Food and Catering Services

Procedure

The Café at Durham Tech is located in the Phail Wynn, Jr. Student Services Center (Building 10) on the Main Campus. The Café is operated and managed by the college and provides food and catering services for the college community. The college community services include on-campus or off-campus events for students, college departments, and externally sponsored meetings and events. The Café has “first right of refusal” for all food and catering services on the Main Campus and will serve as a resource for food and catering services at the other Durham Tech campus and locations.

To ensure the health, safety, and compliance requirements for college food and catering services, the following procedures and guidelines are in place.

Food and Catering Requests

1.  Main Campus Events

• All food and catering requests for student, internal, or external sponsored events must be submitted to the Executive Chef at the Café using the Durham Tech Café Catering Request Form. The Cafe prefers at least 14 days notice for all catering requests. Requests made less than 14 days prior will be handled on a case by case basis. The Café will also work with clients that have specific budgets for catering an event. Payment is required before the Café can provide food or catering services.
   
• Requests for servers, after hours events, etc. need to be placed at least 28 days in advance. Servers’ wages will be added to the service fee on catering invoices and are due in advance of the event. Failure to provide serving staff does not constitute invoking the right of refusal by the Café to provide catered food. Food can be served by any person who is provided with the correct PPE. 
   
• Room setup is handled by the Facilities department and can be arranged through the sponsoring group or department. The Café staff are not responsible for reserving, setting up, cleaning or breaking down rooms for events. 
   
• If the Catering event is cancelled more than one week prior, 50% of the prepaid amount is eligible to be refunded. For any cancellations one week or less than the event date, no refund will be provided. 
   
• The Café will strive to accommodate all requests. If the Cafe cannot cater for an event, an external vendor may be used for catering. They are required to bring all necessary supplies, may not use Durham Tech equipment (i.e. kitchen, supplies, etc.) and must clean up and return spaces to their original condition.
   

2.  Other Campus Locations’ Events

• All food and catering requests for student, internal, or external events must be coordinated with the Executive Director or Campus Dean at the campus/location. The Café Executive Chef will serve as a resource for food and catering services at these locations and still has the right of first refusal for catering jobs. 
   

Food Trucks on Campus

Food trucks are allowed on the Main Campus, and other campuses/locations, for special occasions and events as long as the following guidelines are followed:

All student organizations, college departments, and external organizations planning to have a food truck on the main campus, or other campuses/locations must contact the Vice President, Chief Campus Operations Officer or their designee at least 14 working days before the event.

At the time of the request, the following must be provided:

1. Vendor information (business name, phone number, mailing address)
    
2. A copy of the most recent Health Department Inspection (minimum acceptable score: A or 95%)
    
3. Date, time, location of the event, and anticipated participation count, along with any minimum purchase information
    
4. Proposed menu
    
5. Proof of liability insurance meeting the following specifications:
    
   • Durham Tech Community College must be listed as an additional insured under the general liability policy via a legible certificate of insurance.
      
   • The company name must appear in the insured box. If the parent company name is different, other names must be listed as DBAs.
      
   • A GCL Certificate of Insurance listing Durham Technical Community College as an additional insured for a minimum of $1,000,000 must be provided.
      
6. Food Truck Specifics:
    
   • Mobile Food Unit Permit
      
   • Whether the vehicle uses propane or not
      
   • Any needed utility support from the institution
      
   • Food trucks may only access campus at the approved time
      
   • Sponsored food trucks at events on the main campus are to be paid for by the inviting department. However, at non-sponsored appearances, if the truck is operating when the café is open and providing the same type of food as the café, a 10% commission on gross sales needs to be provided when open to college community members. At other campuses/locations, food trucks are not required to pay a commission.
      
7. Documentation and Approval:
    
   • Proper documentation must be provided before the event. Completion of paperwork does not guarantee inclusion in any campus events.
      
   • Requests will be reviewed on an event-by-event basis, depending on the needs of the event. Once all information has been submitted, it will be reviewed, and a decision made within 3 business days.
      
   • For any questions about the process, please contact the Vice President of Campus Operations or their designee.
      
   • Parking locations must be finalized and approved before arriving on campus.
      

Definitions

Catering Event - A function or event at which a food break or meal is served. Excluded from this definition are department meetings or informal gatherings where coffee, donuts, light snacks, etc. are served.