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Laurentian University awards food service contract for 2016-2021

Laurentian University awards food service contract for 2016-2021

Enhancements to include ‘self-serve pantry,’ app for pre-orders, and more Tims

FEB 17, 2016 – Laurentian University’s Board of Governors has approved the awarding of a new five-year contract for campus Food and Beverage Services to Chartwells Canada, for a term commencing June 1st, 2016.  Chartwells is one of North America’s largest food service providers in the post-secondary education sector, and currently serves more than 50 colleges and universities across Canada. 

 

“Food and beverage service under Chartwells will bring a few changes and some new benefits to students, staff, faculty and visitors to campus,” said Ben Demianiuk, Director of Housing and Food Services.  “We will have enhanced full-service cooking from scratch in the Great Hall dining facility, and next fall we will also offer a self-serve pantry, where people have access to a full, stocked pantry, somewhat like a home kitchen,” said Demianiuk.  “We’ll also have a labelling icon system that will identify reduced sodium, non-dairy and other menu choices.”

 

Chartwells has also committed to capital spending to enhance and add food service locations on campus, which will include

  • Renovations to the Tim Hortons in the Arts Building
  • Addition of a Tim Hortons express within Residence
  • The addition of aboriginal and international cuisine

 

Along with the self-serve pantry, Chartwells will create an interactive space offering cooking lessons and other activities. It will also introduce a mobile app allowing customers to pre-order their meals and pick them up at specified locations, which is expected to reduce line-ups at peak times.

 

The contract was awarded based on a rigorous and very competitive review, which followed a request for proposals issued last fall.  Proponents were scored on a list of weighted factors, including food choices and quality, speed of service, sustainability initiatives and commitment to local food. 

 

“The review committee was impressed by the Chartwells commitment, and we are confident of the benefits this new service provider will bring to students, and to all members of the university community,” said Vice-President, Administration, Carol McAulay.  “We also want to acknowledge all of the hard work that Aramark has done in recent years, to help us improve and expand our food service options on campus.”

 

Since 2012, Laurentian University has seen a transformation in campus food services, with the addition of Starbucks, Subway, Toppers Pizza, the LUL Café Bistro, the Tim Hortons Kiosk (Fraser Auditorium) and the renovation of the Great Hall dining assembly.

Laurentian names first Manager of Energy and Sustainability

Laurentian names first Manager of Energy and Sustainability

Kati McCartney to lead university in reducing footprint, promoting best practices

September 11 , 2014 – Benchmarking of energy consumption, composting in residences and a zero-waste cafeteria: these are just a few of the initiatives in progress as Laurentian University advances its ‘green agenda’ under Kati McCartney, Manager, Energy and Sustainability. 

“This position is new to Laurentian, but the University is already recognized as an environmental champion on many fronts, and we have the potential to create real leadership in sustainability and conservation,” said McCartney. “I’m confident that we can be in the top tier of green universities.” 

As Manager of Energy and Sustainability, McCartney will lead the development of sustainable operation planning and will manage the energy purchase and use portfolio. She is developing both short and long-term sustainability goals for Laurentian, with initiatives in energy consumption, waste diversion, outreach and education. McCartney graduated from Laurentian University with a Master of Science (Chemical Sciences) and a Master of Business Administration. 

McCartney will also lead efforts to accurately measure, benchmark and reduce energy consumption across campus. Those efforts will include the installation of meters for all commodities – electricity, natural gas,and water – to track consumption and to benchmark efficiency. 

 

 A campus audit conducted in July showed that Laurentian is performing “a bit better than the average for universities in Ontario,” according to McCartney. “With our benchmarking, we’ll be able to identify those areas where we can improve our performance in energy conservation. We’ll retro-fit where it makes sense, and we’ll also be encouraging changes in behaviours related to energy use,” she said. 

One of the high-profile initiatives now underway on the Sudbury campus is the introduction of composting in Laurentian’s residences. With the start of the school year, Laurentian became the first institution in the City of Greater Sudbury to adopt the municipality’s residential composting program. 

“We are the first university in the north to implement composting on such a large scale, and it will be our students who make it happen,” said Laurentian’s Director of Housing and Food Services, Ben Demianiuk. “We’ve worked with the City to put it in place, but it will be up to all of us to create a culture that supports it,” he added. It is estimated that the introduction of composting in residence could divert as much as 50 tonnes of organic waste from landfill each year. 

The waste diversion effort goes even further in the University’s newly-renovated dining space in the Great Hall. The restaurant-style cafeteria has no garbage bins, and no blue-box receptacles for glass, plastic or aluminum containers. 

“This is a real step change, and a bold move,” said McCartney. “There are no disposable cups, paper plates or plastic cutlery; no pop cans or glass bottles to toss in the blue bin. Everything that is used to serve meals is washable, and anything that’s left on the plates goes right into the compost. This is really a big deal in terms of waste diversion,” she said. 

