Policies

Special Event Catering 

Our goal is to provide exceptional quality, amazing service, and a delicious culinary experience! Our friendly and professional staff is available to help plan your special event Monday-Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm. Any requests made on the weekends or Friday after 4:30pm will be responded to at the next available business date. For customized service and menu planning please contact the Humboldt Catering at catering@humboldt.edu.

Scheduling & Cancellation 

To ensure the best possible service we ask that events be booked at least seven business days in advance. We understand that unforeseen circumstances may arise, and we will do our best to accommodate your needs. We request that adjustments or cancellations be made at least three business days prior to the contracted event date. For cancellations made with less than three business days notice, charges may be incurred. Some events, depending on their size and complexity of menu, may require at least seven business days notice for changes.

Off-Campus Events

While Cal Poly Humboldt is our home, we happily offer our catering services to the surrounding Humboldt community. Whether it's a wedding, a business meeting, or a party, we've got you covered!

Order Minimum

To secure proper staffing and setup, we require a $100 weekday minimum for delivered orders,  and a $150 weekend minimum.

Everything Included with Your Order! 

Each Carved and Crafted order includes Delivery, Cleanup, Sustainable/ Reusable Serviceware or China and Glassware; Casual Catering orders will come with single-use containers and disposable serviceware.

Billing & Payment 

Campus departments are required to submit payments for catering using the CSU Procure-to-Pay (P2P) system via the Hospitality Form; once a P2P requisition has been approved, departments are required to share the PO number with Humboldt Catering so the supplier portion of the billing can be completed.

• Requisitions should be submitted no later than two weeks before the event to avoid additional signatures and approvals required by Campus Procurement.
• In the event your department has an exception and can use Procard for payment, we will send an electronic payment link to your email after the event.

Off-campus contracts are to be paid in full within one business day before the event with a 50% deposit taken upon booking. This can be done with any major credit card, cash, or a business check. 

In Kind Policy

If a campus client has an in-kind fund available to them, they must request to use it at the time of booking a catering, or no later than the day before their event. Any in-kind requests made after a final invoice has been issued will not be honored.

Humboldt Catering maintains a running spreadsheet for each in-kind fund. If a client wishes to know the current balance of their fund, they may request such information at any point via the email catering@humboldt.edu.

In-kind may not be combined with any other discount or price reduction. 

Tax & Tax Exemption

Unless your order is sales tax-exempt, the Arcata city tax rate of 10.25% will be applied to all orders. 

Please email tax-exempt forms at least 3 days prior to the event to catering@humboldt.edu 

Delivery Charge

Applicable to off-campus orders; varies depending on distance, minimum $40 one-way.

Event Time 

Events are billed in four-hour increments. Events exceeding the four-hour limit will be subject to additional service fees. 

Service Attendants/Bartenders

Certain events require a little extra care and attention to detail. For these, we can provide service attendants, bartenders for alcohol service, or even chef attendants for plated meals. Labor is billed at a four-hour minimum at $40/hour per attendant. Some events, especially offsite requests, may require a minimum of one to two attendants for a successful service.

Guest Counts 

We request a confirmed number of guests be specified three business days prior to the event. This number is considered the guaranteed guest count. 

Linens 

Black tablecloths are supplied for all food and beverage service tables at events. Tablecloths for non-food tables are available for an additional charge per table of $9.99 .

Meal Passes

Humboldt Catering also manages the purchase and distribution of meal passes. Meal passes are only valid for the dates written on the back of the passes. Once purchased, meal passes are unable to be return for a refund or exchange; accordingly, they must be used before their expiry date, or they become invalid. 

Special Diets /Allergens

Special diets are accommodated upon request, we kindly request that your needs be submitted as soon as possible, ideally upon booking. Known allergens must be communicated at the time of booking so they can be accounted for in menu planning.

Calorie Counts 

2000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice, but calorie needs vary. Additional nutrition information is available upon request. 

Meeting Room Reservations and Equipment 

Reserve all non-food-related equipment by contacting Cal Poly Humboldt Event Coordinator at ces@humboldt.edu or 25Live. This will include room reservation, tables, set and room configuration, audio-visual, and other general information. Humboldt Catering does not maintain 25-Live, and you must still book your catering requests directly with Humboldt Catering.