Tag: Chartwells

The University of Memphis will offer new and non-traditional dining options — including more local food — on campus beginning in the fall.

The university parted ways with the food service company Aramark last month after a 30-year partnership and entered into a new 15-year contract with New York-based Chartwells Higher Ed.

The new partnership will have “profound impact on your dining options and experience on campus,” U of M president M. David Rudd said in a letter to the campus announcing the move last month.

Through the partnership with Chartwells, local food trucks, where students can use Dining Dollars, will be added to the on-campus dining options.

Also, the main dining hall, Tiger Den, will get a total makeover, the campus Chick-fil-A will be expanded to include a full service menu, and a new barbecue restaurant will open this summer.

So far, Rudd has confirmed that Gibson’s Donuts will be one of the new local options on campus in the fall.

The move will increase the university’s investment in the community, Rudd said, by “directing expenditures toward locally-owned businesses and diverse suppliers in the Memphis community.”

Twitter- M. David Rudd

Examples of outdoor pop-up food stations coming to the U of M in the fall

Other changes prompted by the new partnership include technology investments to include point-of-scale system updates, a new mobile app, ordering kiosks, and outdoor pop-up food stations.

Chartwells also provides dietitians to guide menus and encourage healthy eating habits on campus.

“We will see some exciting changes in on-campus dining — changes that recognize that dining service is a critical part of the broader community experience,” Rudd said.