According to a study on university cafeteria pricing throughout the country, prices at the Refter are more expensive than the national average. A cup of soup, cappuccino, or bottle of water is more expensive in Nijmegen than in other cities.

Homemade soup for 1.95 euros. This may sound like a fair deal, but it is far from cheap when compared to prices at other institutions. A study of eight Dutch university cafeterias indicated that a bowl of soup at Radboud University is the most expensive of the bunch.

For contrast: Maastricht University or the TU Delft charge 0.85 and 0.95 euros, respectively. And keep in mind that this concerns the small bowl size; a large bowl in the Refter costs as much as 2.45 euros.

Sixteen products

It’s not just soup; other Refter products also tend to be more expensive than their counterparts in other cities. This is according to a study by Groningen university’s magazine UKrant, which cooperated with various other magazines to investigate food and drink prices at nine campus cafeterias. The study compared the pricing of sixteen different products.

Out of those sixteen products, seven were more expensive than average in the Refter. Four were about average, and the remaining five were cheaper than average. For example, a bottle of mineral water is 2.20 euros in the Refter, compared to 1.45 at the University of Amsterdam and 1.40 at Tilburg University.

Additionally, Panama’s cappuccino is also on the pricy side. A cup will cost you 2.35 euros in Nijmegen, while the same cup only costs 1.90 euros at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the University of Groningen. However, a cappuccino from the machine does cost the same as the national average.

Veggie kroket

Fortunately, the Refter is not more expensive across the board. A (veggie) kroket costs a little less than the national average of 2.07 euros. That is significantly lower than Groningen or Tilburg, where the same fried snack costs 2.20 and 2.30 euros.

‘We don’t want to encourage people to buy plastic bottles’

Rens Janssen, the head of Food and Beverage at Radboud University, responded to the news of high pricing by indicating that purchasing- and personnel costs have gotten more expensive lately. ‘However, we strive to keep the prices as low as possible’, Janssen says. Additionally, quality should also be a factor in the study, rather than just pricing. ‘Otherwise, the study doesn’t tell the whole story’, according to Janssen.

‘The relatively high price for a bottle of water is intentional’, Janssen continues. ‘There are several free taps on campus, including in the Refter. We don’t want to encourage people to buy plastic bottles.’ Janssen would rather see students and employees opt for more sustainable alternatives.

Combo deal

As a final point, the study calculated the price of a full meal, consisting of soup, an apple, and a deluxe sandwich. Radboud University came in 7^th place in the rankings, at 9.70 euros. With this price, they are just barely beating out Groningen (9.95 euros) and Utrecht (10.70). The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam was the cheapest: students could get a full meal for 7.49 euros.

However, it should be pointed out that the Refter does offer several combo deals for meals, which can lower the price. That is why the calculations are incorrect, according to Janssen. ‘The study tallies the prices for single items.’ For instance, the combo deal for a bowl of soup and a sandwich combined costs 3.95 euros. ‘Add that to a piece of fruit (0.80 euros) and a cola (2.20 euros) and you land at 6.95 euros, which would make us the cheapest of them all. The addition of a deluxe sandwich would only bring us up to 8.25 euros.’

Translated by Jasper Pesch