1. What is the business activity of Oy UniCafe Ab?
2. Where can I find current information about the UniCafe restaurants?
3. Which student cards entitle the card owners to meal subsidy in the UniCafe restaurants?
4. What is meal subsidy?
5. When does a year tag entitling the holder to meal subsidy expire?
6. In order to receive the Lyyra discount, does one have to pay with a Lyyra card?
7. Can I be UniCafe’s customer even without a student card?
8. Can luncheon vouchers be used to load money onto a Lyyra card?
9. Can the key deposit be paid in UniCafe restaurants?
10. Can transcript fees be paid in a UniCafe location?
11. Where can one ask about items left behind in a restaurant?
12. Why is the baguette more expensive as a take-away than when eaten on the premises?
13. Why do VAT changes not affect the price of the student lunch?
14. Are any of the UniCafe lunch restaurants open on Saturdays?
1. What is the business activity of Oy UniCafe Ab?
UniCafe’s core business is to support the work of students and the personnel of educational institutes in the Helsinki metropolitan area by providing them with high-quality restaurant services – lunches. The restaurant business is supported by four unique festive restaurants, where diverse events can be organised for companies and organisations. Oy UniCafe Ab forms a part of the business operations of the Student Union of the University of Helsinki.
2. Where can I find current information about the UniCafe restaurants?
Join the UniCafe facebook group and you will hear the latest news and campaigns and you may even want to participate in fun competitions.
The UniCafe restaurants' newsletter, published a few times in spring and autumn, also contains important current information, such as exceptional opening hours and of the restaurants and information on new products. The newsletter is published in finnish. Subscribe to the UniCafe restaurant newsletter and receive it by email >>
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3. Which student cards entitle the card owners to meal subsidy in the UniCafe restaurants?
SYL (universities) and SAMOK (universities of applied sciences) student cards and a meal subsidy card issued by Kela (universities and universities of applied sciences). A customer with a meal subsidy card without a photo issued by Kela must have proof of identity at the cash desk.
If you have not yet received your student card, you are entitled to meal subsidy by providing proof of identity at the restaurant’s cash desk together with a certificate of enrolment and a receipt. Students of the National Defence University are not entitled to meal subsidy, unless they can present one of the above mentioned student cards. Meal subsidy is designed for students studying in institutions of higher education under the administrative sector of the Ministry of Education, who do not have other educational benefits..
Full-time studies in Finland are a prerequisite for meal subsidy. In other words, the student must be able to present at the cash desk either a certificate of enrolment issued by a university or a meal subsidy card issued by Kela. For more information, please contact the Student Services of the University of Helsinki, tel. +358 9 191 22244, neuvonta@helsinki.fi
4. What is meal subsidy?
Meal subsidy in 2012 is EUR 1.84 per meal. The meal subsidy programme was introduced in 1979 by the State as a concrete support to students with the objective to improve students' eating habits in terms of national health.
5. When does a year tag entitling the holder to meal subsidy expire?
A tag indicating validity for the entire academic year or an entry on the student card entitles the holder to meal subsidy at a student restaurant during the said academic year and until the end of the following September. A card valid only for the autumn term entitles the holder to meal subsidy during the said term and the following January.
The validity of a meal subsidy card issued by Kela is indicated on the card. As above, an entry on the card indicating validity for the entire academic year or an entry on the student card entitles the holder to meal subsidy at a student restaurant during the said academic year and until the end of the following September. A card issued for the autumn term entitles the holder to meal subsidy during the said autumn term and the following January. A card issued for a shorter period than one term entitles the holder to meal subsidy during the validity of the card.
Source: Kela
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6. In order to receive the Lyyra discount, does one have to pay with a Lyyra card?
Starting 1st July 2010, the payment with Lyyra-card is required in order to receive the discount.
7. Can I be UniCafe’s customer even without a student card?
Of course you can! A student card would entitle you to the Kela meal subsidy, which would make your lunch a little cheaper, but a card does entitle the holder to privileges as a customer. So, welcome!
8. Can luncheon vouchers be used to load money onto a Lyyra card?
Unfortunately this is not possible due to limitations set by Luottokunta.
9. Can the key deposit be paid in UniCafe restaurants?
Yes. The student/customer pays the key deposits at a UniCafe restaurant/cafe.
The deposit is EUR 25. The student/customer is given a receipt for the payment against which he or she can obtain a key at the university.
Key deposits can be redeemed at the following locations: the main building café and the Ylioppilasaukio (student square) restaurant in the city centre, Cafe Physicum in Kumpula and UniCafe Korona in Viikki. The Meilahti restaurant only accepts deposits of its own campus. The customer redeems his or her key against the key card and receipt at the University of Helsinki at Fabianinkatu 28, room 302, 1st floor.
10. Can transcript fees be paid in a UniCafe location?
Yes. The student pays the transcript at the UniCafe café with a Lyyra card, debit card or cash. The student may pay several transcripts with the same payment. The cashier gives the student a receipt for the payment against which he or she can obtain the transcript at the city centre, Kumpula or Viikki campus service point of the Student Services.
11. Where can one ask about items left behind in a restaurant?
Lost Lyyra card?
If a Lyyra card has been left behind in a restaurant, we inform the HYY service office of the found card without delay and the HYY service office then contacts the owner. The card can be collected from the restaurant in question, where it is kept in conjunction with the cashier’s services.
Lost property at the UniCafe lunch restaurants (excl. Ylioppilasaukio)
At the end of each day, we take lost property to the porters at the departments.
Lost property at Ylioppilasaukio
The lost property is taken to Kuppila from where it is collected once a week by Finland’s Found Property Service. If the property has contact information, we will naturally contact the customer first.
12. Why is the baguette more expensive as a take-away than when eaten on the premises?
The meal referred to in the Government Decree entitling university students to meal subsidy is a meal which in addition to a main course includes a drink, salad, bread and spread. A take-away baguette is not such a meal, and therefore the price of the baguette is the same for a basic student as for other customers.
13. Why do VAT changes not affect the price of the student lunch?
For the company, a student lunch is business activity exempt from VAT, so the changing VAT rates do not affect the sales price of the lunch. However, the company may not deduct the student lunch cost VAT.
14. Are any of the UniCafe lunch restaurants open on Saturdays?
The UniCafe Ylioppilasaukio in Kaivopiha is open on Saturdays from 11 am to 5 pm. Welcome!