By Esmée Zuiker
Cirfood, the current caterer of the canteen, will leave AUC as of 1 January 2027, when the company’s contract with UvA and HvA Facility Services expires. This leaves the future of the AUC canteen uncertain. The Facility Services, together with AUC and other parties, are exploring new caterers and alternative catering initiatives, but so far nothing has been settled.
The contractual developments between the Facility Services and Cirfood were covered in January of this year by Folia. The article explained that Facility Services has put forward a new vision that seeks more agency over the catering. This new vision is also intended to pave the way for new, smaller, local businesses. From 2027 onwards, these businesses can enter into a “concessieovereenkomst” (concession agreement) with UvA and HvA, giving them the right to sell on campus while remaining responsible for their own profits.
Recently, the UvA announced it will again work with Cirfood but under a different contract, with the catering company acting as “regiepartner” (coordinating partner). In this new role, Cirfood will be responsible for the selection and quality of catering offered, as well as for supervising the different local businesses.
For ten years, under Cirfood’s now expiring contract, the company also provided the catering at AUC. Ingrid van Loon, AUC’s Head of Operations and Finances Department, explains that AUC paid for this indirectly. “The canteen is allocated to UvA Facility Services”, and so AUC pays them “an annual contribution calculated on the basis of the number of students and staff members at AUC”, she clarifies. This is different from the rest of the Academic Building (including the classrooms, offices and general spaces) for which AUC pays UvA an annual amount per square metre.
Consequently, Van Loon mentions that the responsibility for organising new catering lies primarily with UvA Facility Services. “They have the necessary expertise and have established a dedicated project team to manage the tendering process for the new catering arrangements,” she states. At the same time, she points out that AUC still has some limited influence over the process, saying that “several opportunities for students and staff to provide input, including through surveys”, and that they “continue to raise AUC’s specific needs”.
What is particular about AUC’s canteen is that it has been operating at a loss. Van Loon explains that it is difficult to provide “a financially viable restaurant at AUC” because it is “a relatively small location compared to larger UvA campuses”. Nevertheless, she clarifies that she does not have information “about the precise extent of these losses or the extent to which this has affected the search for a new catering provider”. Cirfood itself did not respond to requests for comments on the financial situation of the AUC canteen.
Cirfood’s departure also affects AUC’s current cafeteria staff. Employees say they have no information about the canteen’s future, as they will leave AUC along with their employer. Given their permanent contracts with the company, they expect to be reassigned elsewhere within Cirfood, but the company has not yet communicated with them about this. As one employee puts it: “I don’t know anything about it; we’ll just have to wait and see.”*
Separately, changes to the broader catering provision are planned. Looking beyond the canteen, Van Loon says that “part of the current [canteen] offering will be replaced by fresh food vending machines” and that “the UvA’s contract with coffee supplier MAAS is also ending”, which means that new coffee machines will also be installed. She highlights that “it is possible that not all of the new facilities will be operational during the first few months of 2027”, as it is “a large and complex UvA (and HvA)-wide transition”.
She further mentions that “Facility Services is developing a concept provisionally referred to as the ‘shared lunch table’. Staff and students would sign up one day in advance, after which a communal lunch would be provided. The precise details are still being worked out, but the current idea is to offer items such as sandwiches, soup and salad.”
“Very recently, and following an urgent request from AUC, Facility Services has also indicated that it is willing to work with us on a pilot involving De Nieuwe Mensa,” Van Loon indicates. De Nieuwe Mensa is a non-profit, student-led initiative that prepares fresh vegan meals with the aim of being more affordable. Van Loon says that “both Facility Services and De Nieuwe Mensa are willing to explore the possibility”, and that “the Student Council will be invited to contribute ideas and discuss whether students could play a role in the pilot”.
When asked about their vision for the future of catering at AUC, the Student Council states that they are “committed to making sure that food and snacks remain accessible to students and staff in the AB canteen”. “Cirfood leaving potentially opens up opportunities for more healthy and affordable options,” they point out.
According to Van Loon, De Nieuwe Mensa is currently “the most promising alternative”. She says she hopes that the initiative will succeed, but also emphasises that “there are still several practical and organisational issues to resolve, so the pilot is not yet guaranteed to go ahead”.
Van Loon concludes: “At present, one thing is certain: the existing [canteen] will not return in its current form.”
*This quote was translated from Dutch by Esmée Zuiker
