UChicago Dining Marketing Plan SP22 FINAL.2

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

The Fall 2021 brought with it so many unique opportunities for our campus teams to 

create moments of joy and togetherness through food. As we collectively worked to 

provide experiences and services that reignite our communities, I am reminded how 

personally grateful I am for your partnership. As we look towards the new year, we are 

excited to continue to propel our campus dining programs forward through the creativity 

of our exceptional on-site teams. 

The new year allows our students numerous opportunities to recharge and set new goals 

for themselves, which we are excited to support. We know through several studies that 

the pandemic has taken its toll on mental health and creates uncertainty about the 

future. We have developed a promotional calendar that addresses the need to create 

joyful, delicious, and memorable food experiences that promote a sense of community 

and belonging, as well as programs to nourish the mind and body. We continue to think 

creatively and practically to address the evolving needs of our campuses, and we could 

not do it without your partnership. 

We are so pleased to present to you our Spring 2022 Marketing and Communications 

plan – comprised of new and exciting promotions, a revitalized focus on community and 

mental health, and campaigns that keep our programs food-forward and thriving - it is 

our most innovative plan to date. I wish you all the best this Spring and look forward to a 

safe and exciting Quarter as we continue to Fuel the Future. 

CEO, Chartwells Higher Education

GEN Z TRENDS 

67% 

of Gen Zers consider the 

nutritional content of their food. 

25% 

Increase in people choosing a 

healthier diet (superfoods, etc.) 

due to the pandemic. 

75% 

of millennials value the experience 

of eating food more than the 

nourishment. 

70% 

of millennials prefer snacking 

throughout the day (grazing) as 

opposed to eating larger meals. 

37% 

of Gen Zers report fair to poor mental 

health compared to 15% of millennials. 

3 

62% 

of young adults aged 18-22 say they 

cook international cuisines at home 

from social media.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

05 

10 

18 

GOAL PLANNING 

Quarter PREVIEW 

FEEDBACK ROADMAP 

24 

EVENT CALENDARS 

LOVE, CHARTWELLS 

FYUL 

JOYFUL 


31 

CULTURAL SERIES 

WELLNESS 

SUSTAINABILITY 

COMMUNITY FOCUS 

34 

CHECK AVERAGE DRIVERS 

PARTICIPATION DRIVERS 

LIMITED TIME OFFERS 

SNACK & BEVERAGE PROMOS 

COMMUNICATIONS 

THE PRESS ROOM 

VIDEO 

ENGAGEMENT 

SOCIAL PLATFORMS 

36 

38 

CATERING LTOS 

CATERTRAX PROMOS 

PEOPLE 

YOUFIRST PROGRAM

GOAL 

PLANNING 

S.M.A.R.T. 

Starting with the basics, our 

goals must be S.M.A.R.T. 

goals in order for us to 

measure success. 

Flexibility 

Our goals are realistic, but we 

are also flexible to 

accommodate necessary 

and unforeseeable changes. 

Measuring 

Success 

Our monthly reporting tools 

will now include a Success 

Scorecard to inform you of 

our progress throughout 

the Quarter.

SPRING 2022 GOALS 

94% 94% 

60 % 

OVERALL GUEST SATISFACTION 

Our goal is 94% positive rating 

on our campus dining survey 

through training and employee 

engagement. 

RESIDENTIAL SATISFACTION 

Our goal is to obtain at least a 

94% average score in our 

residential dining facilities 

according to Happy-or-Not. 

DINE ON CAMPUS WEBSITE VISITS 

Our goal is to increase Dine On 

Campus website visits by 60% over 

prior year. 

4% 5% 

VOLUNTARY 

MEAL PLAN SALES 

Our goal is to achieve a 

commuter meal plan 

growth of 4%. 

RETAIL SALES 

Our goal is to achieve a 

retail sales target of growth 

of 5%. 

10% 

15% 

300 

SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT 

Our goal is to grow our social 

media engagement rate by 

10% by the end of Quarter. 

SOCIAL MEDIA REACH 

Our goal is to increase 

social reach by 15% by 

the end of Quarter. 

6 

SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS 

Our goal is to gain 300 

additional followers by the 

end of the Quarter. 

