Catering Services @ VCU
Catering is the activity of providing food and drink for a group of people, typically with services such as setup, staffing, and cleanup included. Please note, a meal for a group at a restaurant does not constitute catering.
For all VCU Catering related services, VCU has preferred partnerships with Aramark, through VCUDine, and America to Go (ATG).
VCU Catering
VCU Catering is a full service on-campus catering option supported by Aramark. They provide customized, professional services ranging from breakfast to dinner, including special student organization menus.
America To Go (ATG)
America To Go (ATG) is the campus' online catering punch-out catalog available through RealSource. This catalog provides a way for the VCU Community to order catering, team lunches, and corporate meals from a curated network of local restaurants and caterers. View ATG Frequently Asked Questions.
Things to consider
- Our catering partners offer quality service and a wide selection of menus, which are capable of meeting any price point. All food purchases must follow VCU policies and guidance regarding meals and/or food purchases — please refer to the Procurement Purchase Meals/Food page.
- All food and beverage purchases, including catered meals, are limited to the per meal dollar maximum for VCU's location (which includes applicable tax and tips – