• 4.1 - Alcoholic beverages
• 4.2 - Catering
• 4.3 - Food trucks
• 4.3 - Self-Prepared (Homemade) Food

 4.1 - Alcoholic beverages

All University functions or events that occur on University Property that include alcohol must adhere to requirements outlined within the University Policy governing the use of Alcoholic Beverages – full text available online at: https://uvapolicy.virginia.edu/policy/STU-001#Alcohol_at_University_Fun….

In order to have an event with alcohol within any spaces managed by Event Planning Services (EPS), the event organizer must submit the Events with Alcohol Approval form a minimum of 5 days prior to the event.

Event Requirements in EPS Spaces:

• Any alcohol must be provided and served by a licensed third party – in most cases Virginia Catering Company (VCC)
• All events that involve alcohol within Newcomb Hall and Student Activities Building must be served by VCC (Aramark)
• Security must be provided by the University (see Security Section 3.9 for more information)
• Events with alcohol are not permitted in any public space (including, but not limited to 1515, Newcomb Hall Main Lounge, patios, lounges, and hallways) – the space must be fully secured with designated access points
• Non-alcoholic beverages and food items must be present in appropriate quantities
• Alcoholic beverages may not be mentioned in the advertising or publicizing of a University Function or an event that occurs on University Property (e.g., “happy hour” or “cocktail reception”) unless approved by the relevant alcohol approval authority as noted below

4.2 - Catering/Food Service at Events

Event organizers are required by University Policy STAF-001 to disclose all plans for food service at events.

Most spaces have few restrictions aimed at food safety, however a select number of Event Planning Services (EPS) spaces are only able to be catered by Virginia Catering Company (Aramark).

Virginia Catering Company

The following spaces are under contract with Aramark (aka Virginia Catering Company (Aramark), UVA’s catering service: Only Aramark may provide food and beverages in these contracted spaces. No catered or homemade food or beverages may be served in these rooms:

• Newcomb Ballroom
• Commonwealth Room
• Pavilion XI
• Forum at O-Hill
• Runk

Exceptions to this policy may be made when Virginia Catering Company is not able to provide the type/style/preparation of food required for the event. To request an exception, event organizers must email Scott Stroney at [email protected].

All Other EPS Spaces

In other student activity spaces, food for potlucks, receptions, and meals may be catered by an outside company or brought in by the reserving organization. However, the following restrictions apply.

• Homemade food may only be served to members of a hosting/organizing group – under no circumstances can homemade food be served to the community at large (see Section 4.4)
• Pre-packaged or pre-prepared food may be sold for fundraising only at the reserved outdoor lawn and plaza tables (see Section 2.10 and 4.4 for additional information)
• No food may be sold at indoor or outdoor Newcomb Hall second floor information tables or the O-Hill information tables (see Section 2.10 for additional information)
• Within Newcomb Hall and the Student Activities Building, alcohol may only be served by Aramark (See section 4.1 for additional information)
  • No alcohol is permitted in the Newcomb Hall Main Lounge as all events in this space must remain open to the public
• All food provided by student organizations must comply with the University policy STAF-001: Food Service Provided by Student Organizations

 

Leftover Food and Beverages

Extra food and beverages left over from an event must be removed by the end of the reservation. Any food, beverages or garbage left in a space past a reservation's conclusion will incur a cleaning fee of $200.

4.3 - Food trucks

Food trucks may be brought onto grounds for events in conjunction with a CIO or department, however state restrictions apply for their safe operation. It is the responsibility of the Event Requestor to ensure that any food truck present at their event is in compliance with all state and University requirements.

The Environmental Health and Safety Office works to certify that food trucks meet fire code and food preparation standards. Event Planning Services (EPS) keeps an updated list of trucks that have been certified and can provide it upon request.

If a food truck is not certified, event organizers may reach out to Environmental Health and Safety (ehs.virginia.edu) to arrange certification, however a minimum of 4 weeks is required for the process to be completed. If a food truck arrives on grounds that is not certified EHS staff will be informed and the food truck operator will be asked to cease and desist immediately – ending the event. Event organizers which fail to follow the appropriate policy may lose EPS reservation privileges.

4.4 - Self-prepared (Homemade) food

Per University policy STAF-001: Food Service Provided by Student Organizations, groups are able to serve and/or sell cooked foods only when the food is prepared by third-party providers holding all licenses and permits required by the Thomas Jefferson Health District of the Virginia Department of Health and subject to all provisions of the Thomas Jefferson Health District of the Virginia Department of Health.

As such, homemade food is not permitted at any event or fundraiser open to the public, including, but not limited to, the University community.

Food Preparation 

Organizations which would like to sell or consume homemade goods may do so if the event is closed to only those who are members within the host organization. 

However, NO FOOD MAY BE MADE/PREPARED WITHIN EPS EVENT SPACES. All items created by event organizers MUST be made ahead of time and brought to the event space. Spaces have sensitive fire/smoke detectors that will alarm and require an evacuation of the entire facility. Cost of the fire department coming to the facility can cost more than $1000 and may be passed along to event organizers as damages under Section 2.4.