The canteen closes at two, evening classes start at six. In between and afterwards, many campuses have only a crisp machine. This page is about the buildings where students attend lectures and study, and about the staff who work there all day. For where they live, there is the page on student accommodation.
A campus runs on a timetable that does not match the canteen’s hours. Lectures start early, practicals overrun, evening classes begin when the canteen is already shut, and during exams students stay in the library until closing. In halls of residence the same happens in the evening; see smart fridge for student accommodation.
Between two classes there is often only a quarter of an hour. Anyone heading to the canteen then queues or finds the door locked. What fits in such a short break is covered in short lunch break.
| Moment | Who is there | What is open now |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching day, around midday | Students and staff | The canteen, with a queue |
| Late afternoon and evening classes | Working students, lecturers | Usually nothing |
| Exam period | Students in the library, until late | The canteen with reduced hours |
| Holidays | Staff, researchers | Little or nothing; restocking is scaled back |
A cabinet next to the canteen sells mostly at the hours around it, so the canteen loses little. In the holidays, restocking is scaled back or paused.
Every point that applies makes a cabinet pay off sooner. If you recognise only two or fewer, we would rather suggest a smaller set-up.
Lecture hours, evening classes, exam periods and holidays next to the canteen’s hours.
On the route between lecture theatres and library, within the building’s opening hours.
Set for students and staff, with vegetarian, vegan, halal and kosher as standard.
Restocking that follows the academic year, scaled back when the building empties.
Students watch the price, and whatever is too expensive stays in the cabinet. So set prices to suit the people buying. Vegetarian, vegan, halal and kosher are part of the standard range; what makes a vegetarian meal a full one is covered in vegetarian meals, and what halal means in a cabinet in halal vending.
Payment is by bank card or app, or with a badge if the institution wants to link one. How that works is covered in paying at a smart fridge.
Hardly, if it is placed well. Lunchtime stays with the canteen. In practice the cabinet sells mostly early in the morning, late in the afternoon and in the evening, the hours when the canteen is closed.
The cabinet can be linked to a badge. Whether that works with your student card is something to discuss; we do not promise it here. Anyone can pay by bank card or app.
Set prices to suit the people buying and adjust the range to what actually sells. If the institution wants to contribute, that can be done per product, for example on fresh meals or water.
Restocking is scaled back or paused, just as occupancy is. Agree the rhythm of the academic year, with exams and holidays, with whoever restocks from the start.
That depends on your rules about food in the library. Often the corridor or the room next door is a better spot. Anyone studying late still has it close by, and the food stays away from the books.
Eight short questions about your campus, your hours and your users. We tell you whether a cabinet next to the canteen makes sense.
Takes about 90 seconds · no obligation · no contact details until the last step