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Policies
From your account you can start a new order, manage existing orders or update your account information.
Additional Resources
How to Order Online
Policies
Arrangements for non-wedding catering and refreshments should be finalized through Sky Lakes Catering Co. at least seven (7) calendar days prior to your event. Individual locations may have additional policies, so please contact your Catering Coordinator for your specific locations details.
The final guarantee (number of attendees) must be finalized seven (7) calendar days prior to the day of your event. The confirmation and guarantee will include the exact times, location, attendance, menu choices, and room set up. If no guarantee is received, preparations will be made for total estimated at the time the menu was ordered. The final charges will be no less than the guaranteed number. Your catering coordinator will make every attempt to confirm your order, but in the event we do not receive confirmation, your order is subject to cancellations.
Arboretum Fee
All invoices are subject to a 20% Arboretum fee.
In the event of a cancellation of a non-wedding event within seven (7) business days of the event, liquidated damages in the amount of one hundred percent (100%) of the anticipated food and beverage revenue and ancillary revenue will be due, plus applicable taxes.
Servicing equipment (clear beverage dispensers, coffee urns, linen, heating equipment etc.) is reserved for serviced events only. Sky Lakes Catering Co. is unable to provide servicing equipment for delivery-only.
All food permits for catering serviced or delivered by Sky Lakes Catering Co. are already provided for by the University of Minnesota.
Lost, misplaced, or damaged items occurring within a catered event are not the responsibility of Sky Lakes Catering Co.
Sky Lakes does not facilitate the reservation of room rental or non-food related equipment, including but not limited to room, table setting, room configuration, audio and visual. These can be reserved by contacting a University of Minnesota Reservations Specialist.
Outdoor dining is permitted, however, per University of Minnesota Policy all food and beverage service tables are required to be covered, either by a permanent structure or a temporary covering like a tent. Please be sure to have a rain plan and reserve a back-up room in the event of unfavorable weather.
Outlet access is required for all serviced events with hot food, either by nearby outlet, a power generator or extension cord. The event site will need to be easily accessible by truck and traversable by carts. Your Catering Coordinator will communicate additional outdoor servicing event needs.
Sky Lakes Catering Co. neither provides nor moves tables, chairs, garbage receptacles or any non-catering-related equipment. Please be sure to have these reserved through the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s Reservation Management Team.
All serviceware will be furnished as an accompaniment to all items purchased. High-quality compostable serviceware is provided in keeping with the University of Minnesota’s environmental sustainability standards. All delivery and non-plated orders are defaulted to compostable serviceware unless otherwise agreed on with your Catering Coordinator.
Any order received less than seven (7) calendar days before the event is considered expedited and will be subject to an additional charge of $100 or 25%, whichever is greater. Expedited orders are accepted on a case-by-case basis, and the final approval will be at the discretion of the Catering Coordinator.
When the University of Minnesota closes for inclement weather or other emergencies, all catering events will be cancelled. If your event is cancelled, a catering credit will be issued to reschedule within 30 calendar days of the cancellation.
A University EFS chart string, valid credit card or a cleared check is required to confirm an event. A 50% deposit is required thirty (30) calendar days prior to the event and will be applied to the final bill. The remaining balance will be due five (5) business days prior to your event. No contracts will be finalized without billing information, and confirmation from the Catering Coordinator. Sky Lakes Catering Co. accepts P-Cards, Visa, Mastercard and American Express.
As a University of Minnesota approved vendor, University EFS chart string transfers are accepted as a form of payment and must be provided at the time of order. Please reach out to your respective accounting department before placing your order to ensure you have a complete, current, valid EFS string and have the event budgeted. EFS events are billed after the event, and depending on University of Minnesota’s processing times may take an excess of 6 weeks in some cases.
Whenever possible, credit/debit/P-card or EFS strings are strongly preferred. In the event a payment by check is required, an amount of 50% downpayment needs to be received, processed, and cleared no later than fourteen (14) calendar days prior to your event. The final payment check amount will need to be cleared no later than three (3) business days prior to the start of your event. Checks should be mailed directly to the Sky Lakes Catering Co Operations office at:
Chartwell’s University Operations Office, Attn. Finance Department 2221 University Ave SE, Suite 335 Minneapolis, MN 55414
Taxes and Exemptions
Menu prices do not include Minnesota state sales tax, county, city or any other required sales tax. Orders hosted in Minneapolis will be charged a 9.025% combined tax rate, and orders elsewhere on campus will be charged a 8.375% tax rate. Orders containing alcohol (Northrop and the MN Landscape Arboretum) will be subject to an additional 2.5% tax.
In the state of Minnesota, tax exempt status "does not apply to lodging, prepared food (including restaurant and catered food), candy, soft drinks, motor vehicles, waste disposal services, airfare, and alcoholic beverages". As such, Sky Lakes Catering Co's Services do not qualify for tax exemption under the university's blanket tax-exempt status. Please review the University of Minnesota's Tax Topics page, or the State of State of Minnesota's Internal Revenue Code, section 501(c)(3) guide here for more information.
Special dietary needs can be accommodated upon request and can be added to your menu by your Catering Coordinator during the planning process. Please note that as a full production catering facility, Sky Lakes Catering Co. can never provide a complete guarantee any special dietary accommodations will be free from risk of cross-contamination. While our kitchen will make every reasonable effort to reduce the chance of cross-contamination, please be sure to communicate with guests with allergies that the risk factor is never 0%.