GENERAL GOALS 

Launch Groundbreakers 

Program, 

Enrich Dining Ambassador 

Program

RESIDENTIAL 

We want to ensure all our guests get 

to participate in the fun! Residential 

events will be held at all of our Dining 

Commons or virtually to support social 

distancing. You should expect to see 

our food-forward programming such 

as: 

• Cultural Series 

• DIY Engagement Events 

• Stop Food Waste Day 

RETAIL 

Our retail strategy will focus on driving 

sales while offering deals across 

campus to address affordability for 

students. The following locations will 

participate in the retail sales drivers: 

• Boost Engagement Events 

• Local Partner Tastings 

• Seasonal Limited Time Offers 

MARKETS/RETAIL 

Our Markets and Retail 

locations will participate in 

deals across campus, from 

sweet treats and coffee deals, 

to beverage deals and more. 

Students will love the 

affordable offers we’ll feature 

in stores. Each of the Retail 

locations will participate. 

CATERING 

Our catering strategy will drive revenue 

and guests satisfaction by positioning 

ourselves as the caterer of choice on 

campus. This Quarter catering will 

introduce: 

• LTO's for Administation and Students 

• CaterTrax Promotional Codes 

• Mingle & Nosh 

7

GUEST 

FEEDBACK 

Contactless 

Feedback 

Our guest feedback 

programs are going 

contactless just like many 

of our other services. 

Insights 

We expand on existing 

feedback to gain deep 

insights, using prior survey 

results and quantitative 

data we collect 

throughout the Quarter. 

Action-Oriented 

Results 

The results of our feedback will 

guide our action plans that 

support continuous 

improvement. We treat every 

day like a rebid.

FEEDBACK ROADMAP 

Our annual guest satisfaction feedback process looks slightly different this year due to the 

pandemic. We have provided a customized plan specific to this Quarter to ensure we are 

understanding and improving the customer experience in this new environment. The following 

plan outlines our approach for the spring Quarter. 

HAPPY OR NOT 

Our feedback collecting Smileys 

and real-time data analytics 

solution helps us improve our 

customer experience, workplace 

happiness, and bottom line. 

ROLL-OUT PLAN 

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY 

• Live Period: January – June 

• Location(s): All Dining Commons 

and Select Retail locations 

• Target Audience: All guests 

VIRTUAL ON-SITE INSIGHTS 

Our virtual focus group platform 

takes insights from previous surveys 

or campus priorities and helps us 

derive deeper knowledge into the 

minds of our guests. 

ROLL-OUT PLAN 


• OSI Dates: April 

• Audience: Meal Plan Holders, Graduates and Faculty 

and Staff 

• Goal: Road to Top 5 

YOU SPOKE, WE LISTENED 

The management team develops an 

action plan to improve our operations 

and make our guests feel heard. We 

communicate the changes we made 

back to our guests using the “You 

Spoke, We Listened” campaign. 

MARKETING PLAN 


• Print: 8.5x11, 22x28, x-banner 

• Digital: Email, DOC, digital screens 

• Social: Instagram/Facebook stories

RESIDENTIAL 

Community 

We strive to engage our 

communities and 

establish our brand as a 

partner to the campus. 

Student 

Engagement 

Student engagement looks 

different today with the 

increase of stress and anxiety 

for students in a COVID 

environment. 

Culinary 

Innovation 

Staying in touch with social 

media and student habits will 

allow our culinary teams to 

create innovative dishes that 

encourage students explore 

new flavors.

JANUARY 

EVENT CALENDAR 

WINTER BLUES & BBQ 

1.27.22 

BBQ and Southern cuisine is consistently on the rise across all 

generations and our chefs love to plan menus surrounding this 

type of food, so let’s celebrate it! Chef- and student-inspired BBQ 

sauce competitions or the best mac & cheese recipe submission 

contests are great ways to engage students beyond the plate. 

FYUL IMMUNITY BOOST 

1.25.22 

A healthy, balanced diet can improve overall wellness. Recipes 

feature antioxidants, like vitamin C, from citrus fruits and berries, 

and vitamin A from sweet potatoes and bell peppers. 

DIY OVERNIGHT OATS 

1.21.22 

It’s a New Year. What better time to make a 

commitment to feeding your body and mind with 

healthy and sustainable foods, starting with breakfast! 

SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES 

1.31.22 

A new year and new quarter is the perfect time to 

reflect on personal goals--including sustainability goals 

and resolutions. Creating a space for students to write 

their goals and resources is a great way to encourage 

students to connect and learn from one another. 

All programmed events will be held at all Dining Commons. 

VIEW FULL CONTENT CALENDAR

FEBRUARY 


BRUNCH ON THE BAYOU 

2.22.22 

Celebrate the excitement of Bourbon Street in a 

different way this year. Brunch continues to be a rising 

trend among our students. Who doesn’t love classic 

sweet and savory brunch dishes mixed in at any meal 

period? While Mardi Gras is a popular event throughout 

the country, it continues to be a great way for us to 

introduce Cajun dishes into our menu. 

A TASTE OF TRENDY 

2.15.22 

You see it, you share it, and you try it! Foodies and seasoned 

chefs love to try new recipes and “A Taste of Trendy” is the 

perfect time to create the next viral recipe. With the rise of 

social media comes an increase if our students engaging in 

food online. This event is the perfect way to introduce on-trend 

recipes that our students are dying to try! 

FYUL HEALTHY HEART 

2.8.22 

Keep your heart healthy and strong with foods that are 

high in fiber such as whole grains and legumes, healthy 

fats such as fatty fish and nuts, and foods low in 

sodium. 

DIY CHOCOLATE DIPPING 

2.13.22 

February is National Chocolate Month and the perfect 

time of year to indulge in everyone’s favorite sweet 

treat. Offering a dipping station relates back to our Gen 

Z students’ love for variety and customization. 



MARCH 


LET’S NOODLE THIS 

3.3.22 

Students not only love their favorite staple dishes with 

pasta, but noodles continue to be a popular base, 

with ramen and veggie noodles. With Noodles, options 

are endless in engaging out students. 

TOP O’ THE MORNING 

3.17.22 

St. Patrick’s Day is a cultural event celebrated all 

across the world. With our students looking for exciting 

menus even at the start of the day, breakfast is a great 

way to celebrate all things green. 

FYUL CLARITY BOOST 

3.23.22 

Foods and beverages that provide natural 

sources of caffeine along with the active 

ingredients in spices, like turmeric and thyme, 

leafy green vegetables, cherries, and other 

delicious foods that can support mental clarity 

in the short and long-term. 

DIY CEREAL MADNESS 

3.7.22 

Cereal Madness is an on-trend way to give 

students a customizable, anytime snacking 

option! Cereal is no longer viewed as a 

breakfast-only item, and students are 

incorporating it into their snack-centric lifestyle. 



APRIL 


SLIDE INTO SLIDERS 

4.4.22 

Celebrate Opening Day on March 31, 2022 with a 

menu that will knock our students' taste buds out of the 

park! This is a great opportunity for us to not only show 

pride to our national baseball teams but our oncampus 

teams as well. 

EARTH DAY DINNER 

4.22.22 

Celebrate Earth Day on Friday, April 22 with our guests! Earth 

Month is celebrated all month long, but Earth Day gives us the 

opportunity to come together to raise awareness together. 

What better way to do this than by featuring a farm-to-fork 

menu highlighting the incredible food and agriculture of your 

campus? 

FYUL EARTH FRIENDLY 

4.19.22 

The foods you eat daily have a direct impact on the 

Earth’s climate. To help preserve our Earth, opt for plant 

forward meals with less or even no meat and dairy. To 

really decrease your impact, select regenerative 

agriculture crops such as flax, quinoa, bok choy, or 

farro. 

DIY PICKLES 

4.11.22 

Snackable items are the perfect on-trend food with our 

Gen Z student. Pickles are an easy snack many students 

keep in their dorm room fridges or at home to enjoy 

with lunch or simply to munch on at any point of the 

day. 



MAY 


SENIOR THROWBACK 

5.12.22 

After 4 years of dining with us, they have seen it all. Now 

let us cater to the graduates as their time with us comes 

to an end. Celebrate the Class of 2022 by allowing 

seniors to take over your dining halls menu for a Senior 

Throwback Night. 

FYUL SUSTAINED ENERGY 

5.3.22 

Need an energy boost? Select foods that have a good 

balance of protein, healthy fats, and fiber, such as 

whole grains, to provide your body with a lasting source 

of fuel. 

