After you submit your order, we will send you a menu proposal with your event details including menu and cost estimate. We will contact you by e-mail or phone if we have any questions or require more information to complete the order.
Administrative Fee
To ensure that your event is a success, Catering staffing will be determined by the Catering Sales team.
Food and beverage prices within the Tufts Catering menu or on event proposals do not include delivery, set-up, clearing, or the cost of waitstaff and bartenders. If your event requires these services, you will be charged an administrative fee to offset the expense of delivery, and service resources and logistics. Please see our Service Types page for more information on Admin Fees based on your event's service type.
Final Guest Count and Guarantee
Please contact us prior to your event to confirm your guest count.
- The final guest count for food ordering, staffing, and billing purposes is due no later than:
- Drop-off and Standard service: 3 business days before the event
- Full-service events: 5 business days before the event
- Guest counts must be submitted via email or phone call to the Catering Sales Office by the deadline above. After this time guest counts cannot be reduced, any increases may not be accommodated with the same menu items initially ordered.
- Any decrease in number of guests made after the guarantee deadline will not reduce the quoted cost of the event.
- Below minimum guest counts can be accommodated for an additional fee.
- The final menu must be confirmed including the number of vegetarian meals and special diet meals. Additional vegetarian meals and special diet meals requested after the final guarantee may not be accommodated or may be accommodated with different menu items than on the original event menu.
- Additional guests over the guarantee will be billed at one and a half times the person price if confirmed less than 3 business days prior to the event. Our ability to serve additional guests added after the guest count guarantee will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
- Final invoice price will be calculated on the guest count guarantee number or the actual guest attendance, whichever is greater.
Late Orders
Drop-off and Standard delivery service orders placed less than 3 full business days will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine if we can service the request.
- Accepted late orders will incur a $50 late fee.
- Same-day orders will be referred to Tufts Dining retail locations for take-out service. No late charge for take-out.
- Full Service orders received less than 5 full business days before an event may not be fulfilled due to the availability of staff attendants, servers, or bartenders.
Payment Methods
University Departments
We’re part of the campus community, so payment is easy. Just provide us your DeptID.
Catering services will be charged charge the DeptID provided on the order form. We assume the person who submits the order has obtained authorization to bill the provided DeptID for catering services.
Outside Clients
The following guidelines apply to non-Tufts clients.
- If you are not paying using the Tufts financial system, an advance deposit of 50% of the quoted price of the event is required no later than 5 business days in advance to confirm the event.
- The balance of the quoted price (plus an estimated bar deposit if a hosted bar is requested) is due no later than 2 working days prior to the event via cash, bank or company check, or money order, or the event will be canceled.
- Any post-event charges (minus the bar deposit) will be billed after the event. Payment is expected within 7 business days of receipt of the bill.
- Checks should be made payable to Trustees of Tufts College.
- Credit Card Purchases can be arranged through a special arrangement with our Dining Receivables Office.