The new caterer got the best results in the tender procedure and scored highest in a tasting evaluation by students and staff. ‘Cormet really stood out’, says Annemarie de Vries from Facility Services. Cormet will be responsible for the catering at all the VHL, WU and DLO locations that already have a canteen. Only Orion and the Leeuwenborch building will have their own separate caterer.
Price
It is difficult to say in advance what the assortment and prices will be in the new canteens. Each location will get its own specific menu. De Vries says only one thing really matters: how satisfied the customers are. One firm criterion is that people eating in the canteens must give the caterer a score of at least 6.1. That is why an outside organization is currently carrying out a baseline measurement. Cormet specializes in catering for the education sector. The company has been doing the catering for the Arnhem and Nijmegen applied science university since 2010, where it also replaced Albron. The university’s magazine, Sensor, wrote: ‘Everyone was less satisfied with Albron’s canteens than with Cormet’s, mainly because of the prices for the luxury products.’ And ‘Cormet offers a wide selection of mid-range products, so in general you end up paying less.’ Frank van Zomeren, one of Cormet’s directors, explains: ‘We are able to reduce prices by increasing the volume.’ In addition, Wageningen UR is no longer demanding rent in the current construction which will probably make prices lower than at present.
Chinese
It is not yet clear whether the Chinese in Forum will be able to stay but Van Zomeren says he is happy to collaborate with such parties. Van Zomeren is also open to input when it comes to sustainability. ‘We aim to lead the field in that area. I am explicitly inviting students with good ideas to come to us. Then we will be able to extend the proportion of fair trade and organic products. There is no place better suited to such experiments than Wageningen.’