Canteens, cafeterias, restaurants, bistros and coffee bars: the Studentenwerke are professional caterers at Germany's higher education institutions.

Whoever eats in the canteen is eating at the Studentenwerk. Their offer is diverse and takes guests' wishes into account. When preparing the food, great value is placed on freshness, quality, selection, hygiene, nutritionist physiology and optimising nutrition value. The Studentenwerke offer modern food that is both fresh and delicious.

The cafeterias offer a wide range of beverages, sandwiches, cakes, snacks and coffee. There is something for everyone’s taste and budget. Students appreciate this affordable, diversified offer.

The introduction of Bachelor's and Master's degrees has changed the rhythm of life at universities. Many canteens and cafeterias have therefore extended their opening hours and are now also offering comprehensive catering services late into the evening and at weekends.

But canteens are more than just places to eat. Students also like to visit them to socialise and relax. Many Studentenwerke offer culture, art and special events in their canteens.

Social responsibility - canteens

Rather than making a profit, the focus of the Studentenwerke is on fulfilling its social responsibility to provide students at all university locations with good, affordable food. They also run catering facilities at smaller study locations where the student number can sometimes be very low. The inevitable losses incurred at these smaller facilities can only be redressed by higher turnovers at larger canteens.

University catering in figures

• The Studentenwerke run a total of 875 catering facilities at higher education institutions.
• There are around 236,000 seats at tables available.
• four in five students use the canteen at their Studentenwerk, usually three times a week
• 37% of students use the catering facilities regularly, male students more than female students.
• Bachelor's degree students use the canteen more often than students on "older" degree programmes.
• With a total of 59% meals prepared and sold, lunch continues to be the most important meal.
• When asked about why they eat in the Studentenwerk's canteen, students most frequently say that it is because of its proximity to the campus. Other criteria are the high quality of the food, a reasonable price and time savings.