Students want continental-style coffee shops that offer light snacks and comfy sofas rather than traditional campus cafeterias with their cooked meals and plastic tables, according to a new survey.
The Scolarest Eating on Campus Report 2003, published this month, found one in five students want their college and university canteens replaced with smaller outlets that sell "bean to cup" coffee, made to order sandwiches and baguettes and fresh cakes and pastries.
With the majority of students now eating their main meal of the day at home in the evenings, they want light snacks to nibble on between lectures, the survey found.
The report, which surveyed more than 1,000 students in 45 universities and colleges across the UK, found students visited their campus cafeterias on average three times a week, down from a weekly average of five in 1999.
Although more than half of students said campus food was very good, one in four students complained they could not find what they liked to eat in their canteens, while more than a third of students in London and the south said campus food was bland and demanded more ethnic dishes.
Mike Bond, managing director of Scolarest, which provides catering services to colleges and universities, said students have become more adventurous in their choice of food over the last 10 years.
"I think the report underpins what we know already," he said. "Students are more cosmopolitan about food and drink than ever before. In terms of what is offered to them, they are looking for lots of variety, quality and taste, and probably that reflects what they can find in the high street."
With parents now more likely to take their children to restaurants than a few years ago, students are starting to expect more for their money. "It's not just about food, it's the ambience. They don't want square or hard chairs, they want soft seating and stalls, that sort of thing, which reflects the way they would like to meet their colleagues."
Students listed sandwiches as their favourite lunchtime snack, followed by baguettes and jacket potatoes. Burgers and salads proved least popular. Carbonated drinks, tea, coffee and bottled water proved more popular than alcohol during the day. About 26% of students opted for fizzy drinks, compared to just 4% - mostly first-year males - who wanted alcohol.
The report also found that on average students spend £3.88 a day on meals on campus, with first-years spending the most (on average £4.03) and postgraduates the least (on average £3.65). Students in London and the south west tend to spend the most on food (up to £4.26) compared to students from Scotland and Northern Ireland, who tend to spend an average of £3.43.
More than a third claimed campus food was too expensive, as many students budget to spend no more than £2 a day. Most students said they were more likely to buy their lunch from supermarkets than on campus.
Mr Bond conceded that while price was a factor for students, it would be more of an issue if service was not up to scratch.
"It's up to us to provide real value to students. If you don't, they will go somewhere else," said Mr Bond.
Penny Hollings, secretary of the National Union of Students, said: "We are not surprised by the survey. Students are moving towards snacking as lectures are held any time of day, and some do part-time work. It's about convenience.
"It's also further proof that there is no such thing as the typical student. Students are pigeon-holed with this 'Young Ones' image - they don't survive on Pot Noodles as perhaps the myth goes. They are people who do try to watch what they eat."
