A series of articles has been published by The Mercury this
year about the university’s food service contractor, Chartwells. We value this
input, and we have consistently encouraged dialogue with students and continue
to work diligently to improve the dining experience for everyone on campus.
We may not always get it exactly right when conducting our
daily business; however, we respond quickly when issues are reported. I wanted
to let the campus community know some actions we have taken behind the scenes,
which were not included in The Mercury’s articles, even as we continue to serve our thousands of
customers each week.
As director of dining and retail for UTD Auxiliary
Services, I am responsible for monitoring the performance of each service
contract. Chartwells has been our food service contractor for a decade, and I
have worked with them to brand “UTD Dining Services.” Chartwells — part of
Compass Group, the world’s largest noncommercial contract management company —
is our operator, but UTD Dining is all of us. It is a partnership.
In my 10 years with UTD, we have grown from just a handful
of dining options to over 85,000 square feet of dining space on campus. We have
been named “Innovator of the Year” by Food Management Magazine. Dining Hall
West is Green Restaurant Certified, the highest score for a college or
university in Texas. We operate a monthly Pop-Up Farmer’s Market and a Teaching
Kitchen. If we’ve wanted to try a new innovative product or service as a
university, Chartwells has always been game.
Our facilities are impressive, but what matters most are
the people who work for UTD Dining Services: 108 part-time and 159 full-time
associates, 108 student associates and 17 managers — not to mention our
award-winning chefs.
UTD Dining Services is committed to its mission of
enhancing the university experience by providing quality food and service to
students, faculty, staff and campus visitors. Feedback from the campus helps us
do our job better. We welcome it.
Any student who has a less-than-satisfactory dining
experience can immediately seek out an on-site manager who can quickly resolve
any issues. This semester, UTD Dining Services also launched the ChatBack
texting platform (text 972-808-5028) for students to immediately contact a
dining staff member with a concern, feedback or suggestions.
UTD Dining Services also upholds the university’s
commitment to providing a respectful environment for all students and for our
student workers, many of whom are international. Students who feel they have
witnessed misconduct, harassment or discrimination should not feel unsure or
hesitant to report it immediately to an on-site manager and to the university’s
Title IX office. We want to make sure our student workers have the necessary
tools to be happy and successful at work and in school, and will make sure we
communicate at every training opportunity that any level of harassment will not
be tolerated.
Chartwells student employees also have access to a private
and confidential SpeakUp Hotline where they can report situations they may feel
to be unsafe, unethical or illegal, and which they may be uncomfortable
discussing in-person with their onsite management or Human Resources. Dining
employees are also encouraged to take the annual employee engagement survey.
We also continue to actively reach out to all students for
feedback on their dining experiences. Students are encouraged to attend our
monthly food advisory meetings on the last Tuesday of each month (as listed on
the Comet Calendar), participate in Foodie Feedback on the dining website,
attend a teaching kitchen and sign up for one of our future focus groups.
Chartwells and UTD Auxiliary Services are held to the
highest level of accountability. Our operations are regularly inspected by the
city of Richardson. Our most recent health inspection reports revealed no food
safety issues and received outstanding scores ranging from 95 to 98. Chartwells
also outsources a third-party company to conduct a quarterly comprehensive
onsite quality assurance visit.
Texas Department of State Health Services requires food
service workers handling food be certified through a training course accredited
by the American National Standards Institute or Department of State Health
Services. Chartwells pays for the exam and for the employee’s time to take the
exam. As of this date, Chartwells is 100% compliant.
UTD Dining Services remains committed to its mission of
providing quality food, products and service that enhance the student, faculty
and staff campus experience. We welcome
hearing from students and encourage you to provide immediate and direct
feedback so we can respond to any issues most effectively.
Carrie Chutes-Charley is the director of dining and retail
at UTD Auxiliary Services.