Sun, Toasties, Tunes and Laughs for 400 University of Melbourne VCA Students
University catering in Southbank, Melbourne
The University of Melbourne has booked Toasta around 40 times. We have catered at Parkville, Southbank and other campuses, and the bookings have come from different faculties with different crowds and different briefs.
This case study covers one of those bookings at the University of Melbourne VCA (the Victorian College of the Arts), the university’s music and theatre campus in Southbank. The brief: feed 400 students in a two-hour window, with a menu to suit every student’s dietary requirements, and bring some good energy to the day. The result was blue skies, good tunes, some of Melbourne’s best toasties and plenty of laughs at the window.
- Client
- University of Melbourne
- Where
- University of Melbourne VCA (Victorian College of the Arts), Southbank
- Crowd
- 400 students
- Service
- 400 toasties in a two-hour window
- Menu
- Reuben with halal beef, and a vegan Mac
- History
- Around 40 bookings across several campuses
University catering in Melbourne: planning for a diverse student body
The University of Melbourne draws students from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures and faiths. In our experience, a campus with a progressive, independent-minded student body also has a higher share of vegans and vegetarians than most crowds. Menu planning starts with those dietary requirements.
Muslim students need halal food, and many Muslim and Jewish students do not eat pork. Many Hindu students do not eat beef, and some do not eat pork either. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free students need options as well. A long menu does not solve this. A short menu that covers each group does.
On the menu
Two toasties were on the menu for the day:
With two dishes, the kitchen could specialise. Each person in the truck had a set job on both toasties, which kept output fast and consistent. A short menu is one of the main ways we keep a queue moving.
Many students told us at the window it was the best toastie they had ever had.
How do you feed 400 students in two hours?
Feeding this many people comes down to planning. That means a tight daily schedule, enough time to prepare before the first student reaches the window, and a kitchen that runs efficiently.
Working to a university budget
University budgets vary from event to event. At an earlier event the budget was tight, so we served half a toastie with a handful of potato crisps on the side. It was different to our usual service, but it fitted the brief and the university was happy to go ahead.
The University of Melbourne VCA had a more comfortable budget, and because they ordered 400 toasties in one booking, we were able to agree a fair deal for the volume. Budgets are always part of the brief, so tell us early and we will shape the menu around it.
Planning an event at another university or school?
If you run events at a university, college or school, this is work we do regularly. We have been in business for nearly 15 years and have catered thousands of events, so we know what works, what does not and how to adjust when plans change on the day. Four hundred is not our limit; we can cater for much larger numbers. Get in touch to talk through your event.
The 30-second version. What: a food truck serving fast, freshly grilled toasties on your campus. Who for: universities, colleges, student unions, faculties and clubs, and the same package suits high schools. Proof: 400 students fed in two hours at the University of Melbourne VCA, around 40 bookings with the University of Melbourne, and events for Monash University, Deakin University, RMIT University, Swinburne University, SAE Education, Victoria University, Federation University. Dietaries: halal, kosher, Hindu-friendly, vegetarian, vegan and gluten free. What you do: give us a date, a campus and a headcount.
How university catering works
- 1Brief us. Campus, date, numbers, budget and who is coming.
- 2We plan it. A menu built for your crowd and a schedule built around your service window.
- 3The truck arrives self-sufficient. It parks, sets up and starts cooking.
- 4Students eat. We pack up and take our rubbish with us.
Questions we get about university catering
Can a food truck cater a university event?
Yes. The University of Melbourne has booked us around 40 times, across several campuses. The truck arrives self-sufficient, serves from the window and takes its rubbish away with it, so your events team has one less thing to organise.
How do you feed 400 students in two hours?
By planning the day tightly. We build a schedule with plenty of time to prepare before service, keep the menu short enough for the kitchen to run at full speed, and cook every toastie the same efficient way. At the University of Melbourne VCA we served 400 toasties in a two-hour window.
Can you cater for halal, kosher, vegan and gluten free students?
Yes. We plan university menus around a mixed crowd, including halal, kosher, Hindu-friendly, vegetarian, vegan and gluten free. Tell us who is coming and we will build the menu around them.
Can you work to a tight student event budget?
Yes. University budgets change from event to event, and we shape the menu to suit. When money is tight, one option is a half-size toastie with a handful of crisps on the side.
What is the most people you can feed?
There is almost no ceiling. Four hundred toasties in two hours is not our limit, so tell us your numbers and we will plan for them.
What other universities have you catered for?
Besides the University of Melbourne:
Can you cater for high schools and colleges?
Yes. The same package and style suits high schools and colleges as well as universities.
Do you cater outside Melbourne?
Yes. We cater across Melbourne and right across Victoria, including Ballarat, Bendigo, Daylesford, the Mornington Peninsula, Geelong and the Surf Coast.
How do I get a quote?
Send us your date, campus and expected numbers through our enquiry form and we will come back with a quote and an info pack.
Planning a university event, student orientation or campus celebration? Have a look at our university catering, lunch catering and food truck catering Melbourne pages, or get a quote. We will bring the food.
Feeding a campus crowd?
Tell us your campus, date and numbers, and we’ll plan a menu and a service that suits your students.
Get a quote