Policies & Procedures

Welcome to Crave Catering by Chartwells at UToledo! Our mission is to provide you with exceptional overall quality, outstanding service, and a creative cutting-edge culinary experience. We offer a range of service levels, styles, and options including delivery on-campus, delivery to the HSC campus, unstaffed event drop off, and orders for customer pickup. Our full-service format includes basic linen for food service tables, disposable service ware, meal setup and more. Our professional staff is available to assist in planning your special event Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Please call us at (419) 530-4941.

The planning for your special event takes time and preparation. Please help us ensure your event is successful by adhering to the following guidelines:

PLACING ORDERS
Clients are required to utilize the user-friendly CaterTrax order portal to place orders for catered service. CaterTrax is available 24 hours at universityof toledo.catertrax.com. To ensure optimal menu selection and the best possible service, we kindly ask that orders are placed at least three (3) days prior to the event date. Requests for large or custom menus / items not reflected in our menu catalog must be made by contacting our office at (419) 530-4941. We require at least two (2) weeks advance notice of the event date for large or custom menus / special service style requests. Please provide an on-site contact name and cell phone information for each event - if different from the account contact.

ORDERING APPROPRIATE QUANTITIES
Knowing the right amount of food or beverages to order can be difficult. Please give us a call at (419) 530-4941 with questions regarding quantities, and we will guide you in the decision regarding adequate amounts for your guests.

GUEST COUNT AND ORDER MINIMUMS
To better serve all our clients and operate in an efficient manner, our menus are created to service a minimum of 12 guests. There is an $150 food and beverage minimum for all orders. If the minimum guest count and / or food and beverage minimum is not met, there will be a minimum order fee based on an appropriate sliding scale, applied to the order.

LATE ORDER FEE
Late orders result in additional operational costs such as labor, food costs, and order expediting delivery fees. To cover costs for late orders, an 18% late order fee or $50 whichever is greater, will be automatically applied by the booking system for all orders placed less than (72) hours prior to the event date. We understand events arise unexpectedly and we will try our absolute best to accommodate your needs but cannot guarantee product availability to produce the menu(s) or menu item(s) selected, or other special requests, we may offer substitutions if certain items are not readily available.

FINAL GUEST COUNT GUARANTEES
Having an accurate guest count allows us to minimize food waste. It is the client's responsibility to contact the catering office and submit final guest count confirmation guarantee(s) no later than 10:00 A.M. two (2) days prior to the event date. The event confirmation should include the following: start / end times, location, guest count, and location of food service in the event space. If no final guest count guarantee is received, preparations will be made and billed for the original number provided at the time the menu was ordered. Any additional guests above the contracted menu guarantee amount cannot be guaranteed the selected menu option, and menu for additional guests will be based on product availability. Any meals provided over the guaranteed guest count will be added to the order at menu price, plus an additional $4.99 fee per person.

CHANGES AND CANCELLATIONS
Last minute changes or cancellations must be confirmed during normal business hours, no later than three (3) days prior to the event date. The client is responsible for contacting Crave Catering for all cancellations. Cancellations made less than three (3) days prior to the event date will be charged at the full amount reflected on the invoice. The final invoice charges are based on the guaranteed number of guests or actual guest attendance, whichever is greater.

If UToledo is closed due to inclement weather, all catering events are automatically canceled. 

PAYMENTS AND TAX EXEMPTION
UToledo & Crave Catering requires that all university catered functions be secured by payment before they occur. Forms of payment accepted include regular or department-Visa, MasterCard, and American Express (P-Cards). If payment will be made by check, we require payment no more than seven (7) business days after your Final Invoice has been submitted. 

All non-university groups must pay applicable tax and an 18% Administrative Fee. Non-university based groups are required to have deposits totaling 80% of the value of the event (14) days prior to the event. A first deposit of 50% of the estimated event cost is due thirty (30) days prior to the event date. An additional 30% deposit is due fourteen (14) days prior to the event date, with the final guest count.  Final balance due seven (7) days after the event date. 

Tax exempt organizations are required to submit a copy of the exemption certification upon booking.

BUILDING / EVENT ROOM ACCESS, SETUP AND ORDER DELIVERY
Customers are required to arrange for both access to the building and to the specific event room, in advance of the event start time. Industry standards for delivery and setup timelines are applicable to all events, therefore, access is required for most events two (2) hours before, and one (1) hour after expected guest arrival / departure time. Larger events or events with extensive setup / menus, will require additional setup time, which will be communicated separately for those specific events requiring additional setup time.

