We’re committed to innovating and evolving our offer to meet the ever-changing demands of students. This focus has seen Chartwells Universities partner with Tortilla, the UK’s leading fast-casual Mexican restaurant brand, to roll out at least 14 Tortilla restaurants across our university estate over the next five years.
In Tortilla, we have found a likeminded business, which shares our commitment to finding greener, more sustainable ways of doing business; embracing progressive, multi-channel marketing strategies; and supplying fresh, customisable, value-for-money products that appeal to wide demographics.
Tortilla’s offer is a perfect fit for students, with its highly customisable and affordable offer already available across a number of our sites, including Middlesex University, Brunel University, Sussex University and Swansea University.
The collaboration demonstrates our continual pursuit of innovation, as well as Tortilla’s appetite for continuing the expansion of its business beyond the high-street. Thanks to our Ultimate Convenience operating model, customers will be able to order for collection or delivery, as well as eating in, through our market-leading ‘Uni Food Hub’ app. Our relationship with external delivery platforms also means that in serviceable locations the offer will be available for delivery within the local area.
Kerry Ford, Managing Director, Chartwells Universities said: “This agreement marks a milestone in the implementation of our market-leading new proposition for university catering and demonstrates our commitment to evolving our operating model and meeting the ever-changing demands of our students.
“The rising demand for Mexican food has been a stand-out trend during recent years, alongside a drive towards more sustainable consumption and greater emphasis on quality and provenance. In Tortilla, we have found a partner to help meet these demands and elevate our Mexican offer, utilising its strong brand equity and shared brand values to engage a young, fun student audience.”
Andy Naylor, Chief Financial Officer of Tortilla, said: “We are excited to partner with Chartwells Universities and launch new sites across the UK. In recent years, we have been successful in adapting the brand for new locations and formats, and this will be another opportunity for us to showcase our ability to bring Tortilla to customers across a breadth of locations. This is a significant agreement for us and will support our long-term UK growth ambitions, while driving consumer awareness within a key target demographic.”