Policies and Procedures

All food service is subject to a wait staff charge. The Office of Special Events determines staffing needs based on the menu choice and number of attendees. Wait staff is not included in the prices quoted below; each waiter or bartender is billed at a minimum charge of $121.50, which covers a four and one-half hour shift. All events that require longer staffing will be billed at $27.00 per hour, per server.  Please note, 2 hours are needed for set-up of an event plus the length of an event plus 1 hour to breakdown when catering is concerned. 

**An additional fee for waitstaff will be assessed for weekend events. 

Catering Policies and Procedures
The NYU School of Law is proud of its reputation for hosting quality events. Therefore, the Office of Special Events office must provide any catering in Law School Facilities. With the exception of Golding Lounge and classroom, no outside food may be brought in at any time. In order to fulfill our pledge of excellent food service to you, we have outlined the following requirements:

When having an event with outside food and beverage, please submit a check in the amount of $103.50 payable to New York University for deposit.  Hand deliver payment to 110 West Third Street, Room M-101 between the hours of 9:00am and 5:00pm.  This deposit will be refunded and can be picked up from the office after the event function space is left clean and free of debris.  No exceptions for first time offenses will be waived. 

Requests for catering and room set up must be provided to the Special Events office by the Monday of the week prior to the event. Menus and set up requirements are distributed to the chef and building staff on Wednesday afternoon for the following week. Your cooperation with this deadline is necessary and is very much appreciated in order to ensure that all your expectations are met.

A guaranteed minimum number of guests is required three business days prior to each catered event. This number will be the guarantee for which the Chef will order and on which all charges are based. No decrease in number will be accepted within three working days of the catered event. If it is at all possible, we will accommodate an increase of up to 20% on the final guarantee within two working days of (and prior to 4 hours before) the catered event.

There will be no charge for food for catered events that are canceled prior to three business days before the event. Cancellations of events within three business days before an event will be billed 100% of the estimated staff charge; food and beverage charges will be determined by the Special Events office depending on what purchases had been made on behalf of the client at the time of the cancellation.

FINAL GUARANTEE- At 12 noon, 3 business days prior to your event, you are guaranteed to pay for the items listed. Any changes to the details of the event (i.e. number of covers for food & beverage, service, flowers, and rentals) must be given to the Office of Special Events before this deadline or else the expected count will serve as the guarantee. Changes after the deadline are subject to a 45% surcharge and/or additional delivery charge.

The Special Events office prides itself in preparing excellent cuisine and in using only the finest quality ingredients from local purveyors. Due to the fluctuation of market prices or other circumstances beyond our control, we reserve the right to either change listed recipe ingredients, or upon notification of the client, to add a supplemental charge in order to include the listed ingredients.

Vanderbilt Hall Courtyard
The Courtyard serves as the main point of entry for Vanderbilt Hall and as a peaceful and quiet place for conversation by the members of our community. Recently, the courtyard underwent a major renovation which included the addition of a fountain and new landscaping, and remains the most recognizable physical characteristic of the Law School. In order to preserve the Courtyard for its primary intended uses, Student Groups are not allowed to use the Courtyard for any social events. Only one exception will be made for the traditional SBA garden parties.

Mercer Pub & Residence Halls

For events taking place in Mercer Pub and residence hall terraces with non-resident attendees, a guest list is required for security purposes. Each guest should be denoted as either Law School-affiliated or from outside the Law School community and the list must include the event name/date/time/location, and contact name with phone number. Please provide the building guard on duty with a copy of the list prior to the event.

Grilling and smoking are prohibited on all terraces.

Mercer Pub and all residence hall terraces are closed to events beginning fifteen days prior to and through the finals periods, in accordance with quiet hours.

The Mercer Pub has a curfew of 11:00 pm on weeknights and 1:00 am on weekends. The residence hall terraces have a curfew of 11:00 pm on all nights. Excessive noise will result in an early shut-down of the event.