Laurentian University is committed to fostering a strong culture of sustainability and environmental stewardship. Laurentian has signed the Council of Ontario Universities pledge, Ontario Universities: Committed to a Greener World, which commits universities to assist in finding solutions to the challenges of environmental sustainability; to share knowledge about sustainability and climate change; and to incorporate, wherever possible, principles of sustainability into their own operations. 

Laurentian will be holding a Campus Sustainability Forum on September 29th, 2014, which will include a public lecture by environmental activist and former Toronto mayor David Miller, current President and CEO of WWF Canada. Further details of the Sustainability Forum will be published later this month. 

Laurentian unveils new look of great hall, dining options

Laurentian unveils new look of great hall, dining options

Marche-style restaurant experience at “focal point” of campus

August 27, 2014 – A sweeping re-design of Laurentian University’s iconic Great Hall has transformed the old cafeteria space into a contemporary, “Marché-style” dining venue under the name Fresh Food Company. 

 

“The Great Hall has always been a focal point of campus life.  This is the centrepiece of our expansion of food and beverage service, and it represents a signal moment for the university,” said Laurentian Vice-President, Administration Carol McAulay today at the Grand Opening.  “Over the past few years, we’ve consulted widely with the university community about dining and other amenities on campus, and we’ve enhanced those options accordingly.”

 

Described as a “restaurant-style experience” in the heart of Laurentian’s Sudbury campus, the Fresh Food Company dining space will offer healthy meals, prepared fresh at 12 separate ‘cooking stations,’ including the Deli, the Mongolian Grill, and the Dessert/Waffle Bar.  The Fresh Food Company will offer more local produce and locally-sourced food products, as well as daily specials and vegetarian options. It will be operated by Laurentian University’s food and beverage provider, Aramark Food Services.

 “We know from our research that students want fresh, made-to-order meals, served in a comfortable environment where they can hang out with their friends,” said Brian Struthers, Regional Vice President for Aramark. “The new Fresh Food Company delivers this enhanced, restaurant-like atmosphere, and we believe it will become a great campus hub for both food and social interaction.”

Marché-style dining will allow unlimited choices at set rates for each meal period.  Meal plan payment options will be provided for students in designated residences, with other meal plans available to staff and faculty.

Laurentian University has expanded food and beverage services on campus in the past 2 years, with the addition of a Starbucks location, the Bistro in East Residence, a Subway sandwich shop and, most recently, a Topper’s Pizza outlet. 

 

“Our vision was to create a range of dining options in our various campus neighbourhoods,” said Laurentian’s Director, Housing and Food Services, Ben Demianiuk.  “This is an expansion of menu options, but it’s also about enhancing the social amenities of campus life by adding new, welcoming spaces where people can gather, study or socialize,” he said. 

 

Laurentian has embarked on an ambitious $50 million dollar modernization and renewal program entailing upgrades to classrooms, labs, study and social spaces over the next three years.  The modernization program is outlined in the University’s 2012-2017 Strategic Plan.

Laurentian welcomes latest addition to campus Food Services

Laurentian welcomes latest addition to campus Food Services

Local restaurateur Topper’s Pizza to open first university-based store

July 25, 2014 – As part of its continuing campaign to expand and enhance food service options for students, staff and faculty, Laurentian University today welcomed a new Topper’s Pizza restaurant to the Sudbury campus. 

“Topper’s has been in Sudbury for more than 30 years, so it’s well-known and well-liked,” said Laurentian’s Director of Housing and Food Services, Benjamin Demianiuk. “We’re sure it will be a very popular meal choice at the university, and the company also fits well with our objective of providing more local food choices.” 

The Toppazzini family opened a bakery in Copper Cliff in 1904, serving the Sudbury market for almost eight decades. Since 1982, when it launched its first pizza restaurant, the family-owned company has expanded to 35 corporate and franchise-owned locations across Ontario, with plans for further expansion. 

“We are delighted to be opening our first location on a university campus with the Laurentian store,” said Kelly Toppazzini, Chair and CEO of Topper’s Pizza. “We think it’s a perfect fit, and we’re proud to be part of the university community,” he said. 

The restaurant will be located directly outside the entrance to Laurentian’s Great Hall and will officially open to the university community on August 28th, 2014. It is part of the University’s long-term program to broaden the range of food and beverage options available, while also creating more spaces across campus for gathering, socializing and dining. The Great Hall will re-open August 29th after a $2M renovation. The re-designed Great Hall will offer a “marché-style” dining experience under the name Fresh Food Co. 

“We’ve consulted widely and we’ve listened to our students, and other members of the Laurentian community,” said VP, Administration Carol McAulay. “With the Great Hall re-design, with the addition of a Starbucks and East Bistro in recent years, and now the opening of a Topper’s on campus, we really are providing the spaces and the amenities for an excellent student experience here at Laurentian.”