The awarding of the contract marks a change for Laurentian, as the university's food services have been provided by Aramark since 2001.
Over the last few years, there have been social media complaints about the quality of the food in Laurentian's Great Hall cafeteria.
One student even started a petition last year demanding the university stop mandatory meal plans (they were introduced at LU in 2014) or seek to replace Aramark as the school's food service provider.
Chartwells is one of North America’s largest food service providers in the post-secondary education sector, and currently serves more than 50 colleges and universities across Canada.
“Food and beverage service under Chartwells will bring a few changes and some new benefits to students, staff, faculty and visitors to campus,” said Ben Demianiuk, Director of Housing and Food Services, in a press release.
“We will have enhanced full-service cooking from scratch in the Great Hall dining facility, and next fall we will also offer a self-serve pantry, where people have access to a full, stocked pantry, somewhat like a home kitchen.
“We’ll also have a labeling icon system that will identify reduced sodium, non-dairy and other menu choices.”
The press release said Chartwells has also committed to capital spending to enhance and add food service locations on campus, which will include:
- Renovations to the Tim Hortons in the Arts Building
- Addition of a Tim Hortons express within Residence
- The addition of aboriginal and international cuisine
It will also introduce a mobile app allowing customers to pre-order their meals and pick them up at specified locations, which is expected to reduce line-ups at
peak times.
The contract was awarded based on a rigorous and very competitive review, which followed a request for proposals issued last fall. Proponents were scored on a list of weighted factors, including food choices and quality, speed of service, sustainability initiatives and commitment to local food.
“The review committee was impressed by the Chartwells commitment, and we are confident of the benefits this new service provider will bring to students, and to all members of the university community,” said vice-president, administration, Carol McAulay.
“We also want to acknowledge all of the hard work that Aramark has done in recent years, to help us improve and expand our food service options on campus.”
Since 2012, Laurentian University has seen a transformation in campus food services, with the addition of Starbucks, Subway, Toppers Pizza, the LUL Café Bistro, the Tim Hortons Kiosk (Fraser Auditorium) and the renovation of the Great Hall dining assembly.
