Chartwells

• Welcome to Chartwells
• Catering
• Cellar Programs
• Chartwells Staff
• Dining Service Committee
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Nutrional Information
• Off-Campus Meal Plans
• Residential Meal Plans
• Rules & Regulations
• Special Events & Promotions
• Tower Tender

Welcome to Chartwells

UW-L Dining Services offers an assortment of different dining locations to meet the variety of needs and desires of the campus community. Both University Centers and Chartwells are excited about what we have to offer to the campus community.

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse has contracted with Chartwells to provide exclusive dining services on campus. This means that any food served on campus must be purchased from Chartwells. If you plan on hosting an event on campus (conference, meeting, etc.) and you plan on having food available, please contact Catering to make arrangements.

• Catering Menus
• Catering Policies

Cellar Programs

More information on Celler Programs will be forthcoming.

Vegetarian/Vegan Committee

The Vegetarian/Vegan Committee is a campus group that meets to discuss the current vegetarian and vegan items offered in the various dining facilities on campus. Committee members have the unique opportunity of sampling and critiquing new vegetarian and/or vegan dishes Chartwells is interested in featuring on campus. The committee also makes recommendations for imporving the current vegetarian/vegan dishes currently featured on campus. Minutes from the most recent meeting are listed below.

November 6 , 2007

December 4, 2007

February 19, 2008

If you are interested in being part of the Vegetarian/Vegan Committee, contact University Centers, 212 Cartwright Center,
785-8888 about our meeting times. If you are unavailable to attend a Vegetarian/Vegan Committee meeting, please feel free to contact
Dr. Mary Beth Vahala or Mr. Craig Key with any questions or concerns you may have.

You can also leave a coment on the Dining Services Committee Blog

Off-Campus Meal Plans

The Block Meal Plan is ideal for the students who move off-campus yet would still like to eat on-campus on a semi-regular basis. 

The Block Meal Plan is not limited to transfer hours, but can be used whenever each of these areas is open.  The cost of the Block Plan is:

Block Plans can be purchased in 223 Cartwright Center.

The Block Meal Plan can be used at:

• All students living in the Residence Halls are required to participate in the Meal Plan. This is a requirement of the Board of Regents, and is an integral part of the student's college experience.  Students can choose from the 19, 14, 10, or 7 meals a week plans.  Failure to sign up will result in automatic enrollment in the 19-Meal Plan.  Students living in Reuter Hall may sign up for the Reuter Block Plan instead of one of the meals-per-week plan.
• Students registered for a meal plan must present their University ID prior to entering the serving areas. 
• Meals may also be purchased on a cash basis at the dining locations. 
• ID's are not transferable, misused ID's will be confiscated.

• 19 Meal Plan
  • 19 meals per week. 
  • Three (3) "Guest Meals" can be used Friday dinner thru Sunday dinner.
  • Cost is $1100.00* per semester. 
  • $50.00 of Dining Dollars are included.
• 14 Meal Plan
  • 14 meals during the week. 
  • Three (3) "Guest Meals" can be used Friday dinner thru Sunday dinner.
  • Cost is $1075.00* per semester. 
  • $50.00 of Dining Dollars are included.
• 10 Meal Plan
  • 10 meals during the week. 
  • Three (3) "Guest Meals" can be used Friday dinner thru Sunday dinner.
  • Cost is $1060.00* per semester. 
  • $50.00 of Dining Dollars are included.
• 7 Meal Plan
  • 7 meals during the week. 
  • Three (3) "Guest Meals" can be used Friday dinner thru Sunday dinner.
  • Cost is $1040.00* per semester. 
  • $50.00 of Dining Dollars are included.
• Reuter Block Meal Plan (Reuter Hall Residents Only)
  • 75 meals each semester.  
  • Cost is $540.00 per semester. 
  • Additional meals may be added in blocks of 10 for $45.

• Meal plan week starts on Friday with breakfast and runs through Thursday dinner. 
• Every Thursday night the computer resets all student accounts for the next week.
• Unused meals do not transfer over from week to week.
• Any Dining Dollars included with your meal plan will end when your meal plan is finished at the end of each semester
• Guest Meals is an option that is available to use Friday night dinner through Sunday dinner. These are not additional meals added to your weekly meals. The meals are part of the meals you have each week on your meal plan.
• Using the 19 meal plan as an example, this means you can take a guest to Whitney's all you care to eat dining room with you for 3 meals. Each time you enter the dining room your card will be swiped twice (once for you and once for your guest). These 2 meals will be subtracted from the total meals you had on your card when you entered. So if you had 18 meals left on your card before you entered the dining room, you will have 16 meals remaining after you and your guest have eaten.

Rules & Regulations

The Contract:

UW-La Crosse has an exclusive contract for providing dining services on the UW-La Crosse campus.  This contract is held with Chartwells and will expire in June 2011, with a possible extension. The exclusive contracts are done to enable a guaranteed level of business for the potential contractor.  As part of this contract, a commission on all sales is paid back to the institution.

Some events and facilities are excluded from the contract. Examples of the exclusions are:

Science and Allied Health Center, and Gallery openings in the Fine Arts Center.  In addition, there is a $50 rule, where groups may bring in snack items-non-meals (no pizza) for small groups of people.

Rationale for Using the University Contractor:

The first rationale is the contract.  Any outside use could be considered a contract violation, putting UW-La Crosse in a breech of contract situation. 

Secondly, there is financial incentive.  Prices may be higher-because of the commission paid back to the University-but, the money paid back to the institution is often used to support various programs on the campus. 

Thirdly, there is a liability concern.  Chartwells is required to have liability insurance.  In addition, as the University's legitimate dining service provider, the State of Wisconsin coverage is also in effect.  Any outside contractor, even if used for off-campus events should be providing comparable liability coverage.  If this coverage is not available, the individual sponsoring the event could be held personally liable, as the state's insurance policy may not be in effect.

Funding Sources:

There are many funding sources available at the university. Any expense that will be paid by University administered funds must follow UW-System Policies and Procedures. There are other rules that will apply if an individual is using a Student/Faculty account or a Foundation account.

The allocable student activity fee (Segregated University Fees) has some specific guidelines for expenditures.    Some of these rules include:

Refreshments may be funded for receptions open to the entire student body.

Meals, receptions, and transportation incurred by UW faculty or staff or students performing a host function for a guest speaker, performer, etc, brought to the campus for a SUF funded activity, if such expense was part of the budget approved for the activity.

If the organization holding the banquet or reception or presenting the awards receives  SUF support, the institution Segregated University Fees Allocation Committe (apportionment) must specifically approve the expenditure as part of the SUF budget prior to the event.

Pot Lucks:

It is difficult to prohibit offices from having Pot Lucks socials with homemade food.  It should be noted that most organizations are limited in the number they can have by the county health department.  This has never been applied to UW-La Crosse.  The primary concern with Pot Lucks will be one of liability.  The individuals hosting the event will be assuming the liability for any food borne illness that results.