Chartwells (1):

January 2009 issue

How can DePaul continue to be supportive of the fees & prices that Chartwells charges both staff and students? I recently heard (and now confirmed) that Chartwells negotiated the ability to charge a 30% mark up if they don't have an item in their stock, while they may just go to Dominick's to buy it. A staff member had a program and she was charged $15 for a GALLON of apple cider. Is this fair to staff or students? Is this standard for all Food Service operations on college campuses?

Response

Source: Joe Mroczkowski
Title: Director
Unit/Department: Student Centers

Response:The question refers to a 30% mark-up for a catered item that is not in stock.  While it does occassionally occur that an item is not in stock, it does not occur frequently and more importantly, there is no standard mark up for items that are not in stock.

  The cost of a catered service includes the cost of puchasing the product, (which is not typically the grocery store cost of the same product), labor (including preparation, delivery, and sometimes pick up), and other direct and indirect costs such as packaging or transportation. 

  Please be aware that student organizations also can benefit from a ‘No Frills’ menu pricing for catering that include order pick-ups to save labor charges.  There is also a University policy in place whereby student organizations can benefit from donations from restuarants for their events and programs.

DePaul departments can also trim their catering costs and the Catering Office or I would be happy to answer specific questions or review quotes with an eye toward using University dollars more frugally.