NEW ASSOCIATION: BRING BACK THE UNIVERSITY GRILL

Unigrillens Venner (Friends of the University Grill) is the name of a new association founded in April by staff and students at Aarhus University. The purpose of the association is to re-establish catering at the University Grill – the small yellow building on the corner of Nørrebrogade and Wilhelm Meyers Allé in Aarhus, which has been empty for years. 

On Thursday afternoon, the association gathered in front of the building that housed the University Grill back in the 1990s. And on a golden afternoon, the building was once again enveloped in the delicious smell of grilled sausages. Just like in the good old days.

Olav W. Bertelsen, associate professor at the Department of Computer Science, and Simon Kristensen, professor at the Department of Mathematics, are among the initiators of the association and were both frequent customers at the now-defunct University Grill. 

They think it makes sense to bring back food service to the old grill bar so that students and staff can satisfy their hunger even outside the canteens' opening hours. 

"The location is good here between the University Park and the University City, with the light rail stop right next door. It is also close to the Lakeside Lecture Theatres, where there is no food service, apart from a coffee van that sometimes stops outside," says Olav W. Bertelsen. 

Grill nostalgia

Both he and Simon Kristensen admit that the University Grill evokes a certain amount of nostalgia for them. It was the place to satisfy your hunger with a grilled hot dog on your way home from an evening at TÅGEKAMMERET (The Science and Technology association) or a night out. Or after working late hours at the university. 

"I had dates with my children's mother at the Grill," says Olav W. Bertelsen. 

"But if we look at it objectively, the location is good, and there is a need for a place on campus where you can get food outside of the canteens' opening hours," he says. 

Students see potential

The new association also has members who do not dwell on memories of the past when they see the small yellow building, but who see potential and, not least, an unmet need. 

Rikardt Riis and Arthur Wamberg are both math students and have joined the new association.

"We often sit here far too late and don't have anything to eat, so it would be nice to have a ‘Grill’," they say.

They glance at the smoking folding grill with slightly overcooked sausages in front of them.

“Well, both the lighting and the grilling clearly show that professionals are needed..."

But students before them have also recognised the potential of the small building. Back in 2013, Omnibus spoke with three students who wanted to set up a combined coffee bar and bicycle repair shop in the small yellow building. The profits from the sale were meant to support students' research projects and assignments. At that time, however, the idea had to be put on hold because the area around the building was part of the construction site for the renovation of the Bartholin building and the development of the light rail.

Idea: Bicycle patches and coffee to raise research funding for students (in Danish)

But now the little building is stirring up interest again. In addition to bringing the idea to life with delicious smells this Thursday afternoon, Unigrillens Venner also hopes to spread the concept widely across the Aarhus campus, including making the senior management team aware of it. The management was also invited to the afternoon barbecue, Olav W. Bertelsen assures us, but adds that the management was unable to attend.

This text was machine translated and post-edited by Lisa Enevoldsen