Chartwells Update
Hey everyone, sorry I didn’t update over the weekend. I was on a very relaxing vacation in the Shenandoah Valley with some of the UU writers. It is really wonderful out there. We hiked (on an ATV trail by accident, haha), we played in a creek and built a dam, we went to an auction, and on the last day we went tubing for 4 hours down the Shenandoah and got burnt to high hell. If you have some time, I really recommend staying there for a weekend; it’s only a 2 and a half hour drive (depending on traffic.)
So far I have only eaten at Mesquite Ranch BBQ & Grill and the Skylight Room but I don’t have a bad thing to say about either one. I saw a lot more quality at the Grill. I’ve only tried the burger so far and I was happy with what I got. Bigger, less greasy fries, a drink, and a burger for - get this - a reasonable price (somewhere around $6.30.) The burger came on a nice bun that wasn’t soggy or too small and the meat wasn’t gray. Still nothing to write home about but, honestly, much better than last semester. Has anyone tried anything else? I heard a lot of talk about the BocaBurgers, are they good?
In the Skylight Room, the food has only changed slightly in quality (for the better.) But I was impressed with the salad bar options. The fruit and pasta salads looked pretty good, although I didn’t have enough room to try them. Has anyone else eaten here? Also, has anyone tried the pizza place yet?
for a slice of mushroom pizza its about $2.69…chese is around 50 cents cheaper….not worth it IMO..
I went to the pizza place for lunch yesterday and I paid almost $10 for two slices of pizza and a drink!!! This used to fit under our meal plan! I hope that this changes once the school year starts because I really don’t want it eating up my flex (so to speak). But the grill has a much better quality of food than before so I am happy with that
Just don’t try the pulled pork sandwich at the grill. It made me physically sick. And my hush puppies were cold :’(. The cornbread was decent though.
I havent tried the food yet, but i will say the food offered so far seems to be more expensive than what was being offered. however i think we were going to see a price change regardless of the vendor, and with a meal plan things will probably be different.
I do think though that we should all hold off judgment for a period of time, and try to keep everything objective. Its obviously going to take Chartwells a little while to adjust specifically to the campus.
Hood College switched from Sodhexo to Chartwells and they are suffering. Apparently Chartwells is good the first week and crap the rest.
Chula:
10$? While cheese is cheaper than all the other pizzas, two slices alone were about 4.50$ so does that mean the pizza you got was 4$ each with a 2$ drink?
Note: I don’t know how much the drinks are since I bring water but I don’t remember seeing that big of a jump in price between the different types of pizza when I glanced through their listing; although, it’s something I probably didn’t pay attention to since I am extremely picky.
Must look more closely come monday.
But I’m sure they’ll have a meal ‘deal’ once the semester starts so your flex might be safe yet.
I wouldn’t judge them (entirely) based on price increases, because that seems like something that was going to happen anyway.
If the price of a slice went from 2 to 2.50 thats a 25% increase in 3 weeks.
More than gas.I thought the price increases had to approved by UMBC admin.
So at the BBQ place, the bocaburger is really tasty, but EXPENSIVE. For the burger, fries and a drink it’s a little over $7. AND that’s the only vegetarian option there, no more grilled cheese!
It seems like for the slightly better taste we’re going to have slightly emptier pockets. Boo.
Remember, the food prices are going up because of farmers are tryin to grow more corns for ethanol and the cost of gas….which means a bit more to pay for food we want. I am surprised that you havent noticed it.
@ Chris
An increase now? I noticed,the rise in consumer prices were spread over the last year as I remember. Guess we have to pay for the renovations upfront.
The food isn’t better and it costs more. Obviously Chartwell is basically Sodexho with just a different name. COOL!
Anyone have feedback on the Dining Hall?
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I remember burger fries and soda for around $5.30 before so I think that is a dollar increase in lunch for me. I heard they coat the fries with something now.
What does it cost to eat in skylight. It could be a better deal and all you can eat and you get real(not fast) food.
The burger I got at the mesquite ranch BBQ reminded me alot of a burger from Roy Rogers, which was awesome, a huge step up from the ones that reminded me of my high school burgers, the fries were also a huge step up
I personally have noticed a huge price increase on everything! Pizza went up 40 - 80 cents per slice and it tastes no different.
Also the Grill I think is very expensive now! I got the Chicken w/ cheese and onions and it was just shy of $6 for just the small sandwich. Oh, I think the burgers suck. They taste like elementary school food… dry and no taste.
I have been eating in the Skylight once or twice a week for over a year, so I feel I am a good judge of food there. So the desserts are far better! Yet, I have noticed some of my favorite toppings in the salad bar are long gone. Also the main course food tastes exactly the same…no change at all. I see no difference.
All in all… currently I am in No Way impressed so far but more broke when I eat from Chartwells. Going off campus for lunch is way cheaper and the food can be lots better depending on where you go.
