Food Guidelines
Inclement Weather Policy
When inclement weather impacts the normal operation of our catering service, we will make every attempt to safely provide our services for our guests. We will also make every attempt to contact our guests to confirm the status of their event and notify them in a timely manner regarding any changes in our services. This includes the delivery and setup of rental equipment (i.e. freestanding tents). During these challenging weather incidents, it is necessary for us to assess the safety of our team, while giving the utmost consideration to our catering guest’s orders.
Outdoor Event Request Guideline & Disclaimer
Any group requesting catering services may request for the event to be held outside. We also ask for you to plan a weather backup option (see Inclement Weather Policy). EWU Catering Services is required
by the local health department to provide coverage for our food buffets and other processes to insure the safety of the food items. Any event requested outside will incur a minimum of $50.00 charge and may increase as the scope of the events grows. We also reserve the right to make changes to your event outside due to factors regarding safety, insect infestation and weather
Health Department Regulations
Due to Spokane County Health Department regulations, typical food service time for an event is one-two hours, not including setup or cleanup time. If additional time is required, service costs will be calculated accordingly. Should your event require catering services (beverage, staff, equipment rental) exceeding the two-hour time frame, additional fees will apply. Any removal of food that has been stored at room temperature during the event needs to be discarded after two hours. Our servers are instructed to compost all buffet items and are not allowed to authorize guests to take home items at the conclusion of a catered event. By removing leftover food from the event site, the client releases EWU Dining & Catering Services from any liability with regard to possible spoilage or food-borne illness.
Open Flame and Smoking Policy
In accordance with University Policy, smoking and open flames are not permitted at catered events. Should your event require candlelight, please contact our Event Planner to discuss how to obtain written permission for such needs.
Sustainability Practices
Sustainability embodies the premise that we must make mindful decisions about the quality of life for ourselves and future generations. University Dining Services has the ethical and moral obligation to carefully asses all of our decisions that connect to issues of economic viability, social justice and environment preservation. We recognize that the benefits to all of our local and global neighbors are substantial and we want to be a part of creating a healthier world. Sustainable Practices include:
- Focus on Increased utilization of local foods, local being those items from or produced in the tristate area.
- Dining Services provided Eco Products; they are renewable and compostable disposable products which are ASTM certified, 100% biomass and suitable for commercial composting. Products are collected from the kitchen and dish room areas in all of our operations for composting. They are excellent fuel components for the Spokane Waste to Energy Plant, where they burn cleaner and produce 2nd generation energy