DIY SALSA 

5.14.22 

May is National Salsa Month. Whether your guests 

prefer sweet or savory, salsas are the biggest edition to 

your breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert. It's also perfect 

for that on-the-go snack, which our students love for 

their busy schedules. 

BEE SWEET 

5.9.22 

Pollinators like bees play a key role in our ecosystem. 

Bees pollinate one-third of the food we eat (The Bee 

Conservancy), and it’s important that we do our part to 

help protect the bee population. The bee population is 

slowly recovering after years of decline due to factors 

such as invasive plants, habitat loss, and disease. 



The Teaching Kitchen is a platform designed to provide our students and student athletes with 

an immersive culinary and nutrition experience. At the Teaching Kitchen, students can explore 

food, culinary and nutrition literacy in ways that positively impact food choices, experiences 

and athletic performance. Across multiple business lines, the Teaching Kitchen has a lot of 

benefits. It helps improve morale, productivity, team spirit and creativity. It’s a place on 

campus to actively engage in your wellness initiatives. 

The Teaching Kitchen increases the frequency of cooking at home by reducing meal time stress 

with knowledge and skills, and provides fundamental culinary skills to students who have never 

cooked for themselves. Each teaching module integrates health, science and 

anthropology/social studies aspects making the Teaching Kitchen a living laboratory. Lastly, 

because we focus on the inherently healthy foods of a wide variety of cultures around the 

world, The Teaching Kitchen participants increase their appreciation of world cuisines and 

cultures. 

JANUARY: Chicken Noodle Soup 

FEBRUARY: Fair Trade Mocha Brownies 

MARCH: Tea & Meditation 

APRIL: Vegan Proteins 

MAY: Lemon Berry Tart with Honey

JoyFUL is our national campaign aimed at welcoming students back to campus and 

rekindling a sense of community. After a school year largely defined by separation, Joy-Ful 

events will help students reconnect and celebrate campus life with joyful moments 

centered around food. Each month has an overall focus and events or moments for us to 

engage the campus community in. 

January: MindFUL 

February: DelightFUL 

March: BeautiFUL 

April: HopeFUL 

MARK YOUR CALENDAR! 

Our next big signature event 

will be held on February 17 th 

at Cathey Dining Commons. 


We're excited to surprise and delight our campus 

community with creative and enticing treats. These will 

be unannounced and available to all students. 

• Hot Chocolate and Treats 

• Local Cider and Treats 

• Chocolate covered Strawberries 

• Local Lemonade 

MORE FUN AND SEASONAL IDEAS TO COME! 

17

CULTURE 

Wellness & 

Sustainability 

54% of Gen Zers say that health 

and wellness and social 

responsibility are important to 

their decision making. 

Community 

Focus 

Informing and engaging 

our guests about relevant 

topics enhances our 

position as a thought 

leader on campus. 

Mind & Body 

37% of Gen Zers report 

fair to poor mental 

health compared to 

15% of millennials.

19

February - Lunar New Year (Chinese) 

#LNYINSPIREDCHEFS 

• Most popular festival and holiday in Asia 

• Observed February 1 st – 12 th 

February - Black History Month (African Diaspora) 

#BHMINSPIREDCHEFS 

• Observed the entire month of February 

• Partnering with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of 

African American History & Culture – Sweet Home Café 

March - Women's History Month (International) 

#WHMINSPIREDCHEFS 

• Officially celebrated since 1987 

• Observed the entire month 

April – Songkran Festival (Thai New Year) 

#SKFINSPIREDCHEFS 

• Observed April 13 th – 15 th 

• A water festival focused on cleansing, purification and 

having a fresh start 

April - Thunder Ceremony (Native American and Indigenous) 

#TCINSPIREDCHEFS 

• Observed Mid-April or the 1 st thunderstorm 

• Partnering with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of 

the American Indian – Mitsitam Café 

May – Cinco de Mayo (Mexican) 

#CDMINSPIREDCHEFS 

• Observed May 5 th 

• A celebration of Mexican Culture and Heritage 

20

FYUL PROGRAM 

FYUL is a wellness program developed by students, for students! This groundbreaking 

initiative is centered on providing “functional foods” that not only 

taste great, but also deliver amazing health benefits. We were happy to rise to 

the occasion with groundbreaking recipes for our guests to enjoy! Under the 

FYUL program, guests will enjoy a variety of functional foods developed around 

main sustainability and wellness topics, including immunity boost, healthy skin, 

clean eats, earth friendliness, sustained energy, recovery, protein-packed eats, 

and more! Find delicious FYUL recipes at the following locations: 

