"Eat, Learn, Live"

Beginning in the fall of 2007, Piedmont College switched food services from Aramark to Chartwells. Chartwells, which follows a creed of “Eat, Learn, Live,” is a division of the Compass Group North American Division. The Compass Group company is based in the UK and has organizations in the United States, Latin America, and Canada. It is a $19.5 billion food service company and in 2006, Fortune magazine named the company as the 12th largest provider in the world.

The motto that Chartwells follows, “Eat, Learn, Live,” focuses on a well-balanced diet that allows students the ability to learn and live a full life. The previous listed creed of “Eat, Learn, Live,” is, according to Chartwells, based on the idea that the “students rule.” Ironically, this creed is not being followed through at Piedmont College. Many students disagree with the operation hours currently being held by the cafeteria and some have even voiced their opinion. However, Chartwells continues to ignore the students’ requests, along with Piedmont College. On Piedmont’s website, there is even a posting saying that the dining hall hours may be “changed as needed to accommodate the needs of the College.”

At Piedmont College, a student ID is required at every meal to gain entrance to the cafeteria. Because of this policy, if any student forgets their ID, then he or she will be denied access. However, the reason for this policy is that if a student forgets their ID and a cafeteria worker signs them in anyway, the computer will not charge the student for the meal.

Compared with other colleges, such as Agnes Scott, the hours that Chartwells keeps is limited. At Agnes Scott, there are approximately 1,000 students and their service provider is “Evans.” Agnes Scott’s cafeteria is open from 7:30 am to Midnight every day. Since college students are very busy running from class to class, it is difficult to catch a few minutes to go to the cafeteria, especially if the cafeteria is closed. The limited hours need to be addressed and improved by Piedmont.