FIU partners with Chartwells to revolutionize and provide new dining options on campus

FIU announced today that it has selected Chartwells Higher Education, at the conclusion of a competitive solicitation process, to operate as FIU’s food service provider for the next 10 years, starting August 4, 2018.

FIU’s new food scene will feature new dining options and become a model for other campuses, in part due to a fully customized and local approach for FIU, driven by cutting edge social and digital platforms. Students will be able to order food and track preparation and delivery through a mobile app, use food lockers and order from tabletop tablets.

As part of the agreement, Chartwells, a division of Compass Group with 550,000 associates worldwide, will create internship opportunities for students, contribute as much as $1.5 million to first generation scholarships over the course of the contract, and will offer a wide array of positions to up to 200 FIU graduates annually. Chartwells has also committed to offering employment to all existing hourly employees and will retain most of the prior Food Service Managers at either FIU or other Chartwells locations after completing required background checks.

“In Chartwells, we have found a partner willing to innovate and provide quality food at a great value, offer more options, enhance services through the application of state of the art technology and offer work experience for our students and graduates” said Associate Vice President for Business and Finance Aime Martinez. “Students and our community will discover an award-winning food program with this new contract.”

Over time, Chartwells will introduce new dining venues such as Panera Bread Co. and Chipotle to the Graham Center (GC), FIU’s student union, while keeping old favorites such as Subway and Pollo Tropical. The GC Atrium will transform into “Taste of Miami,” featuring local brands such as Pincho Factory, Sergio’s and Café Bustelo. The current Chili’s space will be renovated  and the FIU community will get to vote on possible new options such as American Tap Room, Lime Fresh and Burger 21.

Other campus favorites, such as Starbucks, Panda Express, Moe’s and Chick-fil-A will remain, as well as vendors that are independent of this contract, including Vicky Café, and La Carreta and Café at EC in the Engineering Center.

The Biscayne Bay Campus will enjoy a greater variety of options. The BBC Food Court will be refreshed with three new restaurants: The Egg Shoppe, serving breakfast all day; Burger 305; and Wolfe Street Subs. A new pizza concept is being explored for future activation.   Chick-fil-A, a long-requested brand at BBC, will arrive in the form of a food truck. It will be the first fully outfitted Chick-fil-A truck on any college campus in the country. The food truck will also be at Modesto A. Maidique Campus (MMC) on game days for football, basketball, baseball and other sporting events. Moreover, Chartwells will operate Athletic Concessions and provide In-Suite catering, enhancing the dining experience at games.

To better serve the growing number of students who live on campus, Chartwells will build a new state-of-the art residential dining facility on MMC.

In addition, Chartwells will introduce a PODular Eats Program, customized with a Tiny House retail concept, offering an array of options, from barbecue to pho bowls and other ethnic cuisines. These spaces will allow for more outdoor seating and introduce additional dining options in high-traffic areas on both campuses. Celebrity chef José Andrés will bring a food truck concept. There also will be new dining carts and food bikes around the campuses.

The Chartwells contract provides additional meal plan offerings that feature reduced pricing and more flexible plan options.