Want to Cater at UF? Make Sure You’re Approved First!

If you haven’t been officially approved as a UF caterer yet, you won’t be able to do business on campus—so let’s get you set up the right way.

Here’s what to do first:

• Register as a UF Vendor

Gather Required Documents: All caterers and mobile food vendors must provide or complete the documents listed below.

• A valid copy of the State of Florida business license
• General liability insurance
• Automobile insurance
• Valid alcohol license and insurance
• Catering Services Agreement

If you’re a mobile food vendor, there’s one extra step: complete the Mobile Food Vendor Protocol form.

• Mobile Food Vendor Protocols  – for mobile food vendors only

Once you’ve gathered all the necessary documents, head over to the Self-Service Portal to upload them and set up your access. Be sure to have your UF Vendor ID number handy—you’ll need it to log in.

UF Minimum Requirements:

All caterers seeking to do business with UF as an approved caterer must…

LICENSES

… be licensed annually by the State of Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulations – Division of Hotels and Restaurants. Catering operations must meet all applicable standards of a public food service establishment as provided by the division. Caterer shall provide the University with a copy of its current State of Florida business license. If Caterer is to provide alcoholic beverages, Caterer shall provide University a copy of its current State of Florida Caterer License for Beer, Wine, and Liquor Consumption on Premises (Series 13CT, QUOTA 2COP, or QUOTA 4COP).

Health Inspection

… be in good standing with the State of Florida Department of Health County Health Department’s most recent public health inspection scores. In addition, Business Services must be notified immediately if a health inspection violation calls for a caterer to cease business operations until a correction is addressed.

Insurance

… provide evidence of insurance in accordance with limits set by UF’s Risk Management insurance office. Caterer shall, at its own expense, obtain and maintain without interruption during the Term of this Agreement insurance of the following types, coverages and limits. See example of an approved Caterer Certificate of Insurance.  The parameters are as follows:

• General Liability
  • Commercial General Liability Insurance with limits no less than $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 in the aggregate including bodily injury, death, and property damage and completed operations and advertising liability, which policy shall include contractual liability coverage insuring the activities of Caterer under this agreement.
• Auto Liability
  • Automobile Liability Insurance on all vehicles (Symbol 1: Any Auto) used to fulfill responsibilities of this Agreement covering bodily injury and property damage in the amount of at least $500,000 in combined coverage per occurrence.
• Alcohol Liability (if licensed)

• If Caterer is to provide alcoholic beverages, Liquor Liability Insurance with liability limits of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence for bodily injury, death, and property damage and completed Operations, which policy shall include contractual liability coverage insuring the activities of Caterer under this Agreement.

• Additional Insured
  • The Commercial General Liability and the Automobile Liability policies required hereunder must name the “University of Florida Board of Trustees” as additional insured, and each certificate evidencing such coverage must reflect the University’s additional insured status.
  • UF Board of Trustees must be named as a certificate holder and listed as an additional insured.

• Waiver of Subrogation
  • All policies are required hereunder to include a waiver of subrogation for the “University of Florida Board of Trustees”, and each certificate evidencing such coverage must reflect the University’s waiver of subrogation status.

• 30-Day Notice of Cancellation
  • All policies are required hereunder to include a 30-day notice of cancellation for the “University of Florida Board of Trustees”, and each certificate evidencing such coverage must reflect the University’s 30-day notice of cancellation status.

Worker’s Compensation

… carry Worker’s Compensation Insurance as required by Chapter 440, Florida Statutes. Firms with less than 3 employees who claim to be exempt from carrying Worker’s Compensation must provide the University with a State of Florida worker’s comp exemption certificate and include list of employees not covered.

Once an applicant has submitted all the required documents to become a University of Florida approved caterer, the applicant should expect a 24-48 hour vetting period during which the University will ensure that all documents and licenses are in proper order and that all the insurance criteria are met.

Sustainability

We ask all caterers to reduce the negative impact Styrofoam places on our waste stream by eliminating the use of Styrofoam. We encourage caterers to use compostable, recyclable, and reusable items in packaging, service ware, delivery containers, and to-go boxes.

Pepsi Exclusivity

Caterers serving the UF main campus are required to be in agreement and compliance with the University’s exclusivity agreement with Pepsi.