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Student Centers

  2. Food, Beverage & Alcohol Service

Food, Beverage & Alcohol Service

General Food and Beverage Guidelines

After the appropriate facility has been reserved, food, beverage, and alcohol arrangements may be made. All food, beverage, and alcohol arrangements are the responsibility of the group reserving the space. For more information regarding the alcohol policy, scroll to the bottom of this page, or click here.

Student Organizations:

  • For full-service catering (catering staff present) in Student Centers event spaces, you may use any licensed caterer as long as we receive a copy of their Limited Premise Agreement (LPA) and Certificate of Insurance (COI). Visit our Forms page for examples and templates of these documents.
  • For quick drop-off food service (no catering staff present), you can use any licensed caterer and do not need to provide us a copy of the vendor’s LPA and COI.
  • We require that all catering setups and needs be discussed in advance with your event manager and caterer.
  • All Student Organizations are required to post the following verbiage for events where food is not prepared by a licensed caterer. Click this link to print the sign.

University Departments:

  • For full-service catering (catering staff present) in Student Centers event spaces, we ask that you request a quote from Vanderbilt Catering. If they are unable to meet your needs or accommodate your event, you can use another licensed vendor as long as we receive a copy of their Limited Premise Agreement (LPA) and Certificate of Insurance (COI). For more information, please see Forms.
  • For quick drop-off food service (no catering staff present) you can use Vanderbilt Catering or any licensed caterer and do not need to contact Vanderbilt Catering first or provide us a copy of the vendor’s LPA and COI.
  • We require that all catering setups and needs be discussed in advance with your event manager and caterer.
    • *Exceptions can be made for dietary and cultural meal needs, with approval from your event manager.

VUMC/ External Organizations:

  • For full-service catering in Student Centers event spaces, we ask that you request a quote from Vanderbilt Catering. If they are unable to meet your needs or accommodate your event, you can use another licensed vendor as long as we receive a copy of their Limited Premise Agreement (LPA) and Certificate of Insurance (COI). For more information, please see Forms. We ask that all catering setups and needs be discussed with your event manager and caterer within three weeks of contract submission.
  • For quick drop-off food service (no catering staff present) you can use Vanderbilt Catering or any licensed caterer and do not need to contact Vanderbilt Catering first or provide us a copy of the vendor’s LPA and COI.
    • *Exceptions can be made for dietary and cultural needs.

Alcohol Services

  • Alcoholic beverages are permitted in the Student Centers/Provost spaces upon approval by Student Centers or their designee. All requests to serve alcohol must be made at least four (4) weeks in advance of the event.
  • Events that include alcohol must be registered in Anchor Link at least four (4) weeks before the date of the event.
  • All alcohol must be served by an approved (ABC) licensed bartending service.
    • The vendor will need to complete the Limited Premise Agreement (LPA) and provide a copy of their Certificate of Insurance (COI) before event approval. Please see Forms for more information.
  • Food, snacks, and non-alcoholic beverages must be provided in sufficient variety and quantity and in a manner commensurate with the availability of alcoholic beverages.
  • No bring-your-own-beverage (BYOB) events or kegs are permitted in any Student Center space.
  • If Undergraduate students will be present at your event, you must hire an approved (ABC) licensed bartending service to provide a cash bar.
  • Ticketed events that include alcohol must have prior approval. There are only a limited number of Special Occasion Licenses available for the University to use for this purpose.
  • All events that request to serve alcohol must register the event through the Event Registration process in Anchor Link and attend Host Responsibility Training with the Center for Student Wellbeing.
  • Security may be required for events with alcohol.

For more information on Alcohol Policies and Expectations for on-campus events and in general, please refer to the Student Handbook.