Catering

Requests for Catering can be made by contacting the Catering office at 610-526-5236 during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Requests can also be made by emailing catering@brynmawr.edu.

• All catering orders must be communicated via email to catering@brynmawr.edu.
• For internal (on-campus customers) and external (off-campus customers) catering and events reservations, please contact catering@brynmawr.edu.
• Nancy Cassano-George, Catering Assistant Director at 610-526-5234 
• Eduardo Sanchez, Catering Assistant Manager at 610-526-5836

For complete details, read the full catering policy.

Reservations should be made at least five business days before the event date. Please have available such information as the date, time, and location of the event, the number of guests expected (or estimate*), the purpose of the event, the menu, and the name of the person and department responsible for charges (space should be reserved by calling Conferences and Events at 610-526-7329 or visiting our online reservation system). As always, we will do our best to service your event, though we will not be able to guarantee the availability of all menu items with less than five business days' notice.

Please plan your event so you can provide us with the best estimate possible at the time of reservation. Our planning includes renting equipment, special ordering of food items and ingredients, and scheduling staff. Your guarantee should not be more than 20 percent greater or less than the estimate provided at the time of reservation. Guarantees exceeding this amount can result in additional fees or charges.

Requests for Catering can be made by contacting the Catering office at 610-526-5236 during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Requests can also be made by emailing catering@brynmawr.edu.

For proper planning, an approximate number of guests or “estimate” for any function must be given at the time of reservation. A guaranteed count, upon which charges will be based, is required for all functions by noon, three business days before the event. For functions held on Saturdays, Sundays, or Mondays, we request that the guarantee be made by noon on the preceding Wednesday.

We will happily accommodate additions to your menu and/or increases to your guarantee with 24 hours' notice. Please be aware that menu selections may be limited by availability.

There is a surcharge for service requests with less than five business days' notice. The surcharge will be a minimum of $60 or 20 percent of the cost of the required service, whichever is greater. This surcharge is necessary as service requests with insufficient notice incur additional costs to accommodate them.

To ensure that no charges are levied, all cancellations must be made 48 hours before the event. Cancellations after this period may result in charges to cover costs incurred. All Cancellations must be made by telephone to the Dining Service office at 610-526-5236 or by email to catering@brynmawr.edu.

Most services described in the brochure are offered as self-service buffets (except where noted) with linen tablecloths for the buffet tables, paper supplies, and plastic service ware. Our full-service menu items include delivery of all food, equipment, and supplies, set up, break down, clean up, and remove all remaining food, equipment, supplies, and trash. Additional services such as servers, full linen service, china, glassware, and rental equipment are also available at a reasonable cost. If service personnel are not required, the client will be responsible for safely keeping catering service equipment. Some services require service personnel, usually related to the size of the group of guests, what is being served, or the type of service requested. If service personnel are necessary, we will bill accordingly at our Attendant Rates (see Other Services).

Tables and chairs are provided and available to service your event. If special or additional tables, chairs, or equipment are requested or required, we will make arrangements at an additional charge.

Deliveries of any of our full-service menu items to any building on campus are free of charge. However, we require a minimum order of $60 for free delivery. Orders less than our minimum will incur a minimum delivery charge of $35.

Equipment delivered with a function, not attended by a Dining staff member must be left and secured in the same room to which it was delivered. It should not be moved to another room or area without notifying Dining Services. If equipment is missing at the time of pick-up listed on the event order, the client that ordered the event will be charged for replacement. The client is responsible for returning equipment for pick-up functions. It may sometimes be necessary to leave catering equipment in a room overnight to avoid costly labor charges. This arrangement must be made with Dining Services at the time of order. It is the client's responsibility to leave all equipment in a secured area. Any missing equipment will be billed to the client at full replacement value.

Quantities for menu items sold “per person” are based on average consumption. We commit to providing quantities for the number of guests guaranteed, including a buffer of 5% over the guaranteed number of guests. This is done to help ensure enough to cover the number of guaranteed guests or unexpected additions. Dining Services will bill for the guaranteed number of guests or the actual number of guests in attendance, whichever is greater. In some cases, food and beverages are ordered in specific quantities. We will recommend an amount based on experience and average consumption. Service personnel, quantities, and set-ups needed to serve a group satisfactorily will be agreed upon mutually. These services do not include a buffer. We will prepare and provide the amount requested. Food not consumed at a function is the property of Dining Services, and is not permitted to leave the event.

The time of service should be defined at the time of reservation. “Time of Service” should reflect when food service is requested. Dining Services should be made aware of any meetings, speakers, or any other activity that would occur preceding, during, or following the time food service is requested. This may affect our ability to properly set up, serve, and/or clean up your event.

We generally plan and provide food and service for:

• up to 1 1/2 hours for Breaks and Self-Service Meals
• up to 2 hours for All Sit-Down Served or Buffet Menus

Food, Beverages, and Services are provided based on this length of time. There may be additional charges if additional time is needed to service your event.

The client may provide flowers and Centerpieces. The client should notify us at the time of reservation so space on the table can be allotted. Tealights are available for a nominal charge and can be requested with the reservation.

