At the start of every semester we offer a free tour of the largest canteens. For those interested in looking behind the scenes of your Mensa, please register for a tour.
We are sorry having to cancel this summers canteen tours!
Glass, steel, concrete: Built in the early 1960s, Mensa Rempartstrasse stands as a typical building of the Post-Bauhaus conservational architecture.
Every year about 1.1 Million guests eat around 88 tons of meat, 200 tons of vegetables and salad, 40 tons of noodles and 60 tons of milk products.
What is a typical day in Mensa Rempartstraße like?
Heads Up!: The photos get bigger when clicked!
(Photos from Natalie Becker and Robin Gommel, www.3cimages.de)
The day begins early. Fresh food begins being delivered at 7:00. Local products from local markets are preferred. Therefore seasons play a big role in the planning of which dishes will be served.
Right after delivery, all of the food is moved into the production room or in to the freezer. The biggest part of production is worked on in the morning after arrival, for example: About 15 helpers are up in the morning hours cleaning vegetables for lunch.
In the Mensa our cooks cook food in "Chargen" or batches, which means the food is cooked throughout the day in relatively small batches, depending on the demand for that period of time. As the first students are receiving their meals, the next “Charge” of meals for the next wave of students is already being cooked. Ideally, the next Charge should be ready right as the previous Charge begins to run out. In doing so, the cooking process during lunch runs smoothly and the students are always served freshly cooked food.
Our cutting edge technology (such as the newest combi-steamers) helps to shorten the cooking time and quicken preparation. Even the sauces are made from scratch everyday thanks to the help of the big mixer (in Kitchen-jargon "elephant trunk"). And our potato puree? Also home-made!
Between 11:30 and 2:00 students pour in to the cafeteria. Lunch time! We also cater to variety: There is always a dish with and without meat in the main line, which come with sides. There is also a „Daily Dish“, „Quick Dishes“ for those in a hurry, currywurst and schnitzel to change things up, salad buffets, and also even more choices in the Bistro. In the Bistro, one can decide for themselves how big they would like their portion to be. Here, the price of your food depends on the weight: Salad, pasta, food fresh from the wok and grill, and bio-food.
Modern technology makes everything possible. Trays holding the dirty dishes are chauffeured on the transportation bands through the inside of the cafeteria and are eventually sent through the green-lit transportation towers and in to the basement. Afterwards they ride a curvy road and into one of the two large dish washers. Throughout their journey, all of the trays are monitored by our staff. Should there be a problem along the “road”, the staff must quickly fix the situation before the trays and dishes begin to pile up!
The dishes and cuttlery is transportet on a conveyor belt in the machine. The cuttlery is pulled up by a magnet and cleaned separatley. Then, everything "drives" into the machine and leaves the machina magically cleaned and dried. Now everything is stacked on dish wagons und taken back to the serving station. Every plate is used up to 4 times each Mensa day.
After dinner time is before dinner time. And the guest rightly expect a clean Mensa every day. There are high standards and rules for cleaning the kitchens and dining halls - even regarding the cleaning supplies and the process. The whole building is cleaned completely every day under these standards.
Even in the evening the stoves of the Mensa Rempartstraße are hot. From Monday to Friday between 5.30 PM and 7 PM the Mensa team is providing freshly cooked dinner. Every time with a vegetarian option.
The MensaGarden is offering a place to relax in the summer months. You can meet friends or looking at the sunset. Freiburg youngest inner city beer garden was introduced in 2006 especially for students and is offering beer, small snacks and a lot of culture. For example, you can see Open Air Movies at the Freiburger Filmfest each July.
After renovation a new foyer was introduced; suited for all kinds of cultural events. Different events are taking place in the MensaBar. different Slams, concerts, parties, club evenings - there is something for everyone!
