Reserving a Room

If your event will be held on campus, it is necessary to first reserve a room with the Office of Conferences and Special Events (717-245-1900). It is important to book your event well in advance to guarantee your room and Dining Services availability.

Arrangements for tables, table setups, public address systems and other audio or video requests are handled by the Office of Conferences and Special Events.

All functions in the Holland Union Building are subject to availability. Special permission is necessary to hold events in certain buildings on campus.

Placing an Order

After you have a confirmed room reservation, you may order food for your function from the Dining Services office (717-245-1318). We require at least 10 days advance notice, but would prefer a longer notice to accommodate you and provide the best service possible. You may plan ahead and have dates cleared in advance for food and service. Our Catering Manager will check the availability of the dates for you. Dates can not be held until they have been cleared and a food order is in place.

When contacting Dining Services, the following information is required:

• The day, date, and time of your event
• Contact name, organization, department, phone number, method of payment (cash, internal requisition or billing address if applicable)
• Location - the room you reserved with the Conferences and Special Events Office.
• Rain location - if applicable
• Type of function and service style (breakfast, lunch, dinner, buffet or waiter served, etc.)
• Estimated number of guests - to be confirmed 48 hours before event
• Menu - including special dietary requirements such as vegetarian or allergies
• Bar requirements - Dickinson College does not provide or sell alcoholic beverages. You may supply your own alcoholic beverages which must be served by our TIPS trained servers at a charge of $11 each hour.
• Special Arrangements - flowers, china service, linens, etc.

All clothing and skirting of tables must be ordered from the Dining Services office (717-245-1318).

Flowers & Decorations

Upon request, Catering Services will order centerpieces or floral arrangements and bill you accordingly. Additional room decorations are the responsibility of the sponsor. The use of confetti is not permitted.

Use of Alcohol

Dining Services does not purchase or supply alcoholic beverages for any catered function. This is the responsibility of the sponsoring organization.

The College alcohol policy is thoroughly explained in the Dickinson College Student Handbook. A copy may be obtained from the Student Activities Office. All alcohol must be registered with the Student Activities Office or the Dining Services Office, if food is ordered. This policy is in effect for all functions which alcohol will be served. A TIPS trained bartender is mandatory at any function serving alcohol. The sponsoring group is responsible for delivering all alcoholic products to be served to Dining Services. Catering Services personnel will determine the required number of TIPS servers and time necessary for bar setup and breakdown.

For further information regarding the use of alcohol, contact the Office of Student Activities (717-245-1671) or the Director of Dining Services (717-245-1318).

Changes and Cancellations

All cancellations must be made at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled event. This will nullify any charges for food orders and labor commitments. Failure to do so, will subject the individual to charges of costs already incurred.

Any change in detail concerning your event must be submitted to Dining Services as soon as possible to establish if the change can be accommodated.

Off Campus Functions

Dining Services occasionally is available to cater off campus receptions and banquets. The Director of Dining Services must approve these functions. On campus Dickinson College requests for banquets or receptions will always have preference over off campus events. The prices in the Catering Booklet are for campus functions. Additional charges may be incurred for special requests or off campus functions.

Additional Charges

A 15% gratuity will be added to the cost of all non-campus functions.

Additional charges that may be incurred for either on or off campus functions include:

• Rented china
• Dining Services china handling charge for functions outside the HUB
• Including Stern Center functions/per person $2.50
• Hard plastic dinnerware charge/per person $1.50
• TIPS trained bartender/per hour $11.00
• Floral decorations ordered by Dining Services
• Clean up beyond normal event requirements
• Special requests that require additional labor
• Pick up and return of items originally picked up by customer, to include linens, aervoids, leftover food, etc.
• Loss of Dining Services equipment while in the custody of the customer to include all coffee service items, aervoids, utensils, etc.

Weddings

Catering Services occasionally is available to serve wedding receptions on campus with the approval of both the Director of Conferences and Special Events and the Director of Dining Services. Contact the Conference Office (717-245-1900) to make a room reservation prior to placing your food order.

A 15% gratuity will be added to the cost of all non-campus functions.

You may incur charges over the standard banquet meal prices for the following items:

• Cake cutting $75.00
• China rental
• Waiter served hors d'oeuvres
• TIPS trained bartender/each per hour $11.00
• Bar set-ups/per person - (includes mixers and nonalcoholic beverages) $2.00
• Labor charges after 9 p.m.
• Clean up charges - vary
• Additional setups - vary

Please contact Catering Services with questions concerning any of these items.

Additional information may be obtained by calling Dining Services at 717-245-1318.