University Catering

Payment Policies

Two weeks prior to the event, funds to adequately cover the balance of all charges including catering and audio/visual services must be paid in the form of:

• a check or money order equaling 105% of the estimate made payable to "University of Michigan" or
• a Visa, Master Card, American Express or Discover credit card. A credit card authorization form must be submitted to cover additional charges incurred during the event.

Left-Over Food

In order to comply with local health department regulations, all perishable leftovers must be discarded by University Catering. Credit cannot be issued for left-over food or unused items. University Catering works closely with Food Gatherers to donate unused food items.

Last Minute Orders

While we ask that all food and beverage menus be confirmed at least three weeks prior to the date of the event, we will do our best to accommodate last minute requests for food and beverage services.

Food Service Policies

General

A $35.00 service fee may be applied for dinners where the guest count is less than 15.

There is a $35.00 minimum gratuity charge, per bar, for all alcoholic beverage service and a $35.00 minimum gratuity charge for all served meals.

Late additions to final counts are subject to a $25.00 fee or 25% surcharge on the additional meals, whichever is greater. Reductions to the final count beyond the guarantee date will be fully charged.

All prices are subject to change. Price estimates may be locked in 30 days prior to the event.

Guaranteed Number of Persons

If the guaranteed number of persons is not provided at least 3 business days prior to the event (5 business days for custom/split menus), the estimated number of guests will be considered the guarantee.

If your guest count exceeds the number of guests you guaranteed, there may be a delay in producing the additional food. Accurate counts of expected guests will eliminate potential delays and optimize the service your guests receive.

Multiple or Alternative Entrees

For a selection of 2-4 entrees, an additional $1.00 per person will be charged for all meals ordered for the function.

Alternative and multiple entrees must be served with the same accompaniments, salad and dessert as the primary entre selection.

In the event that you wish for alternative entrees to be served to a few of your guests (less than 5% of the guaranteed number of persons or 10 meals, whichever is less), no split fee entre fee will be assessed.

Multiple Desserts

The following charges will apply to all desserts ordered for your event if more than one dessert is selected for service to your guests:

• 2 desserts - $.50 surcharge will apply for all desserts ordered for the function.
• 3 desserts - $1.00 surcharge will apply for all desserts ordered for the function.

Minimums

Commercial events require a minimum food and beverage expenditure (tax and gratuity not included) based on venue, day of week and time of day. Please see an Event Service Representative for specifics.

All catered functions are subject to:

• Minimum product sales of $35.00,
• State of Michigan sales tax and
• Gratuity

Commercial and Departmental events are subject to a $35.00 minimum gratuity for events lasting longer than one hour.

Cancellations

All groups will be charged for their total estimated food and beverage revenue (to include food, beverage and applicable staffing fees.

• Groups canceling within 6-10 business days will be charged at 50%.
• Groups canceling within 5 business days or less will be charged at 100%.

Guest Guarantees

The final guaranteed number of persons attending must be provided at least five business days prior to the event date. Accurate guaranteed counts of all expected guests and meal designations will help eliminate potential delays and optimize service. The final charge will be based on the guaranteed count or actual number served, whichever is greater.

Alcohol

Due to the scope of our Conference Center Liquor License, University Unions is limited to offering alcoholic beverage service to events scheduled by:

• a University department or entity affiliated with the University to carry out the University’s objectives,
• a current or retired University employee or their immediate family member,
• a University student or alumnus or
• an educational, alumni, cultural or public service organization or group with which the University has an affiliation.

As a licensed facility, University Unions is subject to all rules and regulations of the State of Michigan’s Liquor Control Commission. No alcohol, other than that provided by University Unions, may be served at University Unions functions. Additionally, no alcohol can be removed from the event room or the University Unions facility.

An on–premise bar service agreement must be signed for all events where alcohol is to be served, and the facility management will notify the host of any special conditions deemed necessary when the final beverage arrangements are made. Any additional expenses will be the responsibility of the hosting organization.

For events hosted by student organizations or with an expected attendance of two-thirds or more students, the following conditions must be met:

• Department of Public Safety officers and/or faculty/staff chaperones (determined by facility management),
• non-transferable identification procedures and
• cash bar service only.

Food Service staff will verify age. University Unions reserves the right to re-check identification at any time during the event.

