Improving through quality will be the new theme University Dining Services will be adopting when they start to make drastic changes this upcoming school year.
The University will enter a partnership with the Compass Group, and more specifically, Chartwells, a college and university dining services program helping to improve everything UDS related.’
Chartwells will help upgrade all UDS related entites as part of the University’s ongoing master plan.’
From purchasing the best quality of food [while still buying from local markets and businesses], to surveying students to find the latest, most popular trends in tastes, Chartwells will try to take into account the most efficient methods through their research and development studies. This will all lead to keeping UDS both a positive experience for all of campus while remaining profitable for the University, said Joseph Oravecz, associate vice president of student affairs.
‘Overall, this [partnership] is to improve the dining services program,’ Oravecz said.
Some of the more pressing matters Chartwells and UDS will examine will include potential renovations to the McDonald Dining Center, how efficient each dining hall is and what are the best hours of operation students will purchase food, Oravecz said.
Already overseeing approximately 200 higher education dining programs across the country, the University will become one of Chartwell’s largest accounts due to the large, on-campus population of about 6,000 students.’ Chartwells is already in a partnership with Ohio including Ohio Wesleyan, Xavier and Cleveland State. ‘
By making the quality better than it was previously, Chartwells Regional Sales Director Leo Titus said everyone at the University will benefit from this partnership.
‘The overall vision of campus meets the visions of Chartwells as far as growth, increasing student satisfaction, increasing student retention [and] attracting new students,’ he said.
Chartwells will not take jobs away from University staff members. Instead, the staff will work together with Titus, along with an executive chef and an interim director, to make suggestions as to the best viable options UDS can employ regarding both food choice and facility use.
‘We want to provide leadership to the campus and support the on-site existing management team and our employees to have all the tools necessary to meet the objectives of the University,’ he said.
But the main group the partnership will have to please will be the students. As the largest faction on campus and the ones primarily purchasing the meal plans, students will be the ultimate judge as to how much Chartwells has improved UDS.
By improving UDS, Titus said all aspects related to dining will reflect positively back onto the University. Having better food with more attractive options makes students happier, which will lead to increased retention rates and higher enrollments, two areas the University has seen declines in over the past year.
Vice President of Student Affairs Ed Whipple realizes the variance of what students eat and said the dynamic of what they eat changes drastically throughout the years. Whipple said if UDS is to stay successful, it has to consistently adapt to the changing needs of students and Chartwells will help with this dilemma.
‘Our dining program is a very fine dining program, but the opportunity to access more resources will just help us improve that dining experience for students,’ Whipple said.
One of those students Whipple references would be senior Megan Travis.
Eating on campus about three times a week, Travis is upset in both the quality and price of food and would welcome a change to UDS.
‘I’d be open to anything that is better than what we have. I don’t think it could be any worse.’ Travis said. ‘I think the partnership would be a good idea.’
Chartwells understands the concerns students like Travis has and knows the importance the dining facilities have on student life.
‘If the food is mediocre or the choices or variety is not there, why pay that kind of money to go to school when they are not going to get nutritional value? Food service is just as important as housing or any facility,’ Titus said.
The University also comprehends the importance to please students by enhancing UDS.
‘I’m real excited because the focus will be on really looking at what students want in their residential experience and trying to provide a variety of options,’ Whipple said. ‘The student feedback and input will be real critical. Five years from now, students might want something different and we have to respond to that.’
‘ Comprised of three different levels, Chartwells partners with a school’s dining service program to enhance the overall experience of both food quality and facility upgrades. Using the model ‘Eat. Live. Learn.’ Chartwells strives for foods which are healthy, nutritional, diverse and popular with students. Partnering with UDS, Chartwells will frequently re-evaluate food related entities with a team of marketing, menu planning, accounting, inventory controls and purchasing to be both effective and efficient while perserving quality.
