Food and Alcohol

Food

All events at Arizona State University (ASU) with food and/or drinks either from a university-contracted food service provider or a pre-approved external food vendor must review the guidelines set by the Manager of Food Safety & Health Sanitarian. The food range extends from minor items (like sandwiches, desserts, pizzas) to comprehensive catered meals. Some ASU facilities have exclusive food contracts. Event organizers must verify contract exclusivity. 

Seek written permission before choosing non-contracted food providers by visiting the Food Safety and Health page for details.
 

Alcohol

• If your event primarily involves university donors/benefactors and excludes students, you may be eligible to serve alcoholic beverages.
• To serve alcohol on campus, complete the Permit to Serve Alcoholic Beverages on Campus application. This requires Dean approval.
• Prior to proceeding, review the insurance requirements to understand the liabilities associated with servicing alcoholic beverages.
• Submit your application at least two weeks before the event.

How to check the health grade of a food establishment

1. Go to Maricopa County Food Establishment Inspection Records
2. Enter the name AND ADDRESS of the restaurant – it is important to note that every restaurant is reviewed individually. For chain restaurants, one may be in good standing while a different location has a violation. You must check the specific location you are obtaining food from.
3. You will see a list of permits at the name/location you indicated
   1. Check the address to ensure it is the correct establishment
   2. Click on the Permit ID for that establishment to pull up the report
4. Review the report carefully:
   1. Look at the column Priority Violation for the last Routine Inspection
   2. If there are ANY violations in this column, you may not purchase food from the vendor
   3. Do not worry about prior violations as previous management or mistakes are not held against a restaurant. The only relevant result is the current Routine Inspection.
   4. The grade of “Not Participating” just means an establishment has chosen not to get a letter grade for their health inspection. This is not held against them, and if they have no priority violations in their most recent Routine Inspection, they are still okay to use.
5. You can read about the violation by clicking Inspected Date
   1. It does not matter what the violation was for or what you think of it; if a violation exists on the most recent inspection, ASU funds cannot be used to purchase food from the vendor
6. If you are in an urgent situation to get a Food Exception Request through, snip this screen and email it to Michael Britt advising him that you have submitted a Food Exception Request and attached a copy of the health inspection results. Please use this only in emergencies as he is one person and we are many.