Cafeteria Hours: Not Satisfying to Students

Chartwells, a popular food service for schools throughout the nation, is now providing their service for Piedmont College, and they have caused an uproar in the student body due to their hours of operation.
Most students would agree that in comparison to previous years, Chartwells provides healthier food in a cleaner environment. The employees are friendly and efficient workers, and the service is satisfying. However, Chartwells opens and closes the dining hall at specific times throughout the day, and their hours are not satisfying to the student population.
Several students have classes during the times that the dining hall is open. When they finally get out of class, Chartwells has closed down the dining hall, and students have missed out on their lunch.
“When I go to class, Chartwells opens up the cafeteria. I get out right after they close, and I’m not allowed in,” says Matthew Hudgens, a freshman mass communications major.
Due to the ranting of Piedmont College students, Chartwells decided to hold a meeting to answer questions and to give explanations for their hours.
According to Chartwells, the cafeteria values cleanliness, which was a major problem with the previous food service. Chartwells said that they close down the cafeteria in-between meals so they can take time to clean the facility.
Chartwells also asked the student body to stop calling the dining hall a cafeteria. Instead, they would rather students to refer to it as a restaurant.
“A restaurant is a business,” said Clayton Bennett, a sophomore at Piedmont. “If they’re going to run it like a business, they need to be open like a business. Restaurants don’t close between meals.”
Chartwells also offers their services at Cleveland State University, where they do not close throughout the day. Their hours are from 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. At Illinois College, Chartwells is open from 7:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m. Monday through Friday.
Students are paying for meals that they are not receiving. Students have to eat, and many are not able to spend extra money on food each day. The cafeteria hours are depriving students from food they have purchased.
If Chartwells were to stay open an hour extra after their current lunch hours, students would be satisfied. Another solution would be to have a fruit stand, cereal, and fountain drinks available between meals.
Chartwells says they are looking for solutions to their problems related to cafeteria hours. After studying students’ schedules, hopefully they will be open at more convenient times, and the controversy will finally end.