Unicamp began the biggest reformulation of the restaurant, canteen and street market service system in its recent history. The project begins to be implemented in this first semester and foresees the installation of 13 new restaurants and cafes, which will operate in standardized containers distributed in strategic points on the Barão Geraldo, Limeira and Piracicaba campuses. The new system also includes the installation of self-service machines – so-called vending machines – in 48 points across the three campuses, 42 of which are in Campinas (Barão Geraldo).
The system reformulation program – called Preac by the Administration (Project Network of Food and Social Spaces) – also includes the renovation and revitalization of the space of 12 existing canteens (many deactivated) on the Barão Geraldo campus and the expansion of places reserved for craft and food fairs. The plan has an innovative profile: it was designed so that anyone can be, at most, 250 meters away from a food point.
The self-service machines and the first restaurant and café containers are expected to go into operation in the first half of this year.
The new concept of fairs aims to increase the number of stalls – which will become standardized –, improve sanitary conditions and offer possibilities to stallholders so that the price of the final product is more affordable. This process will include the adaptation of certain spaces and will result in the removal of street vendors and street vendors managed by an agreement with Setec (Serviços Técnicos Gerais), an authority that regulates the use of public land in Campinas.
These street vendors currently operate in the area close to the Hospital de Clínicas (HC). The Administration seeks to give a new purpose to the area, thus meeting a pressing need in the region: the installation of a high-cost pharmacy. The plan also foresees a fair to be installed in a space adjacent to the hospital (visit registration form for a new health fair). The model will be the same as that adopted at other University fairs.
Containers
The Administration says it opted for the container model due to market trends. There is a consensus that the previously adopted system has reached exhaustion, since, in addition to the investments inherent to the business itself, the licensee was still obliged to be responsible for the construction of the physical space. As a result, the return period for the amount invested was too long, often exceeding the concession period or forcing the licensee to charge unfeasible prices. This factor, according to the Administration, kept potential interested parties away.
According to the Administration, licensees who did not go bankrupt had great difficulty even paying their rent.
From now on, the University will be responsible for preparing the project, bidding and installing the equipment. The merchant will have a license to use an already prepared location and the rent will be used to maintain the space.
The Administration defined two models of containers: the one for the restaurant will be 45 m² and the one for the cafe, 15 m². A tender for the acquisition of this equipment was made in January. It is expected that seven modules will be installed in the first phase of the project.
There will be a restaurant at the Faculty of Applied Sciences (FCA), another at IdEA (Institute of Advanced Studies) and a third at the Faculty of Education (FE). In FE, there is already a defined permit holder. The company, hired on January 25th, has 120 days to complete the first installation. The fourth restaurant will be installed in the HC.
Cafes are planned at the Faculty of Dentistry of Piracicaba (FOP), at the Institute of Chemistry (IQ) and at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Urbanism (Fecfau). Another eight will be installed in a second phase.
Canteens and vending machines
A diagnosis carried out by Management revealed that, in most cases, the canteens on the Barão Geraldo campus present structural problems and/or bureaucratic obstacles for new use permissions.
Of 20 existing facilities, there are 12 with documentation problems or in need of renovation. Today, there are only three canteens in operation: the one at the Institute of Biology (IB), the one at the Hospital da Mulher Prof. Dr. José Aristodemo Pinotti (Caism) and the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FCM).
Of the 13 existing ones, 12 will be renovated and one – HC\F1 – cannot be put out to tender and should only operate until April. After the permit holder leaves, the space will house a self-service machine, through which the consumer can help themselves to non-alcoholic drinks, coffee, packaged foods, etc. The University signed the contract with the company responsible for the machines at the end of January.
Fairs
The number of fair points at Unicamp has been increased since 2022 – when there were only two of them under the responsibility of Unicamp. In 2023, the number rose to six and the plan is to have one more establishment, which will operate close to the HC.
This new space, in accordance with the remodeling proposal, foresees the installation of a market on the side of Rua Vital Brasil. The objective is to serve the community that uses the hospital service – relatives, friends or companions of patients. Because of this, the Administration is preparing a notice that will select permit holders capable of offering more affordable prices.
The scope of Preac transcends the reformulation of the concept of fairs, as it expands the supply capacity, significantly increasing the number of stalls.
Unicamp currently has market services at Rua Roxo Moreira, at Ciclo Básico, at HC, at Praça da Paz, at Saturnino and at the Community Health Center (Cecom).
There are 98 tents that provide services at Unicamp. The new fair at Vital Brasil will offer 70 more places. This will be possible because there will be a rotation between service providers, allowing a greater number of merchants to be included.
History
The street vendors and street vendors present in the HC region appeared around five years ago, after an agreement signed between the SVC (Secretariat for Experience in Campuses) and Setec. SVC had recently been created and the agreement was the solution found to regularize street vendors. Until then, there was no control over the activity or what was sold.
Through this agreement, Setec registered stallholders, supervised the activity and charged fees for land use. With the end of the contract, in mid-March, the HC fair will also be managed by the University, according to Preac standards.
Registration for those interested in the new fair (side of Rua Vital Brasil) on the Barão Geraldo campus will be open between March 31st and April 12th, according to news broadcast by the University City Hall. The rules and regulations for participating in the fair can be consulted at City Hall Ordinance No. 2/2023.
