu?

The offer of the menu is planned and published several weeks in advance based on the experience of the dining hall managers. Now, the daily offer depends on many factors, such as the weather situation, staffing, adversity of supply and finally the strongly fluctuating demand of the customers. In addition, in order to avoid unnecessary food waste, we do not produce so much in stock. Therefore, there may be changes in the menu, which unfortunately can not always be changed promptly on the notices and the homepage in the daily business. But if a dish is sold out, there is always a delicious alternative.

Why are products with additives still used at all?

In university catering operations, we use products that contain additives for a variety of reasons. We cook up to 21,000 portions in our dining halls every day. Due to the high production volumes, we cannot always do without products containing additives.

Food additives have a bad image. More than ever, people want pure nature. However, it is impossible to imagine our products without additives. They have been used since time immemorial and have become increasingly necessary due to the advancing mechanization of production processes. Food additives are used to achieve a certain, mostly technological effect:

  • to extend shelf life
  • to improve sensory properties and consistency.
  • to facilitate production.
  • to ensure consistent quality.

They may only be used if they are harmless to health, do not deceive the consumer and are technologically necessary.

Our goal is to use as few products with additives as possible. When selecting new articles, we prefer label-free products.

Sustainability

Sustainability

Are there Fairtrade products in the cafeterias and cafés?

In all cafeterias and cafés, we offer Fairtrade tea, coffee and coffee specialties, drinking chocolate and various cold drinks. In addition, our bananas bear the Fairtrade seal. The products bearing the Fairtrade seal have been grown according to criteria of social, economic and ecological sustainability. 

Are GM foods used in the cafeterias and cafés?

As a matter of principle, we do not use any products that have to be labeled for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) according to EU law. Our suppliers are required to sign a guarantee that no GMOs are supplied to Studierendenwerk.

What is the Studierendenwerk doing to limit the flood of paper cups?

The flood of paper cups is also a thorn in our side and we would like to see less paper cups being used. We can't do without the cups completely, however, because we want to continue to make it possible for you to enjoy your coffee on the go. As an incentive to use fewer cups, we have introduced a discount of 10 cents for using your own cup and a price of 20 cents for the paper cup.

What happens to the food scraps?

First of all, we do our best to ensure that we produce few food leftovers. Therefore, we try to calculate the quantities already in purchasing and demand planning so that nothing is left over. Fresh produce is delivered every day, processed on a daily basis and sold to you immediately. The supply is produced as close to the time as possible so that we do not produce large surpluses. Open food that has been in the serving area is not allowed back to the guest for food law reasons. Our leftover food is picked up by a food waste provider who recycles it.

Labeling and allergens

Labeling and allergens

What is behind the numbers and letters on the menu? Where can I find information about additives and allergens?

In accordance with the Food Information Regulation (LMIV), we label the additives that require labeling and the 14 main allergens. The additives are labeled with numbers and the allergens with letter abbreviations on the menu, the notices and price tags. You will find a legend directly under the menu or as a notice in the cafeterias and cafés.

What about traces of allergens in the food? Why are there no gluten-free products in the refectories?

Possible traces, i.e. unintentional contamination of a dish with allergens, are unfortunately unavoidable in our operations and therefore we can unfortunately not guarantee that the dishes are completely free of traces of a particular ingredient. This is especially true for gluten. For this reason, we always refer to the fact that our offer may contain traces of allergens and do not offer special allergy-free products.

What do the symbols on the menu mean?

In addition to the labeling of allergens and additives, we use symbols for your better orientation, for example, to mark special offers, the vegan food or the types of meat. 

Here you can find a list of the symbols used.

Everything clarified or any further questions?

If you have a question, you can always contact the managers and staff in the cafeterias and cafés directly on site, who will be happy to help you with words and deeds. Furthermore, you can send an e-Mail to the administration of the university catering.

Genuinely sustainable
Our commitment to the environment
Find out everything about the sustainability concept of our cafeterias and cafés.

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