In August, Case Western Reserve University’s local market, Plum Market Kitchen, was replaced by Spartie Mart to bring new improvements for CWRU students and faculty and the local Cleveland community.

In March 2021, Plum Market Kitchen opened in University Circle’s Uptown to provide full-food service management and produce to the Cleveland community. CWRU’s food service company, Bon Appétit, signed a contract with Plum Market to manage the Uptown Plum Market. In 2025, Bon Appétit, in partnership with CWRU, decided to take full control of the store, converting it to a Bon Appétit-managed store model.

“The underlying reason for the conversion is to better position the store to serve the needs of both the university and local communities,” Richard Jamieson, the vice president of Campus Services at CWRU, said.

Since Bon Appétit is no longer under a contract with Plum Market, Bon Appétit, CWRU Auxiliary Services, and University Marketing and Communications renamed the grocery store Spartie Mart, a recognition of CWRU’s Spartan mascot. 

“The name is intended to strengthen the connection to the Case Western Reserve community, and in particular, our students,” Jamieson said.

However, the name is not the only change the market made for the Cleveland community. Bon Appétit will include its homemade grab-and-go meals for students’ convenience. In September, Spartie Mart is introducing a robot barista to prepare customizable espresso drinks, with hopes to add even more technology to better its customer services. Bon Appétit also plans to partner with Stonehouse Teas and All-CLE Coffee to add a wider variety of tea leaves and coffee beans. 

Bon Appétit will be partnering with multiple new companies to improve the variety and quality of produce for its customers. In addition to partnering with Stonehouse Teas and All-CLE Coffee to expand their selection of tea leaves and coffee beans, Spartie Mart plans to collaborate with local farms, including Rainbow Farms in Madison for fresh produce and New Creations Farm in Chardon for beef.

Although Spartie Mart is partnering with new companies, they will continue to collaborate with FujiSan to offer students an updated menu that includes a number of sushi rolls, poke bowls and bubble tea.

“The change provides the flexibility for feedback from our students and the broader community, incorporating items they’d like to see that weren’t possible under the previous format,” Jamieson said.

While Spartie Mart is rolling out new features, they still hope to gather more community feedback with their “Happy or Not” stations, added during the spring semester, to improve their service and quickly adapt to any issues customers may run into.

“The biggest challenge has been waiting for students to return for the fall semester so we can share the exciting news,” Jamieson said. “The new format will transform the space into a true destination, offering a local market feel built on the strong partnerships Bon Appétit has cultivated over the years.”