• Heart Healthy, All DCs, 2/8/22 

• Clarity Boost, All DC’s & 3/23/22 

• Earth Friendly, All DCs, 4/19/22 

• Sustained Energy, All DCs, 5/3/22 

SUPERFOODS 

According to a Food Management study, nearly three-quarters (73%) of consumers surveyed said 

they enjoyed eating “superfoods,” such as dried fruits, nuts, and seeds that serve specific 

functional purposes and can easily be integrated into food and beverage concepts. We are 

bringing foods with health benefits beyond the obvious to the forefront of our menuing and 

educational programming. Look out for this program at our all of our dining commons 

Superfoods are foods that provide health benefits beyond their basic nutrient content. Healthconscious 

customers are drawn to meals that include nutrient-dense foods that give them more 

benefits for their calories! Typically seasonal, the monthly superfood is readily available and will 

be consistently incorporated into our menus. 

JANUARY FEBRUARRY MARCH APRIL MAY 

21 


WELLNESS & SUSTAINABILITY 

These promotions introduce guests to our wellness & sustainability programs and provide 

opportunities to experience wellness of mind, body and planet through food 

and educational events. 

January 

February 

March 

April 

May 

VIEW FULL CONTENT CALENDAR 

22 

May

COMMUNITY FOCUS 

At UChicago Dining, we 

believe community is much 

more than a physical space. 

It’s about supporting one 

another in times of need, 

sharing ideas, and working 

toward a common goal. We 

will be sharing the love with 

our guests through tableside 

treats and spreading positivity 

through social media. 

The health benefits of regular 

physical activity are super 

important in our lives. Exercise 

increases energy levels and 

improves both the cardiovascular 

strength and the efficiency. We 

will be doing a Wellness 

Wednesday Series throughout 

the month of March on social 

media. 

April is National Volunteer 

Month in the United States. 

This month is dedicated to 

honoring all of the volunteers 

in our communities as well as 

encouraging volunteerism 

throughout the month. 

CULTURAL SERIES 

The Cultural Series continues to be 

a celebration of the rich cultures 

and inspired recipes from 

culinarians at our campuses and 

across the globe. The Spring 2022 

Cultural Series will be released 

month-by-month beginning 

February 2022 with Black History 

Month! 

23

RETAIL 

Flexibility 

Now more than ever, students 

are looking for flexibility and 

variety in their meal plans and 

their dining options. 

Outcome-Driven 

Approach 

Based on the operational 

situation for spring, marketers 

will be able to plan goals and 

create their sales approach 

based off new categories of 

retail. 

Driving Revenue 

Driving Revenue is the #1 

responsibility of our field 

marketing teams.

JANUARY: Back To The Grind 

• Law Café, Tiffin Café, Quantum Café and Midway Market 

• 1/24/22 – 2/11/22 

Primary Goal: Drive app registrations & 1st purchases 

• We will welcome students back from their winter break with 

coffee/treat giveaways and 20% discount offers. 

• Hand out Coffee and Tea (with Boost Branded Coffee Sleeves) and/or 

treats in return for a Boost registration. 

• Promote 20% off through social, digital and/or at your tabling event. 

• Use Boost Branded Coffee Sleeves at Boost locations. 

FEBRUARY: Secret Menu 


• 2/14/22 – 3/4/22 

Primary Goal: Increase active users & transactions. 

• Create a new menu or menu offerings at a brand that can only be 

purchased through Boost. 

• BONUS: Offer your secret menu during extended hours (late night or 

weekends). Run the brand through your dining hall to allow for 

culinarians to prep food for the next day between orders. 

MARCH: Boost Week 


• 3/14/22 – 3/18/22 

Primary Goal: Increase active users & transactions. 

• Drive Boost transactions & sales with exclusive offerings through 

Boost for one week. 

• Choose between offering a gift with purchase or promotional code. 

Exclusive offer will be unlimited for a week or until supplies last. 

