Mazzone vs Chartwells

Haley Parlapiano
Staff Writer

Students are more excited to buy lunch due to the switch from Chartwells to Mazzone.

Last semester, Hudson Valley switched from Chartwells catering to the new food service provider, Mazzone. During the summer, Mazzone came in and updated the main cafeteria and food areas on campus, giving each location a new name to create new vibes for students. They gave the smaller cafés a more modern coffee shop feel and added new pops of color and textures to each location.

“I think Mazzone is a pretty big upgrade from Chartwells,” said Student Senate Vice President Stephen Pelletier.

With the addition of extended hours upstairs and downstairs in the Campus Center and what Mazzone claims as better-quality food, students now have the ability to choose which catering service they prefer.

For a majority of second-year students who had Chartwells last year, they found themselves preferring the food provided by Mazzone. Although they find there is an upgrade in quality, they have some issues when it comes to the prices.

“[The prices] are a little bit more, but you get what you pay for. It is better quality, so of course it is going to be a little bit more expensive,” said Pelletier.

Catherine O’Brien, a senior in the early childhood program, is also in favor of Mazzone. “The pizza is better than Chartwells pizza,” she said.

Nick Schmid and Luke Chrisman, both seniors in the physical education program, think the food is more expensive than it should be for certain items. “The prices are pretty fair, but some things can get a little pricey,” said Chrisman.

Because Mazzone offers a more extensive variety for breakfast foods than Chartwells, students are enjoying getting their breakfast on campus. Schmid and Chrisman both enjoy getting french toast and yogurt parfaits in the morning.

“The egg sandwiches are pretty good,” said Nicholas Crisorio, a senior in the business administration program.

The new food items available with Mazzone include a functioning soda machine with flavor shots, as well as the popular tacos in a bowl. Although they have items like constructing your own burrito bowls and sandwiches, Mazzone still has classic lunches for students like chicken tenders with fries or slices of pizza.

When it comes to Mazzone, the coffee selections seem to be a hit with students. With multiple flavors of coffee daily, students are loving the variety and prices for their cup of joe.

“Their coffee is much better and is less expensive” said Nancy Howe, economics professor. Mazzone offers a punch card system that allows students to get a free cup of coffee after they have 10 coffee stamps.

With most students in favor of Mazzone, there are some students who preferred Chartwells. “[The food] from Chartwells was better quality,” said Rayquan Harris, a senior in the sports science program.