About Us

From a casual Spring cocktail party to elaborate Fall receptions, private chef work and corporate events, Portsmouth Catering Company can tailor fit your needs into amazing menus and impecable service.

We do not provide pre-fabricated menus! We feel that each and every event is unique and demand their own specific attention. Likes, dislikes, allergies, theme of the party, and time of year for local growers all play a part in designing your menu.

We enjoy outside the box traditional slow foods, comfort food with a twist!

After we chat and you receive your menu and once you feel we are the right crew for you, a small deposit locks your date in. We will also aide you in the amounts of alcohol to purchase, rental needs and any questions you have to make your planning easier.

Overview of catering policies

Some policies details within your contract may differ slightly than the below. 

Agreement Terms & Conditions:

In this agreement, Portsmouth Catering Co, LLC may be considered 'PCC' and you will be considered 'You', or 'The Client'.

'Minimum Guarantee of Guests'

Your final guaranteed number of guests must be provided to Portsmouth Catering Company no later than 21 days prior to . This allows for proper preparation by our staff.  Your number of guests can increase in quantity but not decrease from the minimum stated in this contract.  If the final guarantee is not received by the specified deadline, the initial minimum guarantee of guests will be considered your final guarantee.  

'Rentals, Equipment & Site Access'

Portsmouth Catering Company provides most of their own cooking equipment, serving vessels & utensils needed for the kitchen/prep area. There is no charge for these items. The only time we will require you to rent equipment is if we simply do not have it, or if the location does not allow us to bring in our own equipment. Arrangements can be made for usage of our equipment prior or post event date.

In the case of extremely bad weather a 'Cooks Tent' with lighting must be rented at the expense of the client for the staff to be able to perform their job correctly. 

PCC typically has a 20 foot trailer for their equipment towed by a full sized truck. There must be access for this vehicle on level space and within reasonable distance to the event. The trailer must be able to reach this site from the major road and easy access for departure.

One to two dedicated lines of electricity must be provided, or we will have to use a generator which will add a fee of $100.

The servers will need a well lit area to scrape plates, bag garbage and stack rentals for return pick up. Access to a hose is crucial in this same area.

If you would like coffee service to continue after the catering service is over, you will need to rent coffee dispensers for PCC to set up and leave as ours would have to leave with us.

PCC does not provide rental tables, chairs, flat ware, plates, or linen. Please discuss items you need PCC to provide prior to signing this agreement, In circumstances of plated meals, more additional 8' tables may need to be rented.

'Payment Terms'

The agreed initial deposit is for all the time and work put into emails, phone correspondence, meetings and menu creation and alterations/work leading up to the event. The initial deposit is non-refundable in any circumstance. By making a deposit you are initiating booking Portsmouth Catering/Chef & Co. to perform the event.

The above are the totals based on the content mentioned herein. Items added will increase these totals and will affect the final total with 8.5% state tax on prepared food and beverage and 18% gratuity/service charge.

There is no fee for the cake cutting, plating &/or serving of the cake or setting up of any dessert.  

There is no fee for the bar set-up or break down. There may be a charge for moving bars during the event.

There is no charge for staffing set-up, or breakdown.

There is a charge for table and chair set-up or break-down should the rental tables and chairs not be set-up by the rental company. The good rental companies will do that for you. This cost will be determined based on the amount of work and the amount of staff needed to perform this work. 

NH Meals Tax is currently at 8.5% on just the food & beverage portion.

Gratuity / Service Charge (18%) is the costs involved with off-site labor including cooks and office management, equipment usage on-site, gas and mileage. Cash tip for the on-site servers is very welcomed.

Vendor meals are 50% off the normal meal price.

Children 12 to age 5 have the option of our standard kids meals ranging between $8-$10. If the child eats from the regular menu instead of the kids meal, there will be a discounted price for kids. Children below 5 are no charge.

If you would like Portsmouth Catering Company to remove trash after the event, the garbage removal fee is $200. This is just for the trash related to the event. If there is a dumpster on site, there is no charge for PCC to take care of the trash. PCC will provide trash bags.

Travel is included within a 50 mile radius of Portsmouth, NH or Andover, NH.  Travel will be added into the final invoice if deemed necessary beyond this distance. 

Personal Checks or Bank Notes should be made out to 'Portsmouth Catering Company', If mailed: 663 Old Turnpike Road, Salisbury, New Hampshire, 03268. We also accept Venmo and Paypal.

