Chartwells offers the same food at the same price
Paul Bogdan
A&C Writer
Being the observant young mind you are, you’ve likely noticed the slight changes to the food court in Riddell Centre. In place of Burger Studio, Topio’s and Chopsticks, now stands Build Your Own Burger (BYOB), 2Mato and Global Village, respectively. The names may have changed, but each place serves similar food as their predecessors. Some students are saying the food is “pretty much the same” as Aramark, and they would even go as far to say they “probably [would] not” notice the difference if they hadn’t been informed about it.
The most evident change is the healthier choices of ingredients chosen by Chartwells. Yes, gone are the days of fried eggs on burgers and on-screen prompts asking if you’re sure you want to include all fifteen of your toppings. Lovers of the Burger Studio curly fries will also be disappointed to find out they have been retired, but Chartwells has included the addition of sweet potato fries to the menu at BYOB.
The price of a burger is now more dependent on what you like on your burger because of the pay-per-topping system at BYOB. At Burger Studio, one had to pay for toppings as well, but they seem to add up quicker at BYOB. Basic toppings such as lettuce, tomato or onions are no extra cost to you. Burger Studio also let you sauce up your burger with as many sauces as you so desired, but BYOB limits you to a maximum of two. If you enjoy gratuitous yet delicious toppings such as mushrooms, bacon, various cheeses, guacamole, or extra patties, your meal can be as much as $14. However, if you simply want a cheeseburger, you’re going to be paying slightly less than what you paid at Burger Studio.
In general, the food prices are by no means cheap, which will irk many students, since they are already paying large sums of money just to be here. I paid over $6 for a single slice of pizza and a bottled juice. It’s not outrageously expensive, but for roughly the same price you can get a sandwich or wrap from Henderson’s, which is both more filling than one slice of pizza and healthier for you as well. It would have been nice to see the addition of a slightly-less-expensive food service to the university.
However, the food does seem to taste a bit better. You might not be able to get all the toppings you used to from Burger Studio, and the burgers from BYOB are slightly smaller, but they’re far less greasy. The pizza from 2Mato tastes much less like cardboard compared to Topio’s. The teriyaki chicken and stir-fry vegetables from Global Village are delicious, and the noodles aren’t rubbery at all.
The best deal out of the three choices Chartwells provides is Global Village. The food actually tastes super good, it’s filling and it gives you the most for what you pay – $7.34 at Global Village will get you enough food to ensure you won’t be hungry in your afternoon classes.
However, some students feel they aren’t getting their money’s worth.
“Two fucking sauces – I spent $14 on a burger,” said Tanner Hoffman, a disgruntled second-year computer science student. “I’m going to start a sauce vendor”.
So, how does this affect you? If you’re not a Dr. Frankenstein of burgers, you likely won’t feel much of a change. If there are only subtle differences between the two, is Chartwells really better suited to feed the students of the University of Regina than Aramark?
They both are serving basically the same food for the same price, except that Chartwells is attempting to do so in a more health-conscious manner. This is likely the biggest benefit to the change in providers. With a busy university schedule, finding time to maintain one’s physical well-being can be difficult, but it’s nice to know at least you don’t have to fill yourself with high-calorie food.
Aramark vs. Chartwells
Here’s a point-for-point comparison of Aramark, the previous food service provider to the University of Regina, and Chartwells, the current one.
Aramark’s Burger Studio vs. Chartwells’ BYOB
The winner: Burger Studio
Reason: Yes, I’m sure I want all of that on my burger. Now shut up and take my money.Aramark’s Topio’s vs. Chartwells’ 2Mato
The winner: 2Mato
Reason: I can now taste a difference between my slice of pizza and a pizza box.Aramark’s Chopsticks vs. Chartwells’ Global Village
The winner: Global Village
Reason: Oriental food that’s affordable, delicious and filling – the trifecta of university cuisine.Overall Nutrition
The winner: Chartwells
Reason: Chartwells chooses to use healthy ingredients and they also provide the nutritional facts of the ingredients they use on their website.Names
The winner: Aramark
Reason: Aramark didn’t have any overly creative names, but 2Mato, Chartwells? Come on.Price
The winner: neither
Reason: Prices haven’t changed much.Final Scores:
Chartwells 3, Aramark: 2Chartwells may be the winner, but the loser in any case is the student. Don’t expect your wallet to get much lighter in these upcoming months. On the bright side, you might be able to stave off that freshman 15 for a few extra weeks.
And Luther cafeteria remains the university's best kept food secret.