Catering Guidelines & Policies

Updated guidelines and policies went into effect on January 1, 2024.

What We Offer

University Catering provides food service to students, faculty, and staff who conduct university-affiliated and university-sponsored functions on campus.

Working Luncheons – Save time by having lunch delivered to your on-campus meeting. Box lunches or hot meals are available.
Tent and Grill Rental – Rentals are limited to groups, organizations, and individuals with university affiliations. A Dining Services professional staff member will be present at events utilizing the grills to ensure safe and proper usage of the grills.
Receptions – Celebrate that special occasion (wedding, birthday, graduation, etc.) with a convenient, on-campus reception.
Buffets – Choose from delicious main entrées to delectable desserts. Our wide variety of buffet menu items are available for small or large groups.
Coffee Breaks – Just the right touch for a mid-morning or mid-afternoon break. Serving coffee, tea, punch, juice, soda, plus pastries and/or snacks.
Picnics/Cookouts – Hamburgers, hot dogs, and BBQ ribs grilled to perfection add a special note to your outdoor party.
Private Dining – Serving parties of up to 40 people through our Dining Center.
Mocktail Bars – Need a touch of class for your event? Serve non-alcoholic beverages in a cocktail party atmosphere.
Other – Requests for gourmet recipes, special dietary needs, and custom menu planning are always welcome.

Guidelines

Select and Reserve Your Room

Memorial Union Room reservations and requests are made directly with Memorial Union Scheduling at Event Services or online. Please email questions about space reservations to MU.EventScheduling@UND.edu.

Event Details

Request your catering event by using our online form.

Order Online

Invitees: Number of guests & number of what dietary needs. If using University funds, please adhere to UND’s Meals policy.
Menu: Please review our menu selections. Indicate on the form if you would like a custom menu and/or to schedule a consultation with our catering sales coordinator. For all events, please plan to place your order with us 3 weeks in advance.
Contact us at catering@UND.edu with any questions or changes to your event.

Fees and Policies

To ensure we can meet your needs and expectations, Campus Catering requires a minimum 3-week lead time for events exceeding 100 + guests and a 2-week lead time for smaller events.

Making Changes and Menu Modifications

For events exceeding 100 people, a minimum guest count and finalized menu are required 3 weeks prior to the event. Any changes to the menu or customer count greater than +/- 5% made within 3 weeks prior to the event are subject to product availability, staffing, and a $75-dollar late fee.

All orders under 100 people must be finalized 2 weeks prior to the event including a minimum guest count and final menu. Changes made to the menu or customer counts greater than +/- 10% within the 2-week window are subject to product availability, staffing and are subject to a $50 fee.

Late Event Charge

Any event scheduled less than 7 business days prior to the event is subject to product availability, staffing and a minimum late fee charge of $75.

Guaranteed Guest Count

For all events, the final guaranteed guest count must be provided 7 business days prior to the event. If a final guarantee is not submitted, the actual number served or the original estimate, whichever is greater, will be used for billing purposes. Catering will prepare food for 5% above the guarantee for groups over 200 and 10% for groups under 200.

We understand that many times the number of guests fluctuates by the time the actual event takes place. If your guest count for the event exceeds the guarantee, Campus Catering will try its best to provide similar meals for the additional guests at the contracted rate plus an additional $5.00 per guest served.

Sunday

Because of high demand throughout the week and the limited availability of staff, Campus Catering will block out Sunday of each week as a day Campus Catering will not service events. Campus Catering, at its discretion, could remove the Sunday block out.

Additional Charges

China

$4 per person on site (Memorial Union & Gorecki Alumni Center)
$6 per person off site

Service Staff

Staffing levels are determined by the scope of your event as evaluated by the Catering Manager. Costs are based on four hours, one hour of set up time, two hours of active event time and one hour of breakdown. Events exceeding the four-hour time limit will be charged $30 per hour per service employee and $50 per hour for professional staff (Chef).

Equipment

As the host of the catered event, you are responsible for the equipment we have provided for the service of your event. Any missing or damaged equipment or supplies will be charged to your account at replacement cost.

Cancellation

Should it become necessary to cancel an event, please email catering@UND.edu as soon as possible. Any canceled event less than 48 business hours before the scheduled event will be billed at 50% of the retail cost of your catering order. Any event canceled less than 24 business hours will be billed at full retail cost of your catering order. If any special-order food items were purchased for your event, full cost will be billed for those items.

