MSU Catering Policies and Procedures

Reservations should be made as early as possible to enable our staff to meet your needs and expectations for the upcoming event. Even if the date of your event is only tentative, please make arrangements so that we can at least get it reserved on our schedule. Larger events (requiring services for 250 people or more) should make reservations for their function at least a month in advance to insure a timely and successful function. Smaller events will require at least two weeks notice. Coffee breaks require a 48-hour notice.

University Catering is the only organization authorized to provide food and beverages for any on-campus events. If you have a discrepancy, or feel you have an isolated special circumstance, you will need to contact the Food Services Director, Lew Hill, who can be reached at 994-2661.

Room reservations are not made through University Catering. The customer is responsible for making these reservations. For an on-campus event, please contact the appropriate facility listed below. When calling these locations, please indicate the room setup as well as any specific requirements that you might have; such as a bar, band, or head table.

• Strand Union Building Conference Services Phone Number 994-3081.
• Fieldhouse and Stadium Sports Facilities. Phone Number 994-7117.

The customer is also responsible for ensuring that the facilities are unlocked for our scheduled set-up, delivery and/or pick up times, as we do not have keys to any rooms or buildings. If your location/room is inaccessible to our staff at the scheduled time, we will be unable to leave the order.

In order for us to safely accommodate the needs of you and your guests, please let your Event Coordinator know if there are any food allergies in your party that we need to be aware of.

When placing a reservation with University Catering, please have the following information on hand to help expedite the process:

• Type of event (Dinner, BBQ, Reception, etc.)
• Date, reserved location, guests' arrival time, serving time
• Menu Ideas for discussion
• Vegetarian and special diets
• Estimated Number of Guests
• Style of service desired (buffet or served)
• Table centerpieces and decorations
• Napkin color(s) (red, green, blue, pink, burgundy, yellow, white, peach and other currently available colors)
• Contact person and daytime phone number
• Billing address

Menu pricing is listed for events held in the Strand Union Building. All meals, excluding dinners, are priced using paper and disposable products. Dinners are priced using china.

Due to changing food and labor costs, prices of menu items may change at any time and without prior notice. Once a menu is determined and ordered for a function, the price quoted by University Catering will be guaranteed. Student organizations may receive a 10% discount once cleared by Food Services Director, Lew Hill, who can be reached at 994-2661.

Late orders that do not allow two working days prior notice will incur a 25% emergency charge, and orders within 24 hours will incur a 30% late charge. The charge will be calculated once the total cost of the event is tallied. Consequently, short notice orders may result in limited menu options and/or services available based on preparation time requirements.

When estimating a serving time, please keep in mind that our catering chef will rely on the specific serving time that you provide. If the timeline is not followed, the integrity of the food could be diminished.

Upon request we will provide you with a written confirmation on arrangements that have been discussed.

We ask that you provide a final guest count by 10:00 a.m. two working days prior to the event (Wednesday by 10:00 a.m. for weekend and Monday events).

We prepare food and set tables for five percent more than your guaranteed number. The amount that will be charged for an event will be the actual number served or your guarantee, whichever is greater.

The non-disposable items brought with your event are on loan to you for the duration of your event. These items include, but are not limited to, chafing dishes, china, silverware or glassware. Should any of these items be lost, damaged, or not available for pick-up within 3 business days, the cost of replacing these items will be charged to your department or organization.

Additional labor charges: All dinners include 3 hours of labor for the event starting at guest arrival time. If the amount of time for your program exceeds the three hours provided, or your event requires staff but is not a dinner, your group will be billed for additional labor at $15.00 per hour per staff.

We provide tablecloths and table skirting for food and beverage tables as requested. Tablecloths for guest tables are included only with full service meals of breakfast, lunch, dinner and buffets. If you would like linen to be placed on guest tables for reception, breaks, or boxed lunches there will be a fee of $4.00 per table cloth.

The following is a list of possible delivery options available depending on your wants and needs.

Deliveries made outside of the Strand Union Building will incur one of the following delivery charges:

• Paper: $7.50 or 7.5% of total; whichever is greater.
• Disposable china: $12.00 or 12% of total; whichever is greater.
• China: $15.00 or 15% of total; whichever is greater.
• Off-campus: 15% if paper, 18% if disposable china, and 25% of total if china plus 0.95 per mile round trip.

Office Pick Ups. You may pick-up your order in the Catering Office (Strand Union, Room 236) between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Please be aware that you are responsible for returning any non-disposable items to the Catering office within three days. If these items are not returned, you will be billed accordingly.

Prices listed for appetizer-style food include the set-up and break down. Prices do not include wait staff or attendants. Please note, wait staff are required at all china receptions for more than 25 people and at events ending after 5:00 p.m. The labor charge is $15.00 per hour, per staff.

University Catering does not provide tables and/or chairs for events out of the Strand Union Building. Tables and chairs can be rented through a local rental shop. If you prefer, we will gladly make the rental arrangements for you (billed accordingly).

The quoted menu price does not include decorations. University Catering would be happy to arrange for flowers, but we make no provisions to decorate the room (walls, etc.) We leave this to your discretion, but we would appreciate advance notice if you require extra time to decorate for your event. We have tapered table candles and candle holders available for your use at a cost of $.75 per candle.

Gratuities are not included in the quoted price, no matter how large an event. Gratuities are optional but greatly appreciated by our student staff. If you would like to add a gratuity, there is a place to do so on your invoice.

We understand that cancellations of events are sometimes unavoidable. The event contact person should notify University Catering no less than seven working days prior to the event with cancellations. Cancellations received in less than the seven working days time period will still accrue a catering charge based upon time, labor, and non-returnable food already purchased. Cancellations received in less then 48 hours prior will be charged for at least 25% of the total bill, less then 24 hours prior will be charged for at least 50% of the total bill, and any orders cancelled the same day will be charged for the entire bill.

In order to comply with State Health regulations, all perishable left-overs must be discarded by University Catering. We do not allow food to be taken from an event and do not package leftover perishable foods. There are also limitations on the types and kinds of food that can be left out for extended periods of time. Credit cannot be issued for left-over food or unused items. We will be happy to help you choose menu items and quantities that meet the needs of your event.

You will receive a bill within one month after your event. We cannot accept individual payments or take responsibility for collecting money at the door. Payment can be made immediately after your event, although we do require that payment be made in one lump sum in the form of cash or check.

Payments are made at the Residence Life Office located in the Hedges Complex. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 4:30pm. Methods of payment accepted are cash, check, BPA, or credit card (everything but American Express). If you are mailing your payments, please send checks to Residence Life, P.O. Box 172080, Hedges Complex, Bozeman, MT 59717-2080. If you have any questions regarding payments, please contact Martha Wheeler at 994-4961or by email: martha.wheeler@montana.edu.

Menu pricing does not include alcohol. University Catering is not licensed to provide alcohol to its customers, but we will arrange alcohol service for you through a licensed alcohol provider. Alcoholic beverages served on campus must have prior approval before the event. Alcohol request forms are available in the Catering Office, 236 Strand Union Building, or you can download the printable version by clicking on link below:

Please plan ahead with your alcohol requests, as the forms take one to two weeks to process.