Wicked Rabbit has settled in the Canteen
Since August 1, the canteen operator Compass Group, who also runs canteens on KUA, has been responsible for serving lunch in the ITU Canteen. They serve primarily vegetarian food but also dishes with meat. In this interview Head of Facilities Management, Malene Holm Smed, explains why ITU chose Compass Group as new canteen operator and reveal some of the future plans for this new collaboration.
Written August 17, 2023 by Marlene Mee Ahrens
Why did you choose Wicked Rabbit as new canteen operator?
One of the main reasons we chose Compass Group was the popularity of Wicked rabbit among large parts of staff and students who often went to KUA for lunch. We hope that many of them will return and use our ITU canteen instead.
Has the goal of supporting a green transition been important when choosing a new canteen operator?
Yes, absolutely. One of our most important requirements was to ensure that 60 percent of the food served is organic which Compass Group live up to. This is also required of us and all other state institutions by law. They also deliver a wide range of tools and solutions to reduce the waste of food such as a dashboard that shows how much food we throw out, and they are equally committed and full of ideas on how to reduce the waste of food.
How will this affect the prizes in the canteen?
The price of the food will go up a little bit, but not much. All canteen operators have raised their prices since our last tender due to the inflation and organic food also cost more. As already mentioned, they have also been asked to deliver tools and solutions on how to minimize the waste of food which cost something too. However, they plan to run a concept every afternoon named “Empty the buffet” where all remaining food will be sold at a reduced prize. This is also to minimize food waste.
Will the canteen still serve breakfast and convenience such as candy and cake?
Yes, there will still be served breakfast every morning - and cakes, coffee, candy, sodas, and other convenience products. We are also planning to expand the convenience part. One of the plans is to build a web shop where staff and students can order food to bring home during the day, and then they can pick it up in the afternoon. I am personally looking very much forward to be able to buy and bring home a healthy meal for dinner. However, we will all have to wait a bit for that to be implemented. We are taking one step at the time, and you will hear more about that and of many of our other plans later.