Lousy school meals in Munich make parents despair: serious allegations against the city

Created: 08/05/2022, 20:38

Lousy canteen: A quarrel has broken out over the school lunch at the Oskar-von-Miller-Gymnasium (symbolic photo).

© Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert

School meals in Munich are consistently bad, which according to parents and tenants is due to the city of Munich's restrictive contracts.

Spicy: The town hall canteen is not subject to these constraints.

Munich – At the Oskar-von-Miller-Gymnasium, the canteen operator is changing for the coming school year, also because students and parents are not satisfied with the quality of the food.

School management and the parents' council see a "systemic problem" - and accuse the city of Munich of enriching itself at the expense of the students.

Parents raise serious allegations against the city of Munich

Everything is clearly regulated by law, says one side.

The city wants to enrich itself at the expense of the students, says the other.

One thing is certain: a serious dispute has broken out about the operation of the canteen at the Oskar-von-Miller-Gymnasium in Schwabing.

In fact, the matter seems quite simple.

The contract with the previous food provider at the school has expired, and a new operator will take over at the beginning of the coming school year.

The school management and parents' council quickly agreed on a preferred candidate: "BrotUndKaffee GmbH" owned by the Munich school catering wholesaler Günther P. Sporrer.

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"Gag contracts" of the city of Munich for canteen operators

However, the accusation against the city is now: By insisting that the administration is “stiff and rigid” on a standard lease agreement for canteen operators, it is generally making it impossible to provide high-quality food for the students.

The previous canteen situation at the Oskar-von-Miller-Gymnasium is no longer acceptable, the school management and parents' council agree.

The food is carelessly "slapped on the plate", the students are logically not enthusiastic, so a lot is thrown away, complains headmistress Angelika Schneider.

Bad grades for school lunch 'disappointing quality of food'

Parents' council Stefan Sippelll speaks of "the disappointing quality of the food" that is served to the children during the lunch break, and adds: "Under the general conditions specified by the city, however, it seems that the canteen operators are hardly able to serve anything better than this munch .” The obvious solution: Change the canteen operator and everything will be better – at least that's what you would think.

But it just doesn't seem that easy.

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The "BrotUndKaffee GmbH" is already responsible for the break catering at several secondary schools in Munich - the parents are impressed that the food is "worlds better" than before at the Oskar-von-Miller-Gymnasium, enthuses Schneider.

In the future, the students should be able to put together their own dish, like at a buffet, and no longer have to choose between two ready-made alternatives.

The Oskar-von-Miller-Gymnasium in Munich Schwabing is still a construction site.

© Bodmer

The city of Munich demands sales rent in schools – but not in the town hall canteen

In order for the new operator to be able to get on board, however, he must first sign a contract with the city – which in reality has the effect of a “gag contract”, as Sippell's parents' council believes.

In addition to specifications, such as the number of dishes offered, he obliges the operator to pay a turnover lease to the city.

And here lies the biggest problem.

Sporrer calculates that he charges 4.50 euros for lunch.

The value added tax goes away from this anyway, plus five percent sales rent.

In the end, about 3.50 euros remained, from which he had to pay for goods and staff.

"The calculation simply doesn't add up." The almost inevitable result at the schools: "bad food, frequent changes of tenants, dissatisfied parents".

But the city closes its eyes to the situation, says Sporrer: "They're building walls and saying they don't care." City canteens, such as the city hall canteen, are allowed to be operated lease-free.

Principal Schneider sees this as a “systemic problem”.

Consensus: The city does not want to give up its rental income and accepts poor care for the students.

City of Munich rejects criticism

When asked about the allegations, the Department for Education and Sport (RBS) refers to “fundamental lease conditions” that cannot simply be changed.

The city council is responsible for this.

In addition, there are “numerous examples at city schools that show that school canteens can be operated economically even under the current conditions”.

Nevertheless, the RBS is aware of a "tension" between quality on the one hand and cost pressure for the canteen operators on the other.

And now?

The school management and parents' council of the Oskar-von-Miller-Gymnasium have set up a "round table" with the city administration to "redesign the framework".

According to the RBS, they will not close their minds to this.

Food supplier Sporrer wants to “probably” sign the lease for the canteen for the coming school year.

At the same time, however, he is working towards a representation of the interests of the school canteen tenants - "because things are crying out for a fundamental change".