Make the new counter a highlight!

Once upon a time, there was a pasta counter in the central canteen. It wanted to be popular, but ... it wasn't. At some point, hardly anyone came.
Then came the saving idea: What if you decide what's cooked at the counter?

Now it's up to you!

Send us your favorite recipe - whether classic or wild, vegetarian, vegan or with meat. If you convince us, you will be invited to a trial cooking session.

Does your dish make it onto the Mensa menu? Then stand at the counter and help serve it.
Maybe it will even be the most popular dish of the month and win a Mensa voucher!

How it works:

1. Submit your recipe

   • via Instagram-DM to @studiwerkmainz or

   • via Website form "Your recipe for the Insta-Counter" (see below or click on link, opens in new window)

2. We will check whether your recipe is suitable for the mensa.

3. We will select the most exciting entries and invite those who have submitted the recipe to try it out

   • If your dish is served in the canteen - you can be there when it is served
   • We will count which dish is sold the most: The most popular dish of the month wins a Mensa voucher

Conditions of participation in keywords

The detailed Conditions of participation and information on data protection can be found at the bottom of the page. Or you can click on the link (opens in new window).

• All students of the universities in Mainz and Bingen (JGU, TH Bingen, HS Mainz) may participate.

• The recipe must be your own or individually modified.

• Mensa suitability

  • No raw animal products, such as eggs or unpasteurized milk. eggs or unpasteurized milk

  • Market freedom: Ingredient must not be available only monopolistically from one manufacturer

  • Ingredients must be free from flavor enhancers/glutamate

  • Ingredients must be available in bulk (gastro checks)

  • Recipe must be able to be prepared in a commercial kitchen (Gastro checks work steps | preparation time | technology | space requirements)

  • Potential for correction (Gastro checks: can work steps be optimized | if necessary Conversion of the preparation method | alternative products due to prices or low availability)

• By submitting your recipe, you agree that we may publish your recipe, your name and any photos as part of the campaign. Legal recourse is excluded.

• The winning dish will be determined by the number of meals sold.

• The prize is a Mensa voucher that cannot be paid out in cash.

Data protection

Your data will be used exclusively for the implementation and communication around the "Insta-Theke | Dein Studi-Rezept" campaign.
You can find all information on the processing of your data in our privacy policy.
By submitting your recipe, you agree to the storage and use of your data as part of this campaign.

Send us an E-Mail to hochschulgastronomie@studierendenwerk-mainz.de or a direct message at @studiwerkmainz!

For the "Insta-Theke | dein Studi-Rezept" campaign: Participation by submitting a recipe is only possible subject to the following conditions of participation.

Please send all questions exclusively by e-mail to the gastronomy department of the Studierendenwerk Mainz hochschulgastronomie@studierendenwerk-mainz.de.

Organizer

Studierendenwerk Mainz, Staudingerweg 21, 55128 Mainz

Time period

We will start collecting recipes on June 17, 2025 and start the test cooking in July. We can test cook during the lecture-free period. During the lecture period, we will probably have to interrupt the trial cooking. There is no deadline for submitting recipes. New recipes can be submitted at any time.

What can you win?

Winning recipes will be selected from all the recipes submitted by enrolled students at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Bingen University of Applied Sciences and Mainz University of Applied Sciences in a multi-stage process.

A trial cooking session, hygiene training and the opportunity to cook the recipes in the central canteen of the Studierendenwerk together with the canteen team on one day and serve them to the guests. The selected recipes will be included in the canteen menu. The Studierendenwerk reserves the right to include other recipes in the menu.

The most frequently sold dishes in a month will be determined. The students who have submitted these will receive a canteen voucher, redeemable in all catering facilities with hot meals of the Studierendenwerk Mainz. The prize is a canteen voucher that cannot be paid out in cash.

Eligible participants/participation

Only enrolled students of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Bingen University of Applied Sciences and Mainz University of Applied Sciences can take part. In the event of progression to the trial cooking, this must be proven by showing the current student ID. We reserve the right to suspend, prematurely terminate or cancel the "Insta-Theke" campaign at any time without giving reasons.

How do I take part?

To take part in the “Insta-Theke-Aktion” , submit a recipe suitable for the canteen, stating a dish title, the calculated number of portions, the required ingredients (including weight), information on preparation and cooking times/temperatures via Insta to @studiwerkmainz or by email using the email address assigned by the respective university to hochschulgastronomie@studierendenwerk-mainz.de or upload your recipe here (see above). Mensa-suitable means above all that the products in a canteen should be free of flavor enhancers/glutamate, the preparation method must be manageable for a canteen kitchen and there must be brand freedom, i.e. the ingredient must not only be available monopolistically from one manufacturer. If you wish, you can attach a photo of the dish (optional). 

Multiple recipes can be submitted per person. It does not matter whether the recipe is a classic or something very creative, vegetarian, vegan or with meat. Participating students guarantee that the content they upload or the content they link to or embed does not violate any applicable laws.

The recipe must be your own or have been individually modified. In particular, the participating students assure that the submitted entries do not contain any insults, discriminatory content, false facts, competition, trademark or copyright infringements. A review by the organizer may take place. The organizer is not liable for the above-mentioned violations; liability lies solely with the participating students. The participating students indemnify Studierendenwerk Mainz against all third-party claims asserted in this context and leave the rights for the publication and use of the recipes as well as the sale of the submitted dishes to the organizers.

Winner identification/notification

Every enrolled student who fulfills the above-mentioned conditions of participation takes part in the "Insta-Theke" campaign. After submission, the recipes will be checked for the above criteria. If ingredients are required that are not currently used by the Studierendenwerk, the Studierendenwerk will check the procurement via the existing suppliers. Recipes that do not meet the criteria will be excluded from the "Insta-Theke" campaign.

Cooks from Studierendenwerk Mainz and students who have submitted the recipe will meet for a trial cooking session. They arrange the date for this bilaterally. The final test is to check the suitability of the food for the canteen. In addition, the taste experience is adapted to the student's wishes so that the recipe tastes authentic later on. A jury decides whether the dish will be included in the "Insta-Theke" menu.

Cooks from Studierendenwerk Mainz and students who have submitted the recipe meet for the trial cooking. They arrange the date for this bilaterally. The final test is to check the suitability of the recipe for the canteen. In addition, the taste experience is adapted to the student's wishes so that the recipe tastes authentic later on. A jury decides whether the dish will be included in the "Insta-Theke" menu.

For the test cooking, the students who cook commit to taking part in a hygiene training course in advance. The costs for this will be covered by Studierendenwerk Mainz.

The number of meals purchased will determine the winning dish of the month. The person who submitted the winning recipe (one per month) will be informed of the prize. By participating in the project, the winner agrees to be contacted during the project period. If the winners do not contact Studierendenwerk Mainz within 10 working days of being notified of their win, the prize will be forfeited.

Data protection

In order to carry out the project, the names of the participating students are recorded and stored by Studierendenwerk Mainz. In addition, the e-mail address and, if applicable, the cell phone number of the participating students are stored. Participants have the right to access or correct their own data. All data will be deleted no later than 1 semester after the end of the project. However, the names of those who have submitted winning recipes may remain online on the websites of the organizers and or their social media channels or in the menus (e.g. “Pauline's Tikka Masala”). The data will not be passed on to third parties. Further information All information on the processing of your data can be found in our privacy policy.

Legal recourse

Participation in the "Insta-Theke" campaign is governed exclusively by the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany to the exclusion of international private law. Legal recourse is excluded.