APRIL & MAY: Study Kits 


• 4/25/22 – 5/20/22 

Primary Goal: : Increase average check & brand loyalty. 

• Create a bundle of study snacks & drinks to be purchased exclusively 

through Boost. 

• BONUS: Include a Boost promo code or encouraging message as a 

surprise and delight during 25 exams.

CHECK AVERAGE DRIVERS 

Seasonal Cupcakes 

Homemade Cupcakes are great small batch items to 

incentivize guests to buy quickly because once they are 

gone, they are gone! Students crave in-house crafted 

items with flavors that are a mix of both childhood 

throwbacks and seasonal fun. Heavily promote the fact 

that these items are house-made and handcrafted, giving 

students a fresher, high quality product. 

. 

CHECK AVERAGE COMPETITION 

The mission of the check average 

competition is to increase your check 

average while engaging your associates in 

the business. 

The Benefits: 

• Helps GROW our business 

• Increases check average 

• Promotes teamwork amongst 

management and employees 

• Educates the team on targets and 

sales driver initiatives 

6% 


check average by 6%. 

5% 


overall sales by 5%. 

VIEW FULL CONTENT CALENDAR 

26

FYUL BUNDLES 

FYUL products are targeted towards the collegiate 

environment ; this generation is health conscious and 

price sensitive. FYUL Bundles cater directly to our 

campus audience by offering simple pairings to satisfy 

their hunger and meet their demands for affordable, 

healthy snacks to FYUL their active lifestyles. 

• Bubly and Snack Campaigns 

• Jerky and Beverage 

One Night Only 

Everyone loves an upgrade, now and then! Created to 

allow customers to try out additional products and LTOs 

during a specified time, these events can be used to drive 

sales during evenings or nights that tend to be on the 

slower side. Additionally, they can be hosted to match 

certain events, such as food days or holidays. One Night 

Only events can also be used at slower locations to help 

drive sales and awareness. Look out for the following 

nights throughout the Quarter: 

• Tiffin Café 

• Café Logan 

Retail B.I.N.G.O. 

In this promotion, Students fill out Bingo cards by buying 

specific items at different places, with cashiers stamping the 

cards for them. The intent is to drive awareness of Limited 

Time Offers (or lesser-known items), with an incentivized prize 

for a completed Bingo card. These month-specific Retail 

Bingo cards can be given out in Welcome Packets, during 

orientations, or by other means. Students find these 

challenges fun and engaging and will continue to spend 

more as they knock out their cards. Designed for customer 

retention and excitement, this take on Bingo is sure to please 

students and operators. 

Promotion Period: March 21 st – May 13 th 27

PARTICIPATION DRIVERS 

It’s Your Choice! 

We want to drive excitement to Quantum Café, Café 

Logan, Press Café and Tiffin Café by allowing students to 

help choose a new flavor, menu item or anything else! This 

low-tech promotion is great for a quick survey of what a 

student is looking for on your menus! 

Simple Swaps 

We are seeing more and more every day how important 

it is to provide healthy, better-for-you choices in our 

dining locations to our students. Simple Swaps allows us to 

give our traditional dining offerings a wellness refresh, 

encouraging students to try new foods while also 

maintaining a healthy lifestyle. 

•Lettuce Wraps instead of Burger Buns at Tiffin and Quantum 

Café 

•Cauliflower Rice instead of Brown Rice at Café Logan 

Coffee Crawl 

Our signature Iced Coffee Crawl/Chill promotion is 

back! With the weather staying chilly or finally 

warming up, it’s time to promote refreshing and 

cozy beverages. What better way to do that than 

with a coffee crawl or chill? 

March 1 st – March 11 th . 

28

LIMITED TIME OFFERS 

We’ve analyzed trends in our business and 

created a comprehensive strategy to deliver 

the right products and promotions in the right 

place, at the right price. We expect our 

curated selection of limited time offers to 

deliver 4% sales growth. 

Look for these brand new offerings: 

Kombucha on Tap (Seasonal Offerings) 

Café Logan 

Flatbread Pizzas 

Quantum Café 

Logan Café 

Pasta Promotions 

Press Café 

Law Café 

29

SNACK & BEVERAGE 

PROMOTIONS 

The following promotions will be held on a monthly basis in at all Retail Locations! We 

are maximizing the reach of the promotion and streamlining the success of the 

campaign by delivering our deals in Retail. These innovations were designed with 

healthy snacking in mind and are one of the many ways we are adding value and 

building affordability into our everyday operations. 