BACKUP SPACE FOR OUTDOOR LOCATIONS & INCLEMENT / SEVERE WEATHER FORECASTS
Inclement weather is any weather condition that is hazardous weather that is either unsafe, impractical, or undesirable to commute, work outdoors, or host outdoor events. This includes weather service predictions of snowstorms / emergencies, sleet, frigid temperatures, high winds, tornadoes, etc. A backup (indoor) location is suggested for all outdoor events. Weather calls should be made a minimum of twenty four (24) hours prior to the start of your event. It is the customer's responsibility to contact the catering director with weather call information at 419.957.7794

TABLES FOR FOOD SERVICE
Clients are required to request and ensure tables for food service are set in place no later than two (2) hours before the scheduled start time. Larger events or events with extensive setup / menus, may require additional setup time. All events are unique and therefore require varying numbers or configuration of table settings. The actual number of tables needed for each event will be relayed to client in their Confirmation Email. 

DELIVERY FEES
There is a $20 delivery charge for all on-campus events, and $40 delivery charge for off-campus events.

DIETARY / ALLERGEN RESTRICTIONS
Special dietary requests can be accommodated with advance notice, including diets that are avoiding gluten, avoiding lactose, avoiding dairy, vegetarian, vegan, or other special meals. Additional fees may apply to prepare some allergens-free or dietary-specific meals. Note: for severe allergies with potential anaphylactic reactions, we are unable to guarantee full omission of all allergen ingredients. This is due to the physical constraints or our own kitchen and that of our suppliers where allergen ingredients may be present in the vendor's production environment.

FOOD SAFETY
Food safety and sanitation is a one of our top priorities. CRAVE Catering's food service policy does not allow any food to leave an event location. We will enforce this health department requirement for your safety, the safety of your guests, and mitigation of health risks. Food may remain out on buffets no longer that 3 hours. CRAVE Catering reserves the right to adjust food service times on event orders to ensure food safety, and product integrity. For the health and safety of guests, outside food and beverage are not allowed. 

FOOD SERVICE EQUIPMENT
Food service equipment with leftover food items shall not be taken from an event location under any circumstances. Charges will be added to customers invoice for any service equipment items removed from event locations. 

LINEN
CRAVE Catering provides black linen for food & beverage tables at no charge. Any additional linen needed for guest tables (meals, meetings, registration, or displays) will incur an additional charge. Additional linen must be ordered no later than ten (10) days prior to event.

** Lancelot Thompson Student Union requires all guest tables to be covered, and such linen must be provided by CRAVE Catering ** Contact the Lancelot Thompson Student Union Reservation staff at 419.530.2931 for more information.

SERVICE WARE & CHINA
High quality disposable is provided with all catered events. China service is available for an additional charge of $6.00 per guest.  All events with china service ware requires service staff.

SERVICE STAFF AND EVENT END TIMES
To ensure that your event is a success, we plan staffing based on number of guests, type of service, menu, and location. Catering staff is provided for all served meals and buffet attendants provided for some buffets, based on menu / menu items. The charge for each staff is calculated at four (4) hours minimum and includes setup, event service, and breakdown times. Additional staff hours may be applicable based on the size, duration, and format of your event. Any events running more than a half hour past the scheduled end time will be charged a minimum of $25 per hour, per staff member, to cover additional labor costs incurred.

BAR AND ALCOHOL SERVICE
Chartwells holds liquor licenses for all locations on campus which allows for the sale of alcoholic beverages by Chartwells in these specific locations. The provision of any alcoholic beverage is strictly governed by state and local liquor laws. In accordance with these laws, individuals may not bring their own alcoholic beverages into events catered by CRAVE Catering and are not permitted to consume alcohol outside of the boundaries of locations where alcohol is being served. Per State of Ohio Liquor Laws, unused alcohol may not be removed from the premises. At all events where alcohol is to be served, food of a substantive nature must be provided for the guests by the host. Food of a substantive nature is equivalent to a minimum of three hors d'oeuvres portions per person, for each hour of bar service requested. Additionally, for events with a reception and full meal service, a full bar is limited to four (4) hours of service, with up to two (2) hours of wine service during the meal service.

Bar service may begin no earlier than one (1) hour prior to the meal service time and must cease one (1) hour prior to event end times. CRAVE Catering staff has the sole right to make decisions regarding the denial of service of alcoholic beverages to anyone at any time, without customer recourse. For Host Bars, the host pays for all beverages, there are no charges to the guests, and alcohol is charged based on consumption. For Cash Bars, guests are responsible for paying for their own beverages.

BAR SETUP, BARTENDER, AND CASHIER FEES
Bar setup fees, bartender and/or cashier fees are applicable for all events requiring bar setup and service. The client is required to pay applicable bar set up fees.  A ratio of 1 bartender per (75) guests is recommended for beer and wine only (host and cash), and 1 bartender and a cashier per 50-60 guests for full bar (cash). The charge for each bartender is calculated at four (4) hours minimum and includes setup, event service, and breakdown times.

DROP OFF OR PICK UP ORDERS
CRAVE Catering is responsible for the delivery and set-up of food for drop off and full-service events only. Pick up orders are the responsibility of the client.