At all events where alcohol is to be present, food of a substantial nature must be provided for the guests by the host. For receptions, food of a substantial nature is equivalent to a minimum of three hors d’oeuvre portions per person attending the event for each hour of bar service. For events with both a reception and a full meal service, a full bar is limited to four hours of service. In addition, you may have up to two hours of wine service during the meal service.

Bar service may begin no earlier than one hour prior to meal service and must end one hour prior to the end of the event.

Facilities staff that are trained in and observe the Techniques of Alcohol Management will conduct alcohol service. Service is conducted in accordance with all federal, state and local laws, Liquor Control Commission rules and policies of the University of Michigan. In an effort to maintain the health and safety of the guests of University Unions, the following parameters will apply to alcohol service:

• All drinks must be served with the appropriate amounts of mixers and ice.
• No straight shots of any liquor or any combination of three or more liquors will be served.
• All beer, wine and mixed drinks will be provided in individual servings.
• Bartenders may only serve one drink per guest at a given time.

University Unions management will deny alcoholic beverage service to anyone at any time if it appears that violations of any rules, regulations, policies or laws of the State of Michigan, the Liquor Control Commission, the University of Michigan or University Unions are occurring. University Unions catering staff has the sole right to make decisions regarding the denial of the service of alcoholic beverages without client recourse. The Liquor Control Commission rules, state and local laws and the University of Michigan Student Policy on Alcohol and Drugs govern individual behavior concerning service of alcohol.

Guest Guarantees

An estimated number of guests should be provided at the time your order is placed. A final count is required three business days (M-F) in advance of your function. Changes in the final count are honored whenever possible and are NOT guaranteed. Additional costs will apply. Once the deadline has passed, the estimate becomes the final count and is the basis for calculation of your billing. Changes in the final count are honored when possible after the three business day deadline has passed and may be subject to additional costs. Should the number of guests served exceed the final count at the event, billing will be based on the actual number of guests served. Please note that all food, equipment and staffing prices are subject to change without prior notice.

Cancellations

Cancellations less than three business days (72 hours) prior to your event will be assessed all charges.

Last Minute Orders

A $25.00 late fee will be assessed to each order placed within 24 hours of your scheduled event.

Drop Off Policy

University Catering will provide automatic clean ups after staff stay events. The trays and utensils provided with your food-only deliveries are yours to keep or dispose of at your leisure.

In the event of coffee deliveries and in order to insure that we provide you with hot beverages we will continue to service your events with our thermo Fetco carriers but will require you to inform your account executive on when we can pick up the equipment. For any missing equipment we reserve the right to charge your shortcode accordingly.

We thank you for your support in our effort to retain our valuable equipment as an aid in keeping our prices equitable.

Pick-Up Orders

We welcome pick-up orders! All staffing and delivery charges are waived for pick-up orders. There is a 5% pick-up fee for handling costs. All pick-ups can be done between 8am and 4pm at the University Catering Sales Office in the Pierpont Commons. All pick-ups are on disposables at a minimal charge.

Left-Over Food

In order to comply with local health department regulations, all perishable left-overs must be discarded by University Catering. Credit cannot be issued for left-over food or unused items. University Catering works closely with Food Gatherers to donate all unused food items.

Food Service Policies

General

A $35.00 service fee may be applied for dinners where the guest count is less than 15.

There is a $35.00 minimum gratuity charge, per bar, for all alcoholic beverage service and a $35.00 minimum gratuity charge for all served meals.

Late additions to final counts are subject to a $25.00 fee or 25% surcharge on the additional meals, whichever is greater. Reductions to the final count beyond the guarantee date will be fully charged.

All prices are subject to change. Price estimates may be locked in 30 days prior to the event.

Guaranteed Number of Persons

If the guaranteed number of persons is not provided at least 3 business days prior to the event (5 business days for custom/split menus), the estimated number of guests will be considered the guarantee.

If your guest count exceeds the number of guests you guaranteed, there may be a delay in producing the additional food. Accurate counts of expected guests will eliminate potential delays and optimize the service your guests receive.

Multiple or Alternative Entrees

For a selection of 2-4 entrees, an additional $1.00 per person will be charged for all meals ordered for the function.

Alternative and multiple entrees must be served with the same accompaniments, salad and dessert as the primary entre selection.

In the event that you wish for alternative entrees to be served to a few of your guests (less than 5% of the guaranteed number of persons or 10 meals, whichever is less), no split fee entre fee will be assessed.