'Gratuity'

Bartenders Tip Jar – Unless you specify you do not want a tip jar out at the bar, a tip jar will be placed at the bar for your guests to tip the bartenders, please let us know!  If you do not wish to have your guests be able to tip the bartenders directly, there will be an added $75 per bartender for gratuity added to the final invoice.

'Insurance'

Portsmouth Catering Company is a licensed restaurant/catering facility with the states of New Hampshire and Maine.  Portsmouth Catering Company carries a $1,000,000.00 / $2,000,000.00 liability insurance and can provided an "Additionally Insured Certificate" to a venue if requested to do so in advance of the event date.  This coverage covers the catering staff and food.  It is not to be confused with general liability for you and/or your guests.

'Planners and Logistics'

You must have a day-of coordinator, or wedding planner to book with Portsmouth Catering Co. They are a crucial part of your event. If you would like to bring in your own Planner/Coordinator, we are happy to work with them in addition to our planning staff. Our requirements for working with the planner are as follows:

He/She can not be a guest at the wedding. 

They must have a licensed business (not their hobby, or a favor they are doing for you.)

They will need to be our point of contact for event timeline, layout, menu changes, decisions along the way and during the wedding itself til the event is complete.

Please note the attached file, 'PCC List of Coordinator Needs' as the list of requirements we expect from your planner/coordinator.

'Hours of Service included within these terms (at the Event)'

Staff and Chefs arrive approximately 1-1.5 hours prior to the start of cocktail hour.

Service begins at the start of Cocktail Hour and is for a consecutive 5 hours.

If bar services are involved, legally, in the states of New Hampshire and Maine, bar services can only be open for no more than 5 hours.

Clean-up typically takes 60 minutes after the 5 hours are up. Be aware if your event goes longer than our time, you may be stuck with clean up if your planner does not provide final clean-up, or our staff may be bribed to stay later. You can arrange any lengths of time for staffing, the bar is the only part we can not extend, but a total of 7.5 hours is what is included in your costing.

'Cancellation/Changes'

Due to shifting prices in the current economy, prices and availability of certain items may fluctuate or become unavailable. The prices could increase or decrease. You have the right to change the item, if the increase is not to your liking, to an item of similar original pricing. Should something arise where the event can not happen on the planned date, Portsmouth Catering Co. may possibly, without any guarantee, re-book the date to another date that is available for Portsmouth Catering Co, llc. In that case, all other content of this contract other than the date will still be considered the same unless mutually agreed, and moved to the new date. If the event is cancelled within 6 months of the date of the agreed date mentioned herein, 50% of the total event cost will be due, or if paid, it will be considered non-refundable. 

Location changes can only be made if you, the client, inform Portsmouth Catering in advance and PCC agrees to the location change. If the location is out of state, or located in a difficult location, or causes PCC to alter what would be normal operations to perform this event, PCC reserves the right to; A. Add additional charges to the bill to cover these changes, or B. Consider the event cancelled by the client.

If the event date is moved for whatever reason. Current policies will take the place of this policy. This will be brought to your attention if that happens.

If Portsmouth Catering Co, LLC are the ones who cancel the event, a full refund will be issued less the deposit. Deposits are to be considered services rendered. In the history of our company this has never happened. 

All documents and legal issue are to take place in the state of New Hampshire where the agreement and corporate headquarters.

If the event is cancelled by you, the client. If Portsmouth Catering re-books the same date with a similar size event (10% +/- guest count and the amount of monetary income) then all the payments less the initial deposit will be refunded. 

If you cancel the event and Portsmouth Catering is not able to re-book the date and/or the event re-booked on that date is smaller in size (see above), all deposits and payments will be non-refundable unless deemed otherwise by PCC.

'Force Majeure' 

In the event of a force majeure we will move the agreed date herein to the date you are suggesting provided Portsmouth Catering Co. is available and able. In the event of a pandemic (State or otherwise) If there is no mandate for NH and you, the client, want to move the date anyhow, there will be a 20% fee of the total event cost added onto the event price unless PCC waives this. If there is a mandate preventing the agreed date to happen, the 20% charge will be waived. 

'Pricing / Payments'

There can not be a drop in the agreed pricing by more than 10% unless discussed and agreed by PCC. Payments can be called in, or paid online through Honeybook. Most major credit cards are accepted, Cash, Check, Bank Orders, Paypal are acceptable. Payments are to be made on the agreed dates. Automated reminders will be sent. If a payment goes unpaid for more than 60 days without contact, the event may be considered cancelled by the client.

'Conclusion' 

By signing this contract I am stating that I have read, understood and agree to all the terms and policies listed herein. I attest that I am the legally/financially responsible person for the above mentioned event to make all decisions.