Food for thought
Thanks for reading through to the end…
We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.
We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.
Have any of Chartwell’s detractors eaten at the dining services they operate locally?
I’ve eaten at many events at UNCA catered by Chartwells. Food is of the highest quality; excellent servers. Lots of emphasis on local, fresh, sustainable.
I wasn’t aware of this situation before seeing this cartoon. There is a good opinion piece in the Citizen-Times. Evidently Asheville City Schools are set to decide whether to let a for profit company feed public school students. This company is based in the UK and is publicly traded. So not local and all about making that $$! According to the article they prefer to hire temps or “contract workers”, a lot of complaints about food served, health department issues. I think outsourcing student meals is a bad idea. It is seemingly impossible that they can provide better, more nutritious meals for less money and still be as profitable as they are.
“Chartwells is a privately owned food and beverage service, a division of Compass Group USA, a billion-dollar corporation. In 2015 Chartwells settled a D.C. False Claims Act Whistleblower lawsuit at $19 million to resolve allegations that it overcharged the city for food supplies. Allegations fell along the lines of Chartwells mishandling the contract by “delivering supplies late, delivering spoiled products and delivering food items in short supply.”” (McKenna Leavens)