Students egged on UofM dining services in the Chartwells Schools focus group as students suggested changes are needed.
Chartwells Schools is the University of Memphis’ exclusive caterer in the University Center and Rose Theatre according to the University website.
Six students participated in a focus group on Wednesday, one of many Chartwells is hosting this week. Overall, the students seemed dissatisfied with campus dining as a whole, especially the Tiger Den.
All participants were unhappy with the short hours of every eatery, except the campus Chick-fil-A hours. Many participants said the Tiger Den closed too early for their schedule, especially on weekends.
Other participants mentioned the Panda Express located in the UC. While their official hours say they close at 6 PM, they usually run out of food around 5 PM, have limited menus, or just flat out close after 5 PM.
One participant said Tu Taco closes so early that they don’t even have the chance to eat there because their class schedule takes up the entire time they are open.
Other concerns brought up by the focus group were that there is often a buddy system where friends will give students special perks compared to other students.
However, students were pleased with the variety of foods. While they wished there would be more Memphis-style BBQ, they were happy with everything else, especially the Tiger Den’s Indian food.
Students weren’t exactly pleased with the quality, but they knew what they were getting for their convenience.
“While the Chick-fil-A on campus is worse quality than a normal Chick-fil-A, it's on campus,” said one student.
A graduate student said he and his friends tried to go grocery shopping, but it was so expensive they were happy to take the Tiger Den over buying their food, even if they had to go out of their way to eat before the Den closed.
Students also praised the communication between the dining services and students as they believed it was improving.
While overall the students seemed dissatisfied with shorter hours than years prior, quality, and bias, Chartwells focus group leader seemed very receptive and took notes on what students were saying.