Boo for Chartwells so far!
The Subway foot long for 5$ deal is really sounding good if it continues through this coming semester.
The subway foot-long sub for 5$ deal is sounding really good now if it continues through this coming semester.
If these price increases and shit happens throughout the semester and the food quality decreases, I’m going to have to:
A. Laugh at everyone who thought chartwells would be great
B. Tear the place down with my bare rage inflicted hands
power to the people!
I’ve eaten the burgers almost everyday I’ve been on campus. I think they’re 1000 times better now… although they are for sure more expensive. I guess to each their own on the food opinion… I still say a 2.50 burger and like 95 cent Yuengling at Sorrentos for lunch may be the way to go this semester
amen brother!
The prices have gone up a lot.
The pizza place has worse food (I have only had the baked zita, but it is not near;y as good as before. I threw it away).
I saw a story in USA today about food vending trucks last week and I was thought if the food waivers being eliminated allows this type of service on UMBC campus?I love the ones that sell the mex food. To see a little free market competition at least for the cash being spent around here instead of the university kickback supported monopoly would be nice. Prices wold be lower. Imagine buying a (reasonably priced) cup of coffee from the parking lot and enjoying it on the way to class.
Seems like the costs have gone up for a meal, but our meal “allowance” is not keeping up with the times. Something needs to be done about increasing our allowance amount.
Survived the morning of orientation and was hungry- Whoa! The pulled pork sandwich . . . just say NO! The color of the sauce is not found in nature and it had that Cincinnati hint of allspice or some such nonsense. Sweet potato fries acceptable.
Well, with instate tuition frozen again, they’ve got to milk your wallets somehow. I stopped eating at the commons/dining hall almost entirely as soon as I had access to a full kitchen. $30 at Giant each week will feed me for a week.
@Brown bag it: Are the food waivers being eliminated completely?
Also, has anyone had the coffee?
@Ulrich,
off topic, but you know if out of state tuition has been increased?
@ em
It was something like that. I’m not sure exactly what the price was for each slice. All I know is that when it came time to pay, I gave the cashier something around $10!! I really hope that they have meal deals once school starts or I’m really not going to be eating at the commons anymore.
@ anonymous
I think you are right….they increase the prices but don’t increase our meal allotment at the commons. Something should definitely be done about that
@outofstate
i’m out of state student also. i think they froze tuition for all of us, but that doesn’t mean they froze student fees. i actually emailed hrabowski and he said that they were working hard to see that tuition didn’t go up.
then again as out of staters, umbc continually screws us over anyway. :-/
@Ulrich
The waivers supposedly were for catering. My question is this can anyone or any company delivering food be considered a catering/caterer? What is the definition.
Have food delivered (any location) for you and your mates. Giant Peapod delivers. Next time you want to buy food put together an order(online) with them and save money I have seen them on campus. Especially for the stuff you would buy at c-store like snacks, sports drinks, cookies, decorated cakes and prepared foods. You can even arrange the time ahead for delivery.
I have eaten at the dining hall and the food really is not bad. They have fresh real fruit, pineapple that still has the peel as well as cantaloupe and watermelon and such things. The main dishes really aren’t that bad. The salad bar is rather nice, presentation is nicer as well (at least i think). Cereal selection is down (maybe just because of summer) We have a different brand coffee that is supposed to be good. The pasta that I have had has not been way overcooked or anything and they seem to have pretty decent options for summer right now.
I have a VERY sensitive stomach and last year alot of the time the d hall food would make me pretty sick. Someone told me this could be due to poor quality of the food or an overload of preservatives. Hopefully, this food will be a bit… gentler on my tummy
I was listening to some of the employees that work for Chartwells last week. They were unhappy that the rate of pay promised and what they are getting are not the same. I hope customer service get any worse than it is.
Spending 6 weeks here over the summer gave me the best of both worlds - dining hall style. I got to taste the savory Sodexho for the first time in my life for 3 weeks (thank God that’s over)… and then… Chartwell’s saves the day! I’m not sure what the fall semester holds, but the food is excellent, and there is much more fruit and fresh thingies. The quality of the food is apparant too. Compare the apples of Chartwells to Sodexho. If you were unaware that apples could be all that different, you were sorely mistaken. There’s actually other fruit options too. Like plums, or nectarines. I only have two complaints: the fresh fruit that they do put out is occasionally underripe. My other complaint is more of an observation: I liked Sodexho staff much more than Chartwells. Hopefully Chartwells is just in the adjusting stage, but the tray line was clogged constantly and the lines were crazy. I’m sure it will be better in the fall. In the meantime, we’ll try our best to welcome this much needed improvement in our eating habits!
I tried something from the grill for the first time since chartwells started and noticed a few things. The prices were a little higher, but the presentation was a little better and the condiments didn’t look disgusting. It’s still not exactly gourmet but it’s an improvement over what the grill used to be.
