The switch to working from home and online teaching have caused a huge drop in the demand for food at ETH. ETH CFO Robert Perich and Marcel Zurbuchen, who is responsible for partner catering providers, explain the situation with catering facilities and tell us what we can expect at the start of the semester.
Some of the catering facilities at ETH are closed, although they were buzzing before the pandemic, such as Polysnack in the main building. Mr Perich, is this still due to the impact of the pandemic?
Robert Perich: It is unfortunately the case that the catering facilities at ETH are still making far less turnover than before the COVID-19 pandemic. With more people working from home there are fewer employees on campus, and we’re also seeing fewer students than before the pandemic. Added to this is the fact that the events business also saw a huge slump during the pandemic. Events have started to pick up again, but we still have an oversupply in lunch catering.
Marcel Zurbuchen, do you have some approximate figures to illustrate these developments?
Marcel Zurbuchen: Across all 19 catering facilities on the Hönggerberg and Zentrum campuses, turnover halved from 2019 to 2021. There are some considerable differences between the various facilities, however – while the G-ESSbar was all but abandoned and Polysnack's turnover plummeted to 30%, the Clausiusbar and the Tannenbar at the Zentrum were doing well. The CaféBar in the main building also did very well, and RiceUp! on the Hönggerberg is now making a higher turnover than before the pandemic.
At the Zentrum it would appear that lots of ETH members are getting their lunch from third-party suppliers offering fresh pasta, vegan dishes, sushi or Thai food. How are the catering facilities at ETH responding to this competition? And are they keeping pace with the times in general?
Robert Perich: For ETH members, these small caterers are a welcome addition to what they find at ETH. At the Zentrum this also includes the street food stalls on the Polyterrasse, while on the Hönggerberg they play a much bigger role in providing the widest possible selection of food. It is true, however, that the highest demand is for balanced and affordable lunch menus. Here I think we at ETH are keeping pace with the times with over 50% vegetarian and vegan dishes. And, incidentally, we’ve been pursuing the strategy of promoting meat-free dishes for a long time now: since 2013, the Catering Commission has been working with the caterers SV and Compass in close cooperation with ETH Sustainability in an effort to provide the most sustainable offering possible.
Marcel Zurbuchen: Prices on the basic menus were raised in autumn 2021, due among other things to the sharp rise in purchasing prices and increased staff costs. At the same time, this prompted us to differentiate the prices for vegetarian and meat menus in order to consciously promote vegetarian options. The vegetarian menu for students rose by just 5% in price, the meat menu by 21%, and this distinction has been well received by guests.
In recent months, however, there have been noticeably fewer food stalls on the Hönggerberg. And no catering at all after 6 p.m. Were these conscious decisions?
Marcel Zurbuchen: As at the Zentrum campus, we also had to reduce the range on the Hönggerberg in view of the drop in overall demand. If we have street food stalls set up and they don't make any sales, we lose them permanently.
Robert Perich: When it comes to evening options, it was indeed the case that the facilities were no longer making enough turnover after 6 p.m. to even cover their staff costs. Nevertheless, the Alumni quattro Lounge was open in the first half of 2022. In view of the decline in demand, catering services without staff are generally gaining in importance. We therefore set up the Valora shop on Hönggerberg, which is open 24/7, and a pilot is under way in Basel with a new vending machine concept with 24/7 availability.
But what about the catering situation at the start of the semester once the campuses come back to life?
Marcel Zurbuchen: The facilities on the Hönggerberg will be open as usual in the evenings, including the Alumni Lounge, which organises various popular evening events. At the Zentrum, after a two-year break, the food & lab in the CAB building will reopen with a slightly adapted street food concept and will be run by the SV team that were previously responsible for Polysnack.
So that means that Polysnack…
…will remain closed for time being, yes.
Robert Perich: This does mean, however, that we are able to offer students additional workplaces in an attractive location in the Polysnack premises. In the next few months, we’ll work together with the Gastro Commission and the SV to consider how to continue with Polysnack in 2023. The aim will be to reopen for business at the beginning of the spring semester.
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