LSU Dining Opens First-of-its-Kind Mobile Chick-fil-A Pop-Up Kitchen on Campus

LSU becomes the first and only organization to bring this innovative, state-of-the-art food service concept to the public.

Baton Rouge, LA — LSU Dining, part of Chartwells Higher Education, in partnership with LSU Auxiliary Services, LSU Athletics and Chick-fil-A Corporate, has opened a first-of-its-kind mobile Chick-fil-A pop-up kitchen on LSU’s campus. The 1,200 square feet, state-of-the-art kitchen is open to guests Monday through Friday as well as on game days and can serve every product on Chick-fil-A’s menu.

Since opening this September, the new pop-up kitchen has been a favorite on campus, servicing roughly 400 to 500 students a day during the week and 4,000 to 5,000 guests on football game day. The kitchen features state-of-the-art equipment and point-of-sales systems capable of accepting all forms of payment, including credit, debit, Tiger cash, and meal plans. With only power and water needed to operate, this full-scale mobile restaurant concept can be assembled and disassembled within 48 hours. 

“We’ve been in talks with Chick-fil-A for years now about getting a new, unique dining concept on campus for students, so when we caught wind of this innovation, we couldn’t have been more excited they wanted to partner with us,” said Jeffrey Nice, VP of Operations at LSU Dining. “We’re not just the first university to test the feasibility of this sort of concept; we’re the first and only organization of any kind to be doing this. We’re proud of the work we’ve done and continue to do with the university and Chick-fil-A, and the feedback we’ve heard from students and staff on the pop-up kitchen has really validated that.”

The pop-up kitchen concept was inspired by a company called FORTS, which stands for fold-out rigid temporary shelters. Until now, fold-out units have been primarily for military purposes and creating makeshift hospitals on the battlefield. Chick-fil-A has teamed up with FORTS and brought partners like LSU Dining to the table to utilize this innovative concept to create a first-of-its-kind, full-service kitchen that’s mobile. 

“We regularly update the interiors of our Chick-fil-A locations, and we’ve been looking for a concept that allows us to deliver the same level of customer service we’re known for while restaurants are closed for renovations,” said Stephanie Rakes, Senior Principal Program Lead at Chick-fil-A. “College students are a tech-savvy, on-the-move demographic, so we thought testing this concept at a university like LSU with a team we trust like LSU Dining was the perfect fit. We’re extremely pleased with the results we’ve seen thus far.”

Located between the E. J. Ourso College of Business and LSU College of Engineering, the Chick-fil-A kitchen operates Monday through Friday from 10:30 am through 3:30 pm and on game days, with hours dependent upon start times. 

“When the opportunity to pilot this on LSU’s campus came up in late summer, we fast tracked several approval processes to have it ready by the first home football game,” said Margot Hsu Carroll, Assistant VP of Auxiliary Services at LSU. “It has been great to be able to pilot a food service platform outside of the normal brick-and-mortar model and to have the flexibility to place it along one of the most well-traveled paths of campus, making it convenient for LSU students walking between classes.”  

About Chartwells Higher Education
Chartwells is the recognized leader in contract food service management, hospitality, and award-winning guest service within over 300 college and university dining environments throughout academic institutions across the U.S. Chartwells' nutritious cuisine not only satisfies the unique appetites, lifestyles, and dietary needs of every guest dining on campus, but it also brings people together to promote the high-intensity relationships that will prepare students for the future. For more information, visit www.ChartwellsHigherEd.com, www.ChartwellsMonthly.com, www.LSUDining.com.