Employee Catering Policy

All food and beverages served on Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) property must be provided by Harvest Table, OWU's dining and catering provider, unless an exemption has been granted as described in this policy. Catering services has the oversight and training to uphold high standards for events associated with OWU and to limit the risk associated with food service.  For the purpose of these policies, 'catering' and 'dining' are synonymous.

Policies:

1. Faculty and Staff must use the University's catering provider unless one of the following exceptions apply: 

   • Food and beverages are purchased by individuals for their own personal consumption, are not open to the public, and are not for re-sale

   • Events for which the retail value of food costs total less than $100

   • Small office refreshments like coffee, donuts, etc

   • Small office potlucks that are closed employee gatherings

   • Educational or instructional activities that are part of a course curriculum in a classroom setting and supervised by the instructor

2. Third-party individuals or organizations are not allowed to sell, serve, or give away food products on campus, unless the food has been purchased from OWU's catering provider.  The only exceptions include third parties who have an established partnership with OWU's dining provider, and only when coordinated with OWU's dining provider.

3. Exemptions to this policy will be granted only if OWU's dining provider is unable to provide the food necessary to fulfill the event's intended purpose.  Grounds that could be considered for an exemption include availability, cultural authenticity, religious requirements, specialized cuisine, capacity, or timing.  Each exemption request will be reviewed with the University's dining provider to determine whether the needs of the event/group can be met.

   • Exemption requests should be submitted in writing to Residential Life & Dining Services using this form.  Please note that you will need to submit the vendor and license information for the caterer you are hoping to hire.  Exemption requests must be received 14 days in advance of the event, and can take a few days to process.  No contracts or commitments should be made to an external caterer until an exemption approval has been received.

4. Any third party approved to serve food or beverages on campus must prepare items in the licensed kitchen as specified by the provider's license.  If a third-party provider is approved to serve food on campus, they are required to:
   • Provide a copy of their catering license

   • Provide proof of liability insurance.  The University requires outside vendors and contractors to carry at least $1 million in liability insurance

   • Work with University staff to access required facilities

   • Fully clean up their back- and front-of-house after the event

5. Student organizations are held to similar standards, which can be found here.