Xavier Leroux, president of the University of Toulon, reminds us: the city of Toulon is, and wants to be, a student city. For this, measures are taken toimprove reception structures. The latest concerns the university restaurant (RU) on the Toulon-Porte d’Italie campus which, with its 182 seats, was no longer suitable for 4,000 law school students.
Since its closure for work last April, food-trucks were installed at the entrance to the building. The Escarpe finally reopened in October, then was inaugurated on December 16 in the presence of the main funders: the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, the Crous Nice-Toulon and the Métropole Toulon Provence Méditerranée.
In total, 800 000 euros were invested to renovate the place which now has a capacity of 294 seats, or 500 places at the rate of two services per day. A necessary investment to see, from midday, the line of students parking at the restaurant doors.
A response to the increase in attendance
« Attendance at university restaurants has increased by 10% each year since 2020. This growth puts our teams under daily pressure and wears out the buildings that need to be renovated. », Explains Bénédicte Durand, president of the National Center for University and School Works (Cnous). An influx which can be explained, in part, by the creation of one-euro meals for scholarship or precarious students since the Covid crisis (see box). They represent half of the meals served at the Nice-Toulon academy.
This increase in demand necessitated a rearrangement of the kitchens. Modern cold rooms have been installed and a refrigerated trash room has been created to promote waste management.
Resto U in Toulon: a place to eat… and welcome
While the campus located in the city center suffers from a lack of space, the Escarpe has been designed for a diversified use: in addition to a catering center, it becomes, every afternoon, a place of exchange and work. The long aligned tables provide a setting conducive to study and concentration.
Emmanuel Roux, deputy rector for higher education, research and innovation of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur academic region, is delighted:
« This restaurant will improve student living conditions, which is important since student well-being contributes to academic success. »
“If the one-euro meal were to be generalized, we would need additional resources”
During her trip to Toulon, Bénédicte Durand, president of the National Center for University and Social Work, first visited the Dumont d’Urville student residence, before inaugurating the Escarpe university restaurant.
Le Var Information: Why such a trip to Toulon?
Bénédicte Durand: I chair the Cnous, whose mission is to coordinate the action of the 26 Crous in the region. I consider that this mission is carried out by meeting the teams in order to understand their daily problems. Visiting university communities, in their city and in their complete ecosystem, also adds quality to the Cnous’s action. Since taking office at the start of the year, I have visited all the Crous de France, a tour which I completed last week. All sites are important, not just those where central services are located.
Socialist deputies had proposed the generalization of the one-euro meal. You had reservations about this. For what ?
Responsibility for the one-euro meal for everyone falls to the State because it finances and compensates the Crous network to the nearest euro. Today, this distribution of meal for one euro is conducted on the basis of social criteria.
In the event of generalization, attendance would increase. This means a longer lunch break and more space in our already saturated restaurants. We would also need to re-discuss the ability of our teams to accommodate this additional attendance. The conditions in which they work reach a limit which is already strong. If the one-euro meal were to become widespread, we would need additional resources.
What is the biggest project in 2025 for the Cnous?
It is twofold: firstly an HR project, with attention to the tension in which the catering teams find themselves faced with the increase in attendance at our university restaurants. There is also the rehabilitation project. We are inaugurating a renovated restaurant: this idea of the quality of the building, the quality of the places where students are welcomed is a priority. The construction of our restaurants and the rehabilitation of our residences is truly the major project of the coming year.
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