Laker Food Co. Catering is proud to provide the highest quality catering to the Grand Valley State University community. We have developed the following guidelines and policies to successfully respond to your needs and serve you to the fullest.

We look forward to serving you.  If you have questions, please contact our Catering Office at [email protected] or 331-3342.  Office Hours 9:00 am – 4:00 pm.

Room Reservations

Before placing your catering order, please contact the proper Event Services coordinator of the building to reserve the space. It is the responsibility of the customer to make arrangements for the room set-up & A/V needs. If you would like assistance in determining the number and size of tables you will require, or what time our catering team needs access to the room, our Catering Coordinator will be happy to assist you.

Place orders on the Allendale Campus by using our ordering website, CaterTrax. For specific ordering questions please call 616.331.3342 or email [email protected] (email is preferred).

For Alumni House and Pew Campus orders – Contact Conference and Event Planning. Please use the following link to locate the appropriate Event Coordinator for your location - Contact List                                         

Please click Who Reserves What Space?  to view the appropriate Event Coordinator to book your space.

Advance Notice

Please begin planning your event at least one month in advance. All order and event details must be finalized by 12pm at least 5 business days prior to event date. There will be a 30% late fee for requests made with less than 5 business days’ notice. Please note that Saturday and Sunday are not standard business days. 

Minimum Ordering deadlines to avoid charges:

• Order by 12pm Monday for the following Monday 
• Order by 12pm Tuesday for the following Tuesday 
• Order by 12pm Wednesday for the following Wednesday 
• Order by 12pm Thursday for the following Thursday 
• Order by 12pm Friday for the following Friday, Saturday, or Sunday 

Guaranteed Guest Counts

Laker Food Co. Catering requires a final guest count five business days prior to your event. Changes in the guest count of 20%, more or less, within five (5) business days will be accommodated with a 30% late fee applied to the additional count.

Charges will be assessed for every change in the count that is less than 5 business days. All catering functions will be billed at 100% of the final guest count or amount of guests served, whichever is greater.

Event Cancellations

Services may be canceled at any time prior to the date of an event for any reason. If the cancellation is 5 business days or less prior to the event, a 50% fee will be charged. If the cancellation occurs within 2 business days of the event, a 100% event fee will be charged. 

In the event the University has gone to remote status on the day of your event, your catering order will be available according to your decision to proceed with the event or not.           

Check with your facility location and your Dean / Appointing Officer for your department’s expectations.

For events choosing to cancel, charges will be assessed only for perishable product that has been prepped, ready for service, and cannot be otherwise used. 

Order Minimums

• Weekday events before 5pm: No minimum
• Weekday events from 5pm-8pm:  $200 minimum 
• Saturday & Sunday events from 8am – 8pm:  $500 minimum 
• Events with clean up time after 10pm: $100 service charge 

Please keep in mind that our menu items have minimum guest count requirements. Please see the catering menu for more information. 

Payment/Service Fees

Events not related to GVSU activities will be added a 20% administrative fee* and 6% sales tax.  If tax exempt, proper documentation needs to be on file at time of payment. Full payment information is required three (3) business days prior to your event. Payment by FOAP is preferred. Credit Card payment is permitted. Dining Dollars are accepted for orders placed through CaterTrax only. Call the Catering office or come in with your Credit Card information. 

Additional Fees

Delivery: 

• A delivery charge of $15 dollars will be added to events which take place outside of the Kirkhof or Devos buildings. 

• Any subsequent delivery or additional clear requests will result in a $10 fee each trip. This is contingent on staff availability.  

Linens & China Service: 

• Linens are included for all food and beverage buffets required for the event.   

• Additional linens will incur an additional charge of $10 dollars each.    
• Linens purchased without food or beverage must be picked up from the catering office during normal business hours. They must be returned to the catering office immediately after the conclusion of the event. 

• Specialty linens are available and are charged based on vendor market prices. 

• China Service is $2.50 per person. Plated Meals include China Service and Linens 

Bar Setup:  

• Includes glassware, assorted Pepsi products, cranberry and orange juice, OR lemonade and iced tea, iced water and cocktail napkins for $3.50 per person.  

• Club Soda, tonic water and fruit garnish are available for an additional cost.

• Stemmed glassware will be offered for all indoor bar setups, and compostable glassware will be used for outdoor setups.  

• Please note, alcohol and bartending services are a separate fee and will need to be coordinated with Conference and Event Planning or Event Services. 

Providing your own cake:  

• A food waiver needs to be filled out and filed with the event coordinator.  

• Cake cutting is $1 per person, includes a catering staff member to cut the cake.  Does not include plates, napkins & forks.  

• Full-service cake cutting and plating is $2 per person, includes China or compostable service and a catering staff member to cut and plate the cake. 

Customized Menus

Our talented chefs are delighted to create special menus that accommodate your culinary preferences, dietary needs, and budget. Please contact the Catering office directly to arrange a personal consultation. 

A custom menu involving ingredients not normally in inventory must be placed twenty-one (21) days prior to the event. Guest count must meet a minimum of 32 guests. All custom order pricing starts at $22 per person.

Wedding receptions events require a final menu one month preceding the event date. The final guest count must be submitted two weeks in advance.  

Changes in guest count, with 5 or less business days, of 20% (more or less) of guest count will result in a 30% late fee.   

Allergen Policy: 

• All allergen meal requests, and dietary restrictions must be submitted a minimum of 2 weeks prior to the event.  

• We can make accommodations for any of the top 9 food allergens (Milk, Eggs, Fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans) and gluten.  

• Please note we rely on our vendors’ allergy warnings and ingredient listings. Because ingredient substitutions, recipe revisions as well as cross-contact with allergens are possible we cannot guarantee any food item will be completely free of allergens.   

Student Groups

All student groups must obtain financing authorization from the Office of Student Life. Please see Brianna Slager in the Office of Student Life - Kirkhof Center 1110 for further information on the student funding process. Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for funding/ordering.

Food Waiver

• Food Waivers must be submitted 4 weeks prior to the event date. Any Food Waivers submitted with less than 4 weeks prior to the event will not be considered. 

•  Please allow 14 business days for processing. 

• Laker Food Co. will not cater events which include food or beverage from an outside restaurant or caterer. 

• Food Waivers will not be approved for any hot items prepared in someone’s home. All hot food items must come from a licensed caterer or restaurant.  

• Food Waivers are required for all events taking place on any of the GVSU campuses. 

• When a Food Waiver is approved, Laker Food Co. waives their exclusive rights to cater in that event space. This also waves any liability from falling on Laker Food Co. - the university assumes liability.

Food Waiver 

Food Truck Waiver

National Brand Catering

• Catering is available through our campus national brands including Einstein’s Bros. Bagels, Panda Express, Erbert & Gerbert’s, and Starbucks. For further information, please contact these locations. Detailed contact information can be found on the National Brand Catering page.
• National brand catering accepts Dining Dollars or credit cards only.