Tristen Cortez EDINBURG – Sodexo, UTRGV’s food service provider of 22 years, officially ended its service at the university on July 15.
In the months leading up to the impending expiration of the company’s contract with UTRGV, a series of bids from providers across the country were made, with Chartwells Higher Education being at the forefront of candidates.
Letty Benavides, associate vice president of Campus Auxiliary Services, said that Chartwells was unanimously chosen as the best fit for the university following several visits conducted between the provider and students to understand on-campus dining preferences.
“Everything that I’ve seen so far, there is such a commitment from Chartwells, from their employees, that I’m really excited to see the changes that they’re going to bring,” Benavides said.
On July 16, one day after the conclusion of Sodexo’s services, Chartwells began operations at UTRGV with the expedited implementation of new retail and dining concepts located in Brownsville and Edinburg, aside from the currently remaining Chick-Fil-A and Pizza Hut in ESTUN.
Roberto Cantu, Executive Director of Business Auxiliary Services, said that the process involved onboarding employees across the country from Chartwells, along with previous Sodexo-hired employees at UTRGV, into the university’s new operating partnership in preparation for the planned launch of services on Aug. 28.
Alongside these services, announced in a release by Chartwells in early August, Cantu said that the university has also renovated the Dining Hall in Edinburg, which is now called the Social House.
“We’re excited for it, right now we just did a fresh coat of paint in the space, we added new air conditioning systems to kind of keep the temperatures really pleasant for our students,” Cantu said.
Chartwells’ retail and dining concepts at UTRGV will be open as of the start of the Fall semester, with a three-year improvement plan to take place with feedback from students.
