The Restaurant Supervision Committee: guardian of quality catering
The Restaurant Supervision Committee (CSR) 1 plays a central role in everyday life at CERN: ensuring high-quality, accessible catering services across all the Organization's sites. Its work relies on a combination of technical expertise, active listening to clients, and a strong sense of collective commitment.
A year of transformation
The past year has seen several major projects, foremost among them the modernization of Restaurant R2. Carried out between December 2024 and April 2025, this initiative aimed to bring the kitchen infrastructure into compliance with recommendations from SCAV (Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs Service) inspections, as well as fire safety and evacuation audit requirements. The renovations targeted sensitive areas such as the cold room, delivery dock, and ground floor equipment.
This work was managed pragmatically, maintaining essential services like breakfast and lunch without interruption, while temporarily relocating VIP services. Transparent communication and appropriate logistics ensured service continuity without significant disruption.
Rigorous monitoring of the provider
At the same time, the Committee maintained close oversight of the service provider’s performance. Attendance, food quality, and financial balance are all monitored through a continuous improvement approach. This constant vigilance ensures services remain align with the expectations of the CERN community and fully compliant with contractual obligations
Special attention is given to pricing policy, structured into three categories:
- “Contracted” Prices (Menus 1 and 2, vegetarian, vegan): subject to strict indexation.
- “Controlled” Prices (grill items, pizzas): also indexed, with some flexibility.
- “Free” Prices (special menus, hamburgers, etc.): freely set by NOVAE, with room for adjustment.
For 2025, negotiations resulted in a balanced compromise: no increase for Contracted and Controlled prices, and a limited 5% rise for Free prices. This result reflects sustained dialogue between the CSR, CERN Management, the Staff Association (SA), and the provider.
Inappropriate behaviour and incivility
Beyond logistical and financial issues, the CSR has also alerted to a worrying trend: a rise in inappropriate behaviour and incivility towards the catering personnel.
These incidents directly impact the well-being of catering teams, in a setting where service quality largely depends on engagement and motivation of those person.
In response, the CSR has encouraged the provider to systematically document all such incidents and report them promptly. This approach aims to objectify the situations, understand their causes, and implement targeted action to prevent recurrence.
The SA reminds everyone that respect and courtesy must remain the norm in all catering areas and calls for collective awareness. Smooth operations also depend on the quality of human interactions.
A new service in development: on-site mini-market
Among the projects supported this year is the creation of a mini-market to enhance local service offerings. Located in the former Post Office and adjacent UNIQA office space, this new area will cater to clients' daily needs.
Beyond operational aspects, the Committee also engaged in deeper thinking about the future of catering at CERN. This reflection was enriched by an inspiring presentation from EPFL, which shared its experience with a similar project on its campus. This openness to other models highlights the CSR’s ambition to broaden its perspective and adopt best practices in collective catering.
The active and constructive involvement of all Committee members contributes to the quality of exchanges and the relevance of decisions taken.
The Staff Association’s role within the CSR
The CSR is a joint working subgroup of the Standing Consultation Committee (SCC), composed equally of representatives from Management — currently chaired by C. Saitta — , Staff Association , along with one representative from the Medical service, and one from HSE. It reflects a diversity of viewpoints and a commitment to collective interest.
The SA plays an active role, through its representatives A. Rey, M. Jaussi, C. Delamare, and P. Koppenburg (as Users' representative). Their presence ensures that CERN personnel concerns are directly voiced within decision-making bodies.
The SA contributes to analysing consumers feedback, evolving the food offer, and promoting a vision of catering that integrates well-being, sustainability, and fairness.
Towards more sustainable, client-focus catering
The CSR’s mission goes beyond day-to-day management: it it is also a space for innovation. Menu revisions to better meet nutritional and cultural expectations, improving flow in queues, optimizing spaces—each initiative aims to adapt services to CERN’s ever-evolving environment and community needs.
A collective commitment
Through its oversight role, commitment to quality, and open dialogue with all stakeholders, the Restaurant Supervision Committee truly embodies the strength of collective action in service of the common good.