The decision was not communicated. However, it is not without consequence for the students of the Harpe campus. The rumor that swelled in the ranks of the Staps sector has proven to be founded. On June 30, the northern campus of Rennes will see its university restaurant close its doors permanently. Less than a month from the deadline, the Crous Bretagne has just confirmed the closure of the restaurant U in favor of a real estate project intended to accommodate a student residence. The administration explains that “development studies are underway” to design housing instead of the restaurant U as part of the State-region plan. A real need in the face of the housing crisis. But was it necessary to close the UK so quickly when no construction should start for several years? The Crous explains that the Rennes-2 restaurant “has not seen major investments” in recent years “which makes it difficult to operate”. Five hundred to 700 people come to eat there during the school term.
On the side of the students, it is disappointment and anger that prevail. A petition was even launched. A regular of the place is surprised for example by the timing chosen by the Crous to decide on this closure. “This decision has been taken for several months, but falls now, while the academic year is over, and there are almost no more students,” she asks. The Crous wants to be reassuring and reminds that students will be able to go to the restaurant U Le Métronome “and take advantage of a new dining room, with its own distribution line”.
Should they run there?
A first problem arises: the journey time of just over ten minutes on foot when the students do not have much time. With a touch of irony, we could advise them to go running (since they are in Staps). It is especially the endless queue that raises questions. “It’s going to be complicated,” testifies a student. In a context of inflation, attendance at Restos U has exploded in recent years. Three million meals were served in 2022 in Brittany alone. To respond to concerns, the development of a “Crous Market” is planned at La Harpe. Eventually, the university plans to move the Staps course to the Villejean campus. But there too, this should not take place for several years.
The good news is that a catering structure will be open every evening on each of the three campuses of Rennes centre, Villejean and Beaulieu. A recurring request that will allow students to eat at the social rate of 3.30 euros and 1 euro for scholarship holders.