Multiple Desserts

The following charges will apply to all desserts ordered for your event if more than one dessert is selected for service to your guests:

• 2 desserts - $.50 surcharge will apply for all desserts ordered for the function.
• 3 desserts - $1.00 surcharge will apply for all desserts ordered for the function.

Alcohol

University Catering does not hold an off-site liquor license. We are happy to provide a bartender and arrange orders and deliveries, but all alcohol must be paid for separately from University Catering and an off–premise bar service agreement must be signed for all off–premise events. By law our staff is not permitted to receive, purchase or transport alcohol; this is the responsibility of the client. There is a $100.00 set up fee for each bar which includes set up, clean up and first hour of service. For each additional hour of service there will be a supplement $25 fee. This fee covers all bartenders, paper products, ice, and garnishes. All University Catering bartenders are TAMS certified.)

Building/Room Access

Every building on campus has different hours of operation. It is the responsibility of the client to ensure that we will have timely access. These details should be discussed with your account executive at time of booking. In the event that we are unable to enter the building or the room after building access details with the client have been confirmed, additional costs will be incurred and will be added to the final bill.

Payment Policies

Payment procedures are simplified and complete with the use of your six digit University Legacy/Short Code. Student organizations must deposit adequate funds to cover all charges in their S.O.A.S. accounts no later than two weeks prior to the scheduled function. Food and beverage is subject to the current State of Michigan sales tax, when applicable. If your organization is tax exempt, your tax identification number must be supplied prior to the time of service. For events paid by check or credit card, a 100% deposit towards the estimated cost of services requested will be required five (5) business days prior to the event date. Any adjustments or additions to the event total will be billed through prior arrangements with your account executive. Cash, check, Master Card, Visa or American Express are accepted for payment in addition to the options listed above and require an authorization form on file prior to the event.

Minimums

A minimum of $100.00 per order based upon food and beverage is required. This excludes any additional charges such as contracted services or staffing for additional service needs. Does not apply to pick up orders.

Linens

We offer standard white cotton linen covers for tables, tray jacks, elevation of equipment and anything else clients might request to help facilitate their event. We do add a fee for the standard white linens. We outsource specialty linens for our catered events, charging the client for all fees incurred for this service. This might include delivery fees, costs for lost or damaged linens and emergency fees for last minute changes.

China, Glassware & Flatware

For those events which require added elegance, we are happy to arrange for rentals of equipment, adding specialty decorations, specialty vases, specialty utensils, portable chef grills, electric hotboxes and anything else that the account executive or chef’s feel are necessary to administer the requests of the client to fulfill the expectations for any and all off-premise catering. For in-house events services above are provided for at no additional charge.

Grills

Some of the most delicious foods we can think of come straight from the grill! We do charge a usage fee for our grills and add a fee for providing a chef.

Flowers, Rentals and Specialty Linens

In the event that your function requires florals, audio/visual equipment, balloons, or rentals for any other purveyor, we can make those arrangements for you. A handling fee surcharge will be added to the final cost of the total of rentals. The client is responsible for additional fees for breakage or lost items as deemned necessary once the outside vendor has settled invoices with University Catering. Additional charges may be incurred in contracted services for changes made within a 72 hour period prior to the event. Emergency fees may also be added depending on the various situation and will be evaluated on a per contract basis.

Service Staff at an Event

With this service you will have a variety of arrangements with personnel depending upon your contractual agreements set forth prior to your event. Our staff will be guided through our service staff manager to either perform a set-up and clean-up style service, a staff stay style of service, a drop-off style of service. It is customary for University Catering to supply a chef, supervisor or bartender for events. See your account executive for the fee structure that might apply for your various function. For each of these services you should discuss in detail with your account executive prior to the event what style of service will work best for your function. Our staff gratuity is 18%. Off-premise events will be charged a delivery/trucking fee of $22 - $40 per event. Additional surcharges may be applied if necessary.

Event Set Up/Clean Up or Drop Off Service

Our staff will arrive on-site at a designated time arranged as per your sales agreement to set up your event. Unless you have made previous arrangements to include the additional clean up fee ($22) our staff will not return to clean up events. The exception will be the Thermo coffee containers only.

Additional Staffing Fees

In the event that additional service or delivery of extra items is requested, a service charge will be added to the final bill.

Other on-site staffing fees include:
Chefs: $24/hour
Supervisors: $24/hour

Sunday Policy

Scheduled events require a $500 food and beverage minimum per event, and are subject to supplemental staffing fees.