October 2005
Help Yourself
Canteen culture has arrived in Munich
Watch out waitresses—your days could be numbered. Yes, a new trend appears to be emerging on Munich’s gastro scene, which could have a damaging impact on the pockets of hundreds of city students—the self-service canteen. In the space of just a few months, two new (and, it has to be said, pretty stylish) eateries have decided to do away with service staff and leave the fetching of food to the diners.
You could see this two ways: either you’re in the “what’s the point of eating out if I can’t be waited on hand and foot?” camp or you heave a sigh of relief at the thought of not having to suffer at the hands of grumpy waitresses, not having to wonder how much is a respectable amount to tip and not having to sit there for ages before you pay, waving your hand in the air like a lunatic trying to get the attention of somebody, anybody…
Before you do cast judgment though, it would seem right to give the two pioneering outlets a shot. The first I headed to was gast, in Gasteig. This is one slick operation. It’s modern, without being in your face—although the spacey lounge / bar area with white leather and purple neon lights is almost like something out of a toothpaste commercial.
But to the food… Upon entering, guests receive a plastic chip card, which serves as a sort of credit card. Simply hand it in when you order at one of the three cooking stations—choose from a selection of pasta, pizza or salad in one of four price bands, ranging from € 5 to € 8—and the amount will be registered on the chip. Although you could theoretically stand and watch your dinner be prepared—every dish is made from scratch—gast management like their gadgets. Once you’ve ordered, you receive another chip (this time it’s black and circular with a red LED), which will flash when your food is ready to be picked up. At the end of the meal, simply hand in the card as you leave, and it’ll tot up your evening’s spend and produce a bill. Nifty. Indeed, to listen to Marc Übelherr, the man behind the whole concept, and he’d have you think he’d just invented the wheel: “Munich’s never seen anything like it… this is a concept for the future…” Without wanting to pour water on his bonfire, I can’t help thinking that there are hundreds of corporate canteens across town that work in exactly the same way and have been doing so for as long as anyone can remember. But even if he didn’t exactly invent the idea himself, Übelherr can at least be credited with applying it to a problem that occurs the world over when culture and cuisine collide: pre- and post-performance rushes. Yes, though there are advantages of running a restaurant in a venue such as Gasteig, i.e. you know exactly when to expect people before and after a concert, the downside sees a rush of up to 200 people, expecting to be served within 10 minutes. “This way, it spreads the whole thing out,” says Übelherr. “People don’t end up waiting around for a long time—if they see there’s a line for pizza, they can go and get a salad or a drink. And, as a result, they’re a lot more relaxed when they go to the concert.”
But gast is far more than just a hot spot for concert goers. It has already succeeded in attracting a large chunk of the general public, both for lunch and in the evening. “People want quality for less money,” says Übelherr. “And that’s what we’re offering at gast.”
In fact, though it’s all too easy to focus on the concept alone, the food is extremely good. Ingredients are fresh, portions are sizeable and you get the feeling some thought and care has gone into the whole thing. “We made and tasted about 900 pizzas, just to get the crust right,” says Übelherr passionately. “I must have put on about 10 kilos that week.” As well as the basics, though, a creative touch is apparent—anyone for pasta with mint, ginger and cherry tomatoes, five aroma basmati rice or pizza with smoked duck breast, radicchio and truffle oil? And all for € 8 or less. The fact that Übelherr is able to offer such reasonable prices is not down to the savings made on service staff: “it balances out—we need more people in the kitchens.” No, it’s down to his lateral thinking. Taking a leaf out of the book of English celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who opened a restaurant using 15 unemployed youngsters, whom he trained as chefs, Übelherr, too, has steered clear of cooks with experience, which has significantly cut his costs. “We’ve taken on people who might have been unemployed, or worked in a supermarket and trained them ourselves,” he says. And, as with Jamie, it seems to have worked a treat.
If ever proof were needed that self-service has been well and truly accepted by even the upper echelons of
Münchner society, look to
Vapiano. With outlets in two prime locations—the Fünf Höfe and the Schrannenhalle—there is no question that canteen culture has arrived. Unlike gast, you may find yourself standing around slightly longer here—they’ve yet to pick up on the flashing “come and get it” chips. Instead, you line up at the cooking station, order your pasta, pizza or salad, and watch the chef prepare it, asking questions as he goes: “how do you like your meat? Is that with garlic?” and so on. Again, dishes come in the same four price bands as at gast—ranging from € 5 to € 8. Our fusilli con manzo e ruccola was nicely done—although the chef did initially forget the ruccola and I had the feeling someone had been slightly heavy-handed with the wine when preparing the marinade. Indeed, there are things that need ironing out, possibly due to the fact that it is such a big operation. Maybe Mr Übelherr needs to pay them a visit…