30


Alignment 

We begin each Quarter 

by aligning our marketing 

priorities with our 

commitment to our 

clients and our guests. 

Storytelling 

We take every opportunity 

to tell our brand story. Our 

clients are a key 

stakeholder in the success 

of our programs. 

Accountability 

We embrace a culture of 

accountability and report on 

our performance and 

successes monthly, 

quarterly/Quarter-ly, and 

annually.


We take every opportunity to tell our story. Our Quarter communication plan provides a 

series of resources to keep you, our campus partners, up to date on all initiatives 

happening within our dining program. 

Pre-Quarter Client Meeting 

At the beginning of each Quarter, Chartwells will host a 

meeting with our key campus clients to review the 

Quarters Marketing and Communications Plan. During 

the meeting our team will review the upcoming 

Quarter’s plan to obtain feedback and identify key 

focus areas. 

Monthly Newsletter 

At the end of each month, our team will reflect on 

the successful events and initiatives to curate our 

monthly dining newsletter. The newsletter will give a 

preview into next month’s activities and can also be 

used to send out to the campus community. 

Quarterly Partnership Review 

Quarterly, we’ll host our Partnership Review. 

During this time we’ll share current successes 

while giving a preview into the following 

what's upcoming in our dining program. 

Success Scorecard 

Our success scorecard is a monthly snapshot 

of key performance metrics we’ve committed 

to achieving throughout the Quarter. We’ll 

demonstrate our continued progress in various 

areas of business lines and initiatives.

THE PRESS ROOM 

Reaching out to student and trade publications is one of the best ways to 

showcase what we are doing on campus to a larger audience. Our team will be 

pitching our innovative initiatives to key publications to expand the reach of our 

fantastic dining program on campus. 

This Quarter, we identified key topics for stories that align with several trade 

publications’ media calendars and our new dining innovations that will be 

executed this Quarter. Below we have provided the list of story topics for each 

month and which trade publications we will be sharing these amazing stories with 

to get our dining program more visibility locally, regionally, or nationally. 

Month Topic Target Publications 

January Innovations Story: Chef Tom CSL Site 

February Feeding the Future Programming CSL, The College, UCD Site 

and/or ABC7, FOX32; Finn 

Partnership 

March 

April 

May 

Women's History Month: I Knead Love 

Workshop with Maya-Camille Broussard 

Stop Food Waste Day: Food Waste 

Awareness 

Associate Stories: In-Depth Feature of Three 

Associates 

VIDEO 

ABC7 and FOX32; Finn 

Partnership 

UCD Site/The College 

UCD Site/The College, 

Instagram (Video) 

This new addition to our marketing arsenal will allow us to communicate with video 

the amazing efforts in play this Quarter. According to a new survey, “1 in 2 

Gen Zers and Millennials say they “don’t know how they’d get through life” without video.” 

They see video content as a way to relax and unwind while also helping them learn 

something new. Several of Gen Zers don’t even see high production value as of high 

importance when rating the quality of video content. 

Understanding these insights, we can easily capitalize on the importance of video 

content in our campus community. Our video content can be used for a multitude of 

purposes and platforms to keep our audience in the loop of our efforts on campus. We 

have identified monthly video topics and appropriate channels that are aligned to our 

events, engagement activities, and initiatives taking place on campus! 

Month Topic Platform(s) / Channel(s) 

January Introduction to Kabob-it YouTube ,Social Media and UCD 

Site 

February Lunar New Year: Tony Ta YouTube ,Social Media and UCD 

Site 

March Diversity and Inclusion: Local Partnerships YouTube ,Social Media and UCD 

Site 

April Stop Food Waste Day: Food Waste Awareness YouTube ,Social Media and UCD 

Site 

May 

Associate Stories: In-Depth Feature of Three 

Associates 

YouTube ,Social Media and UCD 

Site

DIGITAL MEDIA 

We Speak 

Gen Z 

We reach our guests where 

they are, on various screens 

and social content platforms. 

Maximizing 

Reach 

It’s not just about followers – 

we aim to increase “reach” 

with the right audience and 

maximize with content. 