If you desire a special cake that we have not provided, we are happy to serve it. A cake-cutting fee of $2 per person will be applied.

Clients with Bryn Mawr College Account Codes: Upon completion of the event, charges for your event will be finalized, and a journal entry will be prepared to charge the account code you provided at the time of order. You will be sent an itemized account of those charges. The authorized signature provided at confirmation of the event will serve as authorization for the journal entry transfer.

Clients/Customers Without BMC Account Codes: A 50 percent deposit is required at the time of reservation, with the remaining balance due prior to service. Payment can be made by check or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, Discover). Checks should be made payable to Bryn Mawr College Dining Services.

UnCommon Grounds offers a variety of sandwiches, wraps, and salads for pickup. UnCommon Grounds also offers an economical coffee break option for casual meetings.

Call 610-526-7413 for more information.

Breakfast Offerings

coffee breaks

Boxed Lunches

Luncheon Buffet

Plated Lunches

Picnics

Hors d'Oeuvres

Dinner Buffet

Individual Items

Dining Services Administration may grant exemptions to the policy on a per-individual event basis if the following conditions are met:

Dining Services and Wyndham Catering cannot provide the service requested or have declined to do so.

The organization or person making the request provides these forms:

• Request for Food and Beverage Waiver
• Insurance and Indemnification Agreement:
• (including proof of auto insurance)
• FULL-SERVICE CATERING AGREEMENT
• certificate of Liability Insurance (EXAMPLE)

This COI is just an example of the form that must be obtained from the Caterer Insurance Agency.

Please note that all waiver forms must be sent as separate PDF documents (JPEG or PNG images of documents are not acceptable.)

JUST A FOOD WAIVER? There are a few situations where an outside caterer is not required to provide full-service catering, and a Request for Food/Beverage Waiver is all that is needed. Foods that may qualify for waiver-only approval, are packaged snacks and beverages that require no refrigeration and limited handling. Bakery items and pizza may be approved on a case-by-case basis, approval is largely dependent on ingredients, handling required, source of food and location of supplier.

No potentially hazardous food items will be approved for a Catering Waiver (e.g., this includes, but is not limited to, ingredients that are identified by the FDA as a TCS Food, or other ingredients considered to be high risk or foods that require professional handling. 

ALL OTHER FOOD to be served on campus under a Food Waiver must be served by a licensed caterer who provides Full-Service Catering, which is defined as a caterer who prepares, delivers, serves, monitors food and cleans up any trace of food service. On-campus groups may not assume any duties regarding the catering of food (eg. they may not have food delivered and serve it themselves).

FOOD AND BEVERAGE WAIVER: The organization or person making the request must submit a completed Request for Food/Beverage Waiver to Dining Services at least 48 hours in advance (2 business days) of the event date. This form must then be approved by the Administration of Dining Services for the Office of Conferences and Events to approve the use of College property for the event.

All permits, licenses, and equipment necessary to operate the food service being provided.

• CERTIFICATE OF LIABILITY INSURANCE in the amount of $1,000,000 for the service of food for the time of exemption with Bryn Mawr College
  • named as the Additionally Insured under Description of Operations ("Bryn Mawr College is named as an Additional Insured as respects to General Liability.")
  • and as Certificate Holder ("Bryn Mawr College, 101 North Merion Avenue, PA 19010"). 
• INSURANCE & INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
  Any organization or person who is granted permission to use an outside caterer must have an Insurance and Indemnification Agreement completed, releasing Bryn Mawr College from any liability flowing from the service of food covered by the exemption. This form must be completed and submitted to the Dining Services office 48 hours (2 business days) before the event. 
  • NEW IN 2024 - please note that Caterer must provide evidence of Auto Insurance Coverage. If any business does not carry commercial auto insurance and a business representative will be bringing a truck or car onto campus, a copy of the representative's auto insurance card will satisfy the auto liability requirement. The College will not be named an additional insured on personal policies.

• FULL-SERVICE CATERING AGREEMENT
  The organization or person making the request must provide a copy of a Full-Service Catering Agreement signed by the designated caterer agreeing to provide full-service catering for the event. (“Full service” is defined as a catered event where food will be delivered, served, temperature held, monitored and cleared away by the hired caterer in accordance with Montgomery County Health Department food safety codes.) Caterers may not provide food for any event unless catered in this manner due to the risk of food-borne illness and its resulting liability to Bryn Mawr College. 

These rules and guidelines apply to food service in all public spaces. Anyone providing food service will be expected to:

• Set up the necessary tables and chairs before the event.
• Return the room to its original state after the event. 
• Remove all trash and clean any tables, chairs and floors of debris, food or spills generated by the food service provided.

No catering exemptions shall be granted for events that are to be held in Wyndham Alumni House, Erdman Dining Hall, New Dorm Dining Hall, Dorothy Vernon Room, or UnCommon Grounds Cafe.

Outside food service providers will not be granted use of, or access to any of the College's commercial kitchens or the equipment contained in those kitchens.