How Bucknell selected a new dining vendor after more than 20 years

It had been more than 20 years since Bucknell University went on the hunt for a new foodservice partner.

But, with its contract with Parkhurst Dining coming to a close, the Lewisburg, Pennsylvania-based private school with nearly 4,000 undergraduate students put out a request for proposals for a new dining vendor and began discussing with stakeholders (students, faculty, staff and administrators) their priorities for on-campus dining.

“One of the key points was looking at diversity and cuisine,” said Dana Mims, Bucknell’s assistant vice president of business services. “We have a really diverse body of students on campus, so it was important to us that we had a partner that could meet those needs.”

And that umbrella of diversity extends not just to global cultures and religions, but also to food allergies and special diets, Mims added.

In all, the group developed nine priorities in its search for a dining vendor, a quest that eventually led the team to Chartwells Higher Education. The Charlotte, North Carolina-based foodservice management firm works with more than 300 college campuses around the country.

“We’re able to take the best of the best and really fine tune a specific program for Bucknell,” said Mark Tarkanick, Chartwells’ VP of marketing for its East Division.

Bucknell offers one main dining hall, as well as several auxiliary facilities, including the food hall-esque MacDonald Commons and Bison Café as well as two on-campus coffee cafes. The university also has a food truck.

Chartwells is planning a variety of “nimble” changes when students return this fall, including several upgrades to the Bison Café (creating a Tex-Mex station, a fresh-made burger stall with a portion of sales going to an on-campus program, increased customization options and more), Tarkanick said.

The school will also enlist local restaurant operators and food trucks for popups and will increase its use of produce from the campus-run farm.

Also of note is a new area in the main dining hall that caters to students looking to avoid the nine major food allergens.

“It really does focus on delicious food,” Mims said. “It doesn’t feel like it’s very separated or isolated. It’s part of the main dining hall. It has its own station that is connected to the rest of the dining hall. So, it’s inviting for students that have those allergies and have those special needs … But also those that don’t have those can still get access to that food and can still participate and try some new menu options and offerings.”

The new dining partner will also operate a teaching kitchen inside the main dining hall.

“I was sitting with our football coach yesterday, and we were talking about some of the downtime that they have throughout the semester,” said Prince Johnson, Bucknell’s resident district manager. “We could bring the football students in when they don’t have anything else to do … We’ll teach you how to make some meals so that you can take those back to your dorm and feed your fellow football players.”

Meal plans will remain the same this school year, though they are expected to change for the 2025-25 school year. Bucknell has formed a committee to discuss any potential updates to the meal plan.

“It’s going to be exciting,” Johnson said. “I want the campus to be excited for what we’re doing. Chartwells has a saying that, ‘If you’ve seen one Chartwells account, you’ve seen one Chartwells account.’ This account is going to be different from any other one.”