Chartwells’ resident district manager, Gerald Gatto, said that the dining service is happy to hear more feedback from students and the community.
By Chase Duncan
Copy Editor
Resident district manager for Chartwells at Winthrop University Gerald Gatto spoke to students at this week’s Student Government Association meeting to provide answers to student questions and feedback about their first month at the school, like why Chick-fil-a opened late after the semester began.
“Chick-Fil-A originally wasn’t going to be open until October,” Gatto said. “We had to push them—as well as the campus—for them to open.”
Questions regarding the current state of Eagle Meals under the new Winthrop dining service were a popular topic for students, like why the new asian cuisine brand Paper Lantern Express doesn’t offer Eagle Meals.
“The people that do the Paper Lantern, they are sub-contracted with Chartwells, which is a different structure with Chartwells,” Gatto said. “With all the information we received, we sent that to the company with that area, and asked ‘hey if you can do it at this rate, which would fit within the parameters of an Eagle Meal’, and I am still waiting for a response. To me, that is an important piece regarding Eagle Meals.”
Gatto said that Chartwells has installed a “Happy-or-Not” kiosk in Markley’s and in Thomson Dining Hall to help gather feedback. He said that in the short time they have operated on campus, Chartwells has already received at least 2,000 ratings and comments on their performance, compared to previous years where dining services would only receive 2,000 over the course of a year.
Gatto told students at the SGA meeting that Chartwells is working on installing Grubhub into campus, which would deliver food from campus dining options directly to students.
Gatto told The Johnsonian that the New York based organization was notified that they were awarded Winthrop’s dining service contract on July 21 of this year. Upon being notified, they began rapidly preparing for the upcoming semester.
“Over the summer, our teams worked extensively to transition operations – everything from staffing and training, to purchasing and refreshing menus and systems,” Gatto said. “We could not have accomplished this without the extensive support of our teams along with the leadership guidance and support provided by Winthrop University.”
Gatto said the quick turnaround of the schools dining services meant that they had less time to communicate with the campus community regarding changes like the initial offering for the school’s Eagle Meal system, but that campus feedback from students helped them align what they could offer.
“The Eagle Meal offering was initially mapped out using our new branded concepts, along with our national brand partners, Einstein Bagel Brothers and Chick-fil-A, who will both have menu items as part of the Eagle Meal lineup,” Gatto said. “Effectively communicating the Eagle meal menu to the campus community has aligned our meal plan holders with what is available.”
Chartwells takeover of Winthrop’s dining service contract brought with it rebranding of four of the restaurant concepts at Markley’s: True Burger for burgers, Paper Lantern for Asian-themed food, Gateway Dough and Wings for wings and Copperhead Jacks for Texas-Mexican cuisine.
The quick turnaround meant that certain utilities like the to-go containers in Thomson Hall weren’t immediately available for use at the beginning of the semester, but are now updated and available, according to Gatto.
“We’re happy to share that the dish machine at Thomson is now in full service, which allows us to return to a more sustainable dining model,” Gatto said. “Instead of single-use to-go containers, we’re excited to offer the Ozzi To-go reusable container program for students who want to take meals with them. It’s a flexible, eco-friendly option designed to reduce waste while still giving students the convenience of taking food back to their dorms. Students can ask any Thomson cashier for details on how to use the program effectively.”
Gatto said that the dining service company is elated to join the campus community and serve its dining and catering needs.
“We’ve assembled a talented and passionate dining team and look forward to building lasting connections on campus,” Gatto said. “The more we hear from students and the community, the better we can grow together. Here are some of the ways you can get in touch with dining or provide feedback: Feedback on Dine on Campus, Text at (803) 866- 6266, and Happy or Not terminal.”
Winthrop’s Vice President for Student Affairs Shelia Burkhalter said that 106 Dining Service employees were retained from the previous year.
Gotto said the Market at Thomson is now able to sell Eagle Meals now that the bottled waters that come with the special meals are now in stock after waiting the first few weeks of the semester for them to be delivered.
