Catering Contract - Caterers have zero liability for sickness if we bring in outside food?

Thanks for all your help guys!

I think I'll move forward with this and perhaps purchase insurance when the time comes!

Vendors often put clauses like those because they don’t want to deal with the liability of proving who’s food made guests sick in the event of a lawsuit. That’s pretty common wording but feel free to shop around if you don’t feel comfortable signing.

Like Natasha said they are just covering for themselves in the off chance that outside food makes a guest ill. And it makes sense, they wouldn't want to be blamed and risk their reputation for someone else's lack of care.

View quoted message For sure! Like if someone gets e.coli it’s probably from the venues beef and not the cake. Kinda a tricky spot. Your venue should be posting a visible sign that shows they are in good standing with Canadian public health act / local food inspection agencies. Whatever governing body inspects your venue should also have public records of all current and past inspections - so you can check if they are consistently reliable! Sometimes you’ll see bad customer review of a restaurant or venue that “made them sick” but you don’t know if that person ate at a sketchy place the day before, or has intolerances they didn’t let the venue know about. Unless you see a lot of that - red flag.

Thanks for your input Natash!

I will definitely be making sure the damage deposits, late fees / interest for payments, etc will be included in the contract!

I was just worried that in the off chance people got sick because of the venue's food and not because of the cake we bring in, we have to be fully liable for their mistake. But I do see your point that the venue cannot confirm our outside food is 100% compliant so they wouldn't want to take the risk either.

Just a side note! If you haven’t already check your contract for things like damage deposits, late fees / interest for payments, and if they charge you for staying late at the venue ( past agreeded upon closing time) that will be a BIGGER pain in your ass than food.


Venue is a HUGE step! Good Luck!

Yes. That’s completely normal. I work for a venue we do the same thing. All food / desserts must be in 100% compliance with all proper food handling techniques and polices. Prepared in a licensed commercial kitchen, not left out for more than 1.5-2 hours as bacterial can develop rapidly, cooked to the proper temperatures ( for things like poultry). Your venue can not confirm that your outside food is 100% compliant and they can loose their license to operate. Not worth the risk. In my experience you are safe with cake and desserts - rarely will you ever find someone getting a virus or sickness from desserts ( unless it’s an allergy! be mindful of guest allergies ). Commercially prepare products like chips are usually find too. I’d stay away from meats and cheeses and things that spoil quickly. Your venue is not saying “you can’t have these things and you will be sued not us if something happens” they are saying “we are training and licensed - make sure your other food vendors are as well”.