Eat
Learn
Live
Woodward Hall - UNC Charlotte
Chartwells Doubles Sales with New Commuter Focus
Case Study: University of North Carolina Charlotte
Background
Founded shortly after World War II in response to a rising need for advanced education, the University of North
Carolina Charlotte today is an intensive research university and the fourth-largest institution in the University of North
Carolina’s 16-campus system. It’s also the largest institution of higher education in the Charlotte region.
More than 80 percent of the school’s 22,300 students are commuters, and range from traditional-just-out-of-high-school
teenagers to working professionals earning advanced degrees. Nearly 10 percent of the student body lives within one mile of
campus, making it just as easy to return home for meals or visit one of the many restaurants flanking the campus.
Initial Situation
When UNC Charlotte took its foodservice contract out to bid in 2003, the campus had dining centers that were
inconveniently located and that had food offerings and décor now too generic to appeal to today’s brand-driven millennial
generation. The college turned to Chartwells to drive new dining excitement and capture increased sales.
Strategic Plan
Chartwells first impressed the UNC Charlotte selection committee with its comprehensive plan that identified pedestrian
traffic patterns and dining habits. Then the Chartwells’ team talked directly to the students.
“We wanted to know how to get commuting students to buy into a meal plan and eat with us
– especially since there are so many convenient places for them to eat off campus,” - Shaunna
Bagnell, Chartwells Marketing Manager on campus.
The answers came via a comprehensive survey Chartwells conducted to thoroughly examine the needs and desires of UNC
Charlotte’s student body, particularly its 18,000 commuter students. The response, while not surprising, was resounding.
Students wanted flexibility, convenience, savings and, most importantly, the type of branded food choices they could purchase at the many restaurants located just off campus.
Eat
Learn
Live
Salsaritas at the Prospector
“The satisfaction with the food service program was taken to a new level with the solutions provided
by listening to the students wants and needs.” - Andrew Lipson, Resident District Manager on campus.
Prospector, the main dining center, was a straight line of generic retail concepts. Our vision was to create a community place
on campus in this highly visible spot. ”Chartwells oversaw dining center renovations and introduced such branded lines as
Chick-fil-A, Salsaritas, Pizza Hut, and Burger King, as well as Chartwells own internal brands of Outtakes, Ritazza Café,
Mama Leone’s, Mondo Subs, Baja Flats and Coyote Jack’s. Chartwells and UNC Charlotte also renovated a section of the
library to install a Ritazza Café coffee house, an offering that became an instant hit with students.
Then Chartwells and UNC Charlotte launched a meal plan program so convenient and rewarding that commuting students
couldn’t resist signing up. All purchases made using the optional dining account are tax free (an instant 8.25 percent savings) and carry over from year to year. As an added bonus, with their initial deposit in the optional dining account, students
get free 49er Funds, named after the school’s mascot. The 49er Funds may be used at more than 100 campus locations,
including the bookstore, parking services, library, game room, laundry and to make vending machine purchases. Students
depositing $500 receive $25 in free 49er Funds, while $300 deposits earn $15 in free funds.
Management and Metrics
Dining participation soared quickly after Chartwells revamped UNC Charlotte’s dining services, introduced declining balance meal plans and gave students the convenience of purchasing and replenishing their meal plans online with Chartwells’
Dine on Campus site (www.dineoncampus.com), a helpful online tool that also lets students check nutritional facts, find
recipes and more.
In the 2005/06 school year, the first year Chartwells offered the optional dining program at UNC Charlotte, 140 students
signed up. Two years later, the program’s popularity – reinforced by the convenience of being able to manage their meal
plan accounts on line – more than quadrupled plan participation and increased the university’s shared revenue more than
$200,000, a 368 percent increase. Equally important, customer satisfaction scores over the same period jumped an average
of 15 points.
Chartwells and UNC Charlotte now look forward to opening the campus’ newest location, a student union with a 1,200-vehicle parking deck next door and a scenic footbridge connecting the student union to nearby residence halls. When the new
student union opens in late 2009, it’s expected to increase retail food sales 15 percent to 20 percent.