Alcohol and Catering Policy

The framework and process for evaluating “risk” as it relates to campus activities, including student events and club activities, is detailed in the Risk Management Guide for Activity/Event Organizers (pdf) (the “Guide”).

Applicability

As a supplement to the Guide, this document summarizes the alcohol and catering policy that applies to internal and external groups (including student groups) that are planning to host events at Babson locations other than the Babson Executive Conference Center. It shall not apply to small, informal gatherings where the attendees purchase the food and drink with personal funds.

Alcohol

All groups must use Chartwells for their alcohol needs on campus (with the exception of events at Babson Executive Conference Center).

Chartwells may use a subcontractor to provide bartending services at an on-campus event.
In most cases, only beer and wine can be served at group events. On occasion, the Events Management Office will host events for staff, alumni, and friends (not students) of the College where hard alcohol is served on campus by Chartwells; these events include, but are not limited to, those for the 25-Year Club, the President’s Society, and Reunion & Homecoming, and events at the President’s House.
Groups cannot bring in their own alcohol to be served at an event.

All alcohol donations to a group, including those from corporations or distributors, must go through Chartwells’ approved alcohol vendor in order to be served at an event. Please contact Chartwells for further details. For small donations of alcohol for religious events, please contact Procurement or Risk Management.
For all internal events on the Babson College campus (excluding Roger’s Pub and Babson Executive Conference Center), any group that charges a fee for guests to attend any portion of the event must secure a one-day liquor license from the Town of Wellesley through the Events Management Office at least 45 days prior to the event. Please contact the Events Management Office for more information.
Training and Intervention Procedures for Servers of Alcohol (TIPS) is provided by Chartwells for all events on campus where alcohol is served. Chartwells will also train and/or hire students to be TIPS certified at student events on campus (e.g., Knight parties, Buffoonery). The Babson Public Safety Department will assess information provided regarding the event or activity and determine if Public Safety presence is needed and how many officers based on the size and scope of an event. Please visit the Public Safety Department to determine your event’s requirements.

Catering

Chartwells is the College’s preferred caterer for all events on campus. Groups planning events on campus are strongly encouraged to contact Chartwells to review their needs prior to booking or finalizing any plans. You can go online or call Chartwells at 781-239-4943. This must be done at least seven business days prior to the scheduled event.
If Chartwells cannot meet a group’s catering needs (due to timeline, budget, or food requests) and an outside third-party catering vendor (including a food truck vendor) is needed, groups should choose a vendor from the list of Vetted and Approved Third Party Caterers. The providers on this list meet the established criteria as defined by the College. If the caterer is not already on the approved list, please contact the Procurement Office for guidance.
Vendors that want to donate food or drink for an event must meet the criteria for an approved third-party caterer. Please contact Procurement for further details.

Last updated Tuesday, July 26, 2022