Folio · Policies & Terms
How this works, and what is still being written.
Plain language, split by how settled it actually is. Nothing here is dressed up as more final than it is.
This page summarises how Chartier Catering works. It is not the agreement. Where this page and your signed event agreement differ, the agreement governs.
Settled — Robert stands behind these today
Estimates
Anything you build on this site is a preliminary estimate. It comes from a fixed set of service assumptions and a working price list, and it is meant to give you a sense of scale — not a figure to budget against.
The price list is still being verified against real supplier costs and Robert has not signed it off, so treat what you see as indicative. He reviews every estimate personally and gives you a real number on the phone.
Transportation to your venue is not included in the figure you see. It depends on where your event is, how the access works and how long the day runs, and Robert would rather talk that through than have software guess at it.
Dates and availability
Requesting a date starts a conversation. It does not hold the date, and nothing on this site confirms availability — Robert does that directly, after you have spoken.
A date is committed when the event agreement is signed and the retainer is paid. Both of those happen with Robert, not on this website.
Tastings
Tastings are by invitation after an initial consultation. If your event is a fit, Robert arranges one — they are not bookable directly, because he cooks them himself and each one is built around your menu.
A tasting supports up to five people and up to twelve items. There is a $250 tasting service fee due at booking, and the actual grocery cost is invoiced afterwards. That second part is why a lobster and tenderloin tasting costs more than a mac-and-cheese tasting: you pay for what was actually bought to cook for you.
Payment milestones
After the tasting, the event agreement is signed and a $1,000 retainer is due. The retainer is nonrefundable, and it is credited toward your total — it is not an additional charge on top of the contract.
By 30 days before your event, your payments together must reach 50% of the contract value. Because the retainer counts toward that figure, this is a top-up rather than a second payment in full.
The remaining balance is due seven days before the event.
Gratuity is never required and is never added automatically. If you would like to leave one, it is genuinely appreciated and it goes to the people who worked your event.
If your plans change
The $1,000 date retainer is nonrefundable if an event is cancelled or moved. Robert may, at his discretion and subject to what is available, credit it toward a rescheduled date — but that is his call to make at the time, and this page does not promise it in advance.
Menus can move. Talk to Robert as early as you can; late changes are usually possible and occasionally cost more, and he will tell you which one you are looking at.
Allergies and dietary needs
Dishes are prepared in a shared kitchen. The dietary tags on this site describe how a dish is composed — they are not a guarantee against cross-contact, and no tag on any website should ever be read as one.
Tell us about allergies when you enquire, separately from preferences. Robert builds the plan with you directly, and he will tell you plainly what he can and cannot do safely rather than accommodating something he shouldn't.
Your information
We ask for your email so we can send your estimate, and for your name and phone number so Robert can call you about it. That is what we use them for.
We do not sell your information and we do not share it outside what is needed to cater your event. Ask us to delete it and we will.
Under review — not yet published as policy
The items above are being drafted for review by Robert and by Colorado counsel before they become binding terms. Until then they are not published as policy, because a term that reads as settled and turns out not to be is worse than an honest gap. Your signed event agreement governs, and it is the document to read.
- The final guaranteed guest-count deadline, and how increases, decreases, children, vendors and actual attendance are each treatedDrafting
- The menu and service change cutoff, and what a late change costsDrafting
- A cancellation schedule tied to the retainer and the payment milestonesDrafting
- Rescheduling, severe weather, force majeure, and what happens if Robert cannot performDrafting
- Reasonable ingredient and menu substitutions when supply or cost movesDrafting
- Dietary disclosure deadlines and the written cross-contact acknowledgementDrafting
- Venue access, utilities, parking, loading, permits, stairs and lifts, the setup window, the breakdown deadline, and overtimeDrafting
- Responsibility for rentals, damage, loss, cleaning, third-party rentals and equipment you supplyDrafting
- Outside food, cakes, alcohol, leftovers, safe holding, packaging, and who is responsible after handoffDrafting
- Taxes, payment methods, returned payments, late balances and collection costsDrafting
- Conduct, unsafe conditions, the right to stop service, and responsibility for guests and other vendorsDrafting
- Photography permission, the dispute process, governing law, notices and entire-agreement languageDrafting
Licensing
Catering in Colorado is a licensed retail food activity, regulated by the state and by the county or city where an event is held. Robert can walk you through what applies at your venue.