Chartwells Frequently Asked Questions
- Who is required to be on the Meal Plan?
- Do you have different Meal Plans to allow for different eating needs?
- Where do students on the Meal Plan eat?
- When does the week begin?
- If I purchase a 10 Meals a week Plan but want to eat else-where on campus, how can I do this?
- Where can I use "Tower Tender " to purchase food?
- Do you have different types of "Debit Accounts"?
- Are there any limits to the amount of "Tower Tender/Dining Dollars" an individual can purchase?
- Do you have any plans for commuter students?
- How do people working in the food service areas know that I am on a Meal Plan or have a "Tower Tender" Plan?
- When and where do I purchase a Meal Plan and/or "Tower Tender/Dining Dollars"?
- I am a Freshman or Sophomore living in the residence halls and I have special dietary needs. Am I required to sign-up for a Meal Plan?
- What do I do if I'm sick and can't make it to Whitney Center?
- I have classes straight through the day and have a really hard time getting to Whitney Center. What can I do?
- What are "Guest Meals" ?
- What is Transferability?
- How can I get the most out of my Meal Plan?
- I'm really interested in learning more about the Campus Dining Service. What can I do?
- What are the Dining Service hours of Operation?
Who is required to be on the Meal Plan?
- Though any UW-L student may sign-up for a Meal Plan, according to University policy, "all students living in university-sanctioned residences are required to be on a traditional meal plan (either a 19, 14, 10, or 7 meal plan option)." This policy also applies to all individuals living in Reuter Hall, but allows them the option of either signing up for a traditional meal plan (either a 19, 14, 10, or 7 meal plan option), or the Reuter Block Plan.
Do you have different Meal Plans to allow for different eating needs?
- Yes. More information to be forthcoming.
Where do students on the Meal Plan eat?
- The Whitney Center Food Court Dining Room is the primary location where people on the Meal Plan dine.
- Meals are planned with balanced nutrition in mind and are rotated on a 6 week cycle. Students can choose from several entrees or a variety of items offered on the soup & salad, dessert, and beverage bars; or at The Deli, Pizza, Terre Ve, Origins, or Hot Entree Counters. Special Theme Night Dinners are served various times throughout the semester including Shrimp and Steak Night every month.
- In addition to dining in the Food Court Dining Room, using transferability, Meal Plan patrons can eat in Chars (a dining room featuring a fast food menu), or The Sub Shop, both located in Whitney Center, The Trattoria, The Galley, and The Cellar all located in Cartwright Center. Your dining dollars can be used in the Cyber Café and Convenience Store.
- The week for the Meal Plan begins with Breakfast on Friday and ends on Thursday evening.
If I purchase a 10 Meal Plan but want to eat elsewhere on campus, how can I do this?
- In addition to the 10 meals a week you purchased with your Meal Plan, you also received $50.00 in Dining Dollars. Dining Dollars may be used at any of the food service locations on campus.
Where can I use Tower Tender/Dining Dollars to purchase food?
- Tower Tender and Dining Dollars can be used to purchase food in The Galley, The Cellar, The Trattoria, Cyber Cafe, Whitney Center Food Court Dining Room, Chars, or the Badger Street Station.
Do you have different types of Debit Accounts?
- There are three different categories of Debit Accounts.
- Dining Dollars can be used to purchase items in the food locations only.
- Tower Tender can be used to purchase items in the food locations, the University Bookstore, for tickets for university events at the Cartwright Ticket Office, at designated vending and copy machines, and in the residence hall laundry machines.
- OneAccount can be used anywhere Mastercard is accepted.
Are there any limits to the amount of Tower Tender an individual can purchase?
- The following limits have been established regarding Tower Tender purchases: Students with Meal Plans may purchase a maximum of $200.00 in Tower Tender each semester. Students not on a Meal Plan, may sign-up for a maximum of $400.00 in Dining Dollars or $500.00 if purchasing Tower Tender.
Do you have any plans for commuter students?
- Commuter students are welcome to purchase any of the 4 Meal Plans(19, 14, 10, 7), the block meal plan, or they may sign up for Tower Tender. You can use Tower Tender to purchase meals in The Galley, The Cellar, Trattoria, Whitney Center Food Court Dining Room, Chars, or the Badger Street Station. A minimum purchase of $10.00 is required. The block meal plan can be used in all the same areas as the 19, 14, 10, and 7 meal plans.