2000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice, but calorie needs vary. Additional nutrition information is available upon request.
Custom requests may be subject to additional fees. Please see your Catering Coordinator for more details.
Menu labels will be provided by default for all serviced orders. Boxed lunches/salads will come with labels identifying the contents of the box, however, requests for custom labels with guest’s names and/or dietary restrictions will incur a $2 per label fee. Please reach out to your Catering Coordinator to add this service on.
A $250.00 food and beverage minimum is enforced on all Minnesota Landscape Arboretum orders plus a 15% delivery charge to rooms within the main building, or 25% delivery fee to external buildings. Clients may pick up a catering order at The Eatery to bypass any delivery fees. All Minnesota Landscape Arboretum delivery orders are drop-offs only unless otherwise specified. A staff member will deliver the order as-is. Set-up of delivery, product rotation and post-event clean-up will be the responsibility of the client. Failure to clean delivery post-event may result in an additional cleaning fee.
Please be sure the day-of catering contact listed on the invoice is available during the selected delivery window. If no day-of contact is present to receive the order and cannot be reached by phone, the order will be returned to the catering kitchen and will need to be picked up by the client.
Deliveries will be provided as specified in the invoice. Beverages and sealed packages are final and not billed on consumption. Any requested variance from the final invoice will be subject to the standard expediting fees.
All items will be delivered in high-quality compostable packaging with all applicable serviceware and accompaniments (coffee creamers, sugar/substitutes, and condiments etc.)
Any event with hot menu items or guest counts over seventy-five (75) or orders containing hot food will be required to be serviced by default. All serviced orders require a minimum of thirty (30) calendar days’ notice to secure. Catering attendants will be billed at $45 per attendant per hour with a 4-hour minimum, including set-up and clean-up time. The number of attendants required is based off the guest count and event scope, not client preference, and is not a negotiable fee.
Action stations, carving stations and day-of chef attendants can be added on for an additional $150 set-up fee. Additional fees may apply. Please speak with your Catering Coordinator for more details
For the safety of our guests, Sky Lakes Catering Co. does not participate in co-catering for serviced events, whereas we do not cater for an event where another caterer is hired or has donated. We do not rent any of our equipment for events that do not have food or beverage ordered through Sky Lakes Catering Co.
Your Catering Coordinator can assist you with any event timing questions. We require a minimum 4-hour window for all serviced events, which includes 1 hour set-up and 1 hour clean-up time for non-drop off events. Events exceeding the 4-hour limit will be subject to additional service fees. Some exclusions may apply. Catering event times will be determined by your catering coordinator. Please note requesting early setup or late clean up may require additional space rental charges in addition to additional catering labor charges. Please speak with your Catering Coordinator for more details.
Linens are supplied for all food and beverage tables at serviced events and are not available for delivery/drop-off events. Either white and black linens are available and can be specified with your Catering Coordinator. Table linens for additional tables, seating tables, registration tables, swag tables etc. are available for an additional $15.00 per table.
If possible, please reserve a nearby room, kitchen or out of the way alcove with outlet access for staff to stage a temporary kitchen. If a formal staging area is not provided, the servicing team will make every effort to come up with an alternative to ensure catering equipment does not impose on the event.
Plateware and glassware are available for an upgrade fee of $5.00 per person and is not included in the meal pricing. Please contact your Catering Coordinator to elevate your event from compostable ware to plateware.
Action and carving stations can be added on in 90-minute increments for an additional $100 fee. Please speak with your Catering Coordinator for more details.
Any unused food remains property of Sky Lakes Catering Co. and cannot be removed from an event in compliance with local health regulations. Credit cannot be issued for leftover food or beverage. Any condiments or compostable serviceware also remain property of Sky Lakes Catering Co.
Sky Lakes Catering Co. is the sole provider of alcohol at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. External alcohol is not permitted. All catering orders containing alcohol must have a bartender present to serve alcohol. For smaller events, guests may opt to purchase alcohol from The Eatery, subject to The Eatery’s own alcohol policies. See the University of Minnesota Alcohol policies for specific details or contact your Catering Coordinator with further questions.
A $250 set-up fee per bar will be applied for cash bars and bars billed on consumption. Bar set-up fee for cash bars is a fixed fee. Set-up fee will be waived if final alcohol sales exceed $250 per bar.
In addition to the set-up fee, bartenders are billed at $45 per bartender per hour with a 4-hour minimum, including set-up and clean-up time. The number of bartenders required is based off the guest count and event scope. Additional bartenders can be added by request.
All open bar packages will be charged with the rest of the catering order five (5) calendar days before the event. Bars billed on consumption or by drink tickets will be tallied by the bartender(s) and billed the next business day. Cash bars are paid by guests the night of the event. A $250 fee will be assessed the following business day if the final bar tab does not meet the $250 minimum.
N/A beverages are available for $5 per person and are available solely for guests not of legal drinking age (21 years old).
Professional catering attendants are based on a 4 hour minimum, charged at a rate of $45/hour per attendant. Staffed events with catering attendants includes set-up, tear-down and upgraded presentation with real platters/beverage dispensers and cloth linens for the food and beverage tables. Linens for seating tables are available for an additional per-table fee.
