Student Restaurant Survey: The results are in!

18-12_mensenumfrage

Customer satisfaction increases further: Studentenwerk Leipzig releases results of the student restaurant and cafeteria customer satisfaction survey

The results of the student restaurant and cafeteria customer satisfaction survey conducted in December 2018 are here. One observation: The overall satisfaction of our customers increased compared with the results from the 2015 survey. A good 48% of our customers are regular guests in our student restaurants and cafeterias, as they eat there at least three times a week. Another conclusion is that the respondents take their diet more serious; compared to the survey conducted in 2015, the importance increased further. Consequently, more and more of our customers have a vegetarian or vegan diet, as the overview of the current diet types shows:

  • 24% meat eaters (2015: 27%)
  • 49% flexitarians (2015: 51%)
  • 18% vegetarians (2015: 16%)
  • 7% vegans (2015: 4%)
  • 2% other (2015: 2%)

We are well prepared for this trend: Every day, in all student restaurants and most cafeterias, at least one vegetarian dish as well as a wide range of vegetarian snacks, salads and desserts are available; in our bigger student restaurants we offer vegan dishes, too. Our vegan in-house bakery produces fresh pastries on a daily basis for multiple facilities. Overall, an increased number of vegetable and other snacks without butter (vegan) are being prepared. Additionally, Veggie-Days take place quarterly in all student restaurants. Regional and seasonal produce as well as sustainability in production are also increasingly important criteria for the respondents – as they are for us. Among other things, we have been sourcing fish from sustainable fisheries for years; we exclusively offer tea and coffee from fair trade and do not process genetically modified food.

However, the respondents requested changes, we unfortunately cannot implement. The noise level and lack of space in big facilities were critisised. In smaller facilities respondents requested an equally wide range of products as there is in our bigger facilities. We know of these wishes and understand them well; unfortunately the structural conditions prevent us from making changes. In some of our smaller facilities, there is not enough space in the kitchen to enhance the offer. Beyond that, we hope that the above-average number of guests at student restaurant Mensa am Park will slightly decrease after the student restaurant on the medical campus (Mensa am Medizincampus) on Liebigstraße reopens.

Studentenwerk Leipzig will now draw conclusions from this customer satisfaction survey in order to implement possible measures for the upcoming winter semester.

The customer satisfaction survey was conducted in December 2018. About 6,000 students and university employees of all eight universities and academies covered by Studentenwerk Leipzig took part. The customers were to evaluate Studentenwerk Leipzig's student restaurants and cafeterias with regard to offer, service and location.
The survey is based on the preliminary surveys conducted in 2012 and 2015 and allows to show not only customer potential but also changes and trends in the primary target group (students). In the current survey, the respondents gave significantly better ratings than in 2015, particularly in terms of product range and service.