How do people working in the food service areas know that I am on a Meal Plan or have Tower Tender?
- Your student ID has a magnetic strip that is encoded with your Meal Plan, Dining Dollars and Tower Tender information. The card readers placed by the food service cash registers read the encoded magnetic strip to determine how many meals or how much Dining Dollars/Tower Tender you have left in your account.
When and where do I purchase a Meal Plan and/or Tower Tender?
- During Freshman Registration periods, you can sign-up for Meal Plans and Tower Tender at the Dining Service Table in Cartwright Center. In September, you can sign-up in Cartwright Center in Room 221, the Cartwright Center Ticket Office, or On-line. You will be billed for your Meal/Tower Tender Plan at a later date by the University Business Office. "Tower Tender" can be purchased and added to your account any time during the semester.
I am a Freshman or Sophomore living in the residence halls and I have special dietary needs. Am I required to sign-up for a Meal Plan?
- The Meal Plan program has provisions for those students requiring special diets for medical reasons. Interested students should contact Dr. Mary Beth Vahala, (608) 785-8888, concerning their particular dietary needs. In most cases, the required foods can be prepared for you.
What do I do if I'm sick and can't make it to Whitney Center?
- Sick trays can be requested when you are bedridden. Please contact the Whitney Center Office at 785-8610. You will need to make arrangements for someone to pick-up the sick tray.
I have classes straight through the day and have a really hard time getting to Whitney Center. What can I do?
- Sack meals can be provided to students with scheduling conflicts. The grab-n-go cooler is located in The Whitney Center main dining room, for your convenience.
- Friday dinner (4:30 pm) thru Sunday dinner you can to take a friend to eat in the Food Court Dining Room using Guest Meals. You can use three (3) meals per week from your Meal Plan as Guest Meals for visiting guests. Each Guest Meal is counted as one (1) meal when figuring out how many meals you have used during the Meal Plan week.
- Transferability is the ability to use a meal entrance from the Food Court Dining Room at Whitney Center (a Meal from your Meal Plan) at Chars, the Sub Shop, The Trattoria, The Cellar, or The Galley during posted Transferability hours. Students on the Meal Plan receive two (2) transfers to Chars and in Cartwright Center (The Cellar, The Galley, and The Trattoria) and one (1) transfer per day to The Sub Shop. If food items costing more than the transferability rate are purchased, the customer must pay the difference with Dining Dollars, Tower Tender or cash. Transferability rates and hours are posted in each dining location.
How can I get the most out of my Meal Plan?
- Eating all your allotted meals per week is the best way to get the maximum value out of your Meal Plan and that's easy to do. In fact if you don't plan right you might eat all your meals for the week in a few days! You don't believe this, read on. Get up in the morning and grab a quick breakfast (1) before you head off to 6 straight hours of class. Before you leave Whitney Center pick-up your sack lunch (2) Eat lunch between classes. After a day of classes go over to The Trattoria for dinner (3). Later that night you're hungry and want to get out of the hall so, run over to The Sub Shop and pick up a late night snack (4). You just ate 4 meals in one day, do that for 4 days (16 meals) and you only have 3 meals left for the next 3 days (from the 19 Meal Plan). You also have the Dining Dollars that came with your Meal Plan to use. They come in handy when you have a guest and want to treat them to a meal, you want to grab a bite to eat from The Galley, Cyber Cafe, or The Cellar, or you want to buy some food items from the Convenience Store.
I'm really interested in learning more about the Campus Dining Service.
- The Dining Service Committee (DSC) is a campus organization that meets to discuss the Dining Services at UW-L. Call 785-8891 for more information.
What are the Campus Dining Service hours of operation?
- Location and hours are listed below:
- Cartwright Center Dining
- The Trattoria
Monday-Friday: 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: Closed - The Galley
Monday-Friday: 8:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: Closed - Whitney Center Dining
- Food Court Dining Area
Monday-Friday: 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday: 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. (brunch) 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. (dinner) - Chars
Monday-Thursday: 10:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Friday: 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. - The Sub Shop
Monday - Sunday: 10:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.