I had the Chartwells burger yesterday and, to me, it tastes better than the Sodexho chewy cardboard that passed for a burger.
I am sure that prices would have increased regardless of the food service provider.
I also get a feeling that meal deals & equivalencies are becoming less of a deal; a result of increased prices in order to encourage people to head to the dining hall for lunch.
@Erica
Maybe you did not notice this but most of the staff are former Sodexho staff members and from what I can see the managers at the dining hall were all previously employed by Sodexho. You are right about the fruit but its summer and the fruit is inexpensive now. We will see how they fare after the fall semester starts.
I would be interested to know what new and exciting things hrabowski and friends are getting, after all in reality thats what matters anyway.
I went to the mesquite place on the mezzanine and it was decent food, much better than Sodexho. I don’t even mind the price increase as much because the quality has increased along with the price. It would be nice if they hadn’t raised the price, but at least the food isn’t as crappy.
What’s up with the cost of a meal plan being WAY more than it was last year? I had the 25 meal block and it was 125. Now it’s over 300!! I know flex is included now, but +$300? Not worth it.
@Jenny
Quality is subjective, Price is objective.
If something costs more the expectation is to be better. Ya think Green Giant vegetables look and taste better than generic, is it worth the price? Is Psych 101 better at Harvard than at UMBC?
“Price elasticity of demand” here is inelastic. The change in price will not affect quantity demanded. Who approved the price increases? University administration, the higher price that is charged the more revenue UMBC gets.
@Short
I think that it’s a good idea to nudge people to the dining hall for lunch since it would alleviate the severe traffic problems in the commons.
It seems that the campus has closed down the use of meals or the use of meals by unlimited meal holders for now. I would like an explanation >_>
Had a bacon cheddar burger from the grill, and I was all excited because I LOVE bacon. Sadly, my joy was short-lived. The fries were good. The bun was soggy, the meat was overcooked, the bacon was burned (I like it extra crispy, but this was partially black!) and the cheese was not cheddar - it was american (ie not real cheese).
Also, the coffee from the Jazzman’s replacement is somehow both burned and watery. The pastry things are good though, and look a lot healthier than the ones from last year.
Let me be frank: Chartwells sucks.
The improvement in quality is a good thing, and i was expecting some holdup in the start. The spot is kinda cool, Late Night needs to work out some of the kinks (Pizza’s pretty small….), the Kosher food is good, Salad Bar is def an improvement. Kosher food is nice.
Where is the carving station in D hall? Where are the Waffles at Dinner? Why would you switch the cereal and the bread? What da faaaaaaaak.
The Commons is a work in progress but I’m willing to wait.
So I can’t judge right now, but I’ll just say this: I think Chartwells sucks.
@ Brown Bag it
It seems like you have a great idea on your hands. I’d be willing to work with you in getting a food truck here
As long as the food truck has hot chai, I approve completely!
…So, can someone tell me what happened to the sushi place in the Commons? It was great to be able to snag a little fish every week…or day
and now it’s gone.
It seemed like it was doing brisk business last spring to me…I could understand jettisoning the sushi if it wasn’t selling, since that’s such a waste of food otherwise.
Between peeling hair out of my food or cringing when I see people talk over my food while making it hoping saliva does not go in it. I have seen enough this semester. I have tried over and over and over again to give chances. Bad attitudes, bad posture and bad quality of food while charging more is all that happened.
I dont know about the rest but the situation has really become a situation of out of the frying pan and into the skillet. The fact of the matter is this when you get cheap you GET CHEAP. it is as plain as I have said it.
Chicken grilled sandwich pink inside. should not happen but the reason why it does is the lack of quality. theres alot of Quanity but no quality whatsoever.
The problem my friends is not the sodexo(whatever it was) or chartwells but the quality of the service behind the desk or the glass or the register. Because if memory serves me correct most of the people hired when chartwells was there were the same hired there when sodexo was there.
there in lies the error. I’m never one to say fire because its wrong to take a plate off a mans table or a women but all I am saying is read between the lines and see the real issues at hand. all those crying out for chartwells failed to realize when you change the system but fail to change the inner workings of the system? you do not change the system you only add a new coat of paint to a rusty vehicle.
I completely agree, Truth. Chartwell’s needs to take a hard look at the staff behind their counters if they care at all about increasing the quality of their services. I don’t know how the hiring process was conducted, but it seems like they just carried over nearly everyone from Sodexo. Where else do you see hiring practices like that?
Sodexo is a huge company and provides food services to tons of schools and I have friends at two other universities who are completely content and even happy about the quality of service they’re receiving, but Sodexo at UMBC was a nightmare…
It starts from the ground up!
I am from Embry-Riddle Campus at Prescott, AZ. We have chartwells here, the only food provider on campus. I get sick every time I eat there, the service is terrible, the food selection is terrible, I am not surprised your chartwells is the same way.