South Carolina’s Francis Marion University has signed a food-service contract with Aramark Corporation effective this fall.
Per a report from Francis Marion’s The Partiot, the university put pen to paper on a seven-year contract in April of 2015. As part of the new agreement, Aramark has created a new system for on-campus dining at FMU, including the addition of an on-campus cafe that brings Starbucks and Subway to the Florence campus.
Per the report, at the conclusion of the university’s contract with previous provider, Sodexo, Francis Marion was required to choose a different company. As is typically the case with the RFP process, Sodexo had the same opportunity to compete for the contract. Only two other companies, Aramark and Chartwells, submitted proposals.
In addition to the new central cafe location that features Starbucks and Subway,there are also plans for an on-campus convenience store located in one of the university’s dining halls. The university is calling this new location a “P.O.D.” or Provisions on Demand. The convenience store will accept the university’s Patriot Bucks included in student meal plans.
New meal plans are also available for purchase, and students living on campus are eligible to purchase either an All Access or All Access Plus meal plan. The All Access Meal Plan gives students unlimited meals with $25 in Patriot Bucks, while the All Access Plus meal plan gives students unlimited meals with $150 in Patriot Bucks.
Students living either in Francis Marion’s on-campus apartments or off campus can also purchase meal plans at 50, 80 or 160 meals per semester with $30 in Patriot Bucks. Alternatively, students can directly purchase $300 in Patriot Bucks from the university.