Delivery Charges

On-campus — $15 for orders under $200
Off-campus — $50 for orders under $500

Holiday Labor Charge

If your event occurs on a university recognized holiday, an additional labor charge of $30 per hour per service staff and $50 per hour per professional staff will be charged to your event.

Custom Menus

Campus Catering prefers you select menu items from their current menu options but also realizes individual personal preferences and budgets. Campus Catering is willing to work with custom menu selections, but they are subject to additional fees to cover the cost of recipe development and testing. The additional fees will include a $50 per hour labor charge and product charges.

Hours of Operation

Any event held before or after these hours will be assessed $30 per hour per employee working outside of the standard hours.

Weekdays: 6:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Weekends: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Event Service

Buffet Meals

15 guest minimum. Service fees are included in the cost of a buffet meal. All buffets’ associated programming must be done 2 hours after the start of service or an additional fee $30 per service employee. Paper products are included in the cost of the buffet, china rental fees apply.

Event Priority

Campus Catering will make every effort to service all campus catered event requests. Staffing levels, product availability and logistics are all considered when determining Campus Catering’s ability to service functions. Campus Catering can better effectively manage multiple event logistics in the Memorial Union vs. multiple locations across campus. For this reason, as the catering schedule fills, event requests for the Memorial Union are more likely to be approved than events external of the Memorial Union.

Outdoor Events

Outdoor and tented events should have a backup location reserved to avoid cancellation due to inclement weather. A weather determination will be made a minimum of 4 hours before the start of the event. When there is a greater than 40% chance of inclement weather, the event will be moved to the indoor location. Campus catering reserves the right to make changes to your outside event due to safety, insect infestation and weather.

Inclement Weather

If UND is closed due to inclement weather or similar circumstances, all catered events will be automatically canceled. If the scheduled event is not rescheduled, the cost of any prepared products, specialty items, or expenses incurred by Campus Catering for the event will be charged to your University funds. Any event scheduled on a partial University closure may result in additional labor charges. Any deposit or partial payment may be returned, minus any expenses incurred.

Approved Vendors

If UND Catering is unable to provide services for your event, the following vendors are approved through the University to handle your catering needs:

Food Purchasing Policies

Rate Per Person

Per UND Food Purchase Approval Policy, meal rates per person are as follows and are subject to change: The total costs used to calculate the rate per person includes charges for food and beverage, delivery, and any miscellaneous charges. The rate per person does NOT include room rental charges, tent rental, linen charges, and equipment rental charges. Please note that changes made to this contract may increase the rate per person, which then may exceed the amount allowed per person.

The University Catering Agreement will be completed at the time the function is booked at Dining Services. The department will be required to provide all necessary information as indicated below. After the function has been held, Dining Services will initiate a Journal Entry to charge the departmental fund indicated on the University Catering Agreement. The department is responsible for ensuring the function is allowable. If a department is unsure, Procurement and Payment Services should be contacted for clarification prior to making arrangements for the function. The following information is required for the University Catering Agreement:

Type of function and purpose, Location of function (city and state), Date of function
Meal serviced (breakfast, lunch, dinner, break)
Number of actual or guaranteed attendees
List of those attending (specify those that are UND employees and those that are not)
Written statement providing justification for higher prices on any meals costing over 125 percent of the GSA per diem rate per person
Function number from the Meal Table

Food Carry-Out

The State Board of Health regulations do not permit taking leftover food from the premises after the catered event.

Catering Leftover Program

Billing and Payments

Payment should be made by credit card only. Call the catering office at 701.777.2256 to pay.

Company Event

If the event is not covered by university funding, then an invoice will be issued through One-Stop Student Services.

Private Event

Billing is only available for company events. Private events coordinated by individual parties can be paid by cash, check, or credit card.

Ticket Mark-Up

If you are hosting a catered event and are marking up the price, University Catering reserves the right for the information to be noted on the ticket or publicly.

Departmental Catering Policy for Dining Services and Housing & Residence Life

Groups outside the department will be charged according to established guidelines and policies. Because Dining Services and Housing & Residence Life customers already support the overhead of Dining Services through the purchase of meal plan contracts, Dining Services can provide this service to the department at the price structure listed. Paperwork for the events must be completed prior to the event.

This policy is in effect for catering provided to groups/customers within Dining Services and Housing & Residence Life only.