Engaging 

Content 

Gen Zers are content creators 

and curators. Our social media 

strategy positions us for 

opportunities to collaborate 

and co-create with social.

COMMUNICATIONS PLATFORM 

Our digital strategy is focused on creating purposeful conversations with our guests, increasing 

engagement, and building online relationships with our brands. Our digital communication tools 

include our social media calendar, the Dine On Campus website. We analyze our progress using 

social tracking analytics to tell us more about our audiences, our guest preferences, and 

conversations about our brands. Our strategy is designed to foster growth in our digital presence 

and keep us informed about upcoming trends. 

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE 

We analyze each digital platform to determine our audiences and achieve specific objectives. 

Our brand voice is showcased in multiple ways as we tailor our message to our targeted 

audiences. The illustration below shows how we utilize each platform to achieve a different 

objective in our social media strategic plan. 

SOCIAL MEDIA STATISTICS 

The table above shows our total engagements and audience growth 

online since we began our partnership. We constantly adjust our strategy 

to reach more of our audience. We’re moving the bar forward, furthering 

our reach, and gaining a larger brand presence online by keeping a 

focus on our audience growth strategy. This Quarter, we are confident we 

will increase our online social media followers and engagement by 10% 

@UChicagoDining 



35

CATERING 

Enticing 

We appeal to clients with 

the right price and also the 

right menu. We blend 

seasonal ingredients with 

today’s menu trends. 

Value-Driven 

We remain committed to 

offering quality catering 

menus that drives value for 

our clients. 

Contactless 

We’ve adapted our catering 

program to offer Contactless 

Catering when necessary 

and Casual Catering if 

possible.

CATERING LIMITED TIME OFFERS 

Catering is an essential part of our business, and we are so excited to use our Limited Time 

Offers to not only grow our sales, but to also keep our clients engaged. These offerings 

were created to capitalize on seasonal ingredients, themed events, and functional foods 

that are popular with students. We will be featuring the following specials 

MINGLE & NOSH 

Mingle & Nosh offers micro events for catering 

on the go, packed with a lot of flavor. It's great 

for small gatherings or small groups of 4-6 guests. 

37

PEOPLE 

Community 

Creating community at 

work and with our guests 

drives an engaging 

experience. 

Cultivate 

We invest in our people and 

their futures within the 

organization. 

Celebrate 

Exceptional teams and team 

members are celebrated for 

making a difference.

The Chartwells YouFirst program is our people engagement strategy where we focus on recognizing 

and developing associates at all levels. Through our three pillars - Community, Cultivate, and 

Celebrate - we are committed to creating an engaging workplace and culture where associates 

want to belong and are proud to work. Our people are the heart of our business which makes our 

approach intentional, focusing on improving associate engagement and increasing morale. Here 

at Chartwells, we are building community, cultivating leaders and celebrating heroes that go 

above and beyond. Each month we have a variety of activities for each pillar to enhance the 

overall associate experience. Check out our new brand pillars: 

COMMUNITY 

Our associates are the 

driving force in creating 

an unforgettable dining 

experience for our 

guests. It is our goal to 

create a team focused 

on building community 

and campus pride by 

continuously engaging 

with our associates and 

encouraging their 

unique perspectives 

and ideas. 

CULTIVATE 

People are the heart 

of our organization, 

and we choose to 

cultivate what matters 

– our people. By 

investing time and 

resources to develop, 

our people will grow 

both personally and 

professionally. 

CELEBRATE 

Let’s celebrate! Our 

associates are worthy 

of recognition and 

celebration 365 days a 

year. Utilize the toolkit 

resources to recognize 

and reward your team 

throughout the year. 

Cheers to our 

Chartwells Heroes! 

Recognition of our associates will continue to take 

center stage with our newly released Chartwells Heroes 

reward program. Our associates, supervisors and managers 

can be recognized for various hero awards from “living the 

brand”, being a “difference maker” on their campus, or for 

their specific focus on culinary innovation and wellness 

and sustainability initiatives. We want to encourage our 

teams to be the true thought leaders on their campuses 

and across the business and we’re excited to see the ideas 

created through this new program. 

39

© Chartwells 2022. All Right Reserved. Do not duplicate. Proprietary and Confidential.

UChicago Dining Marketing Plan SP22 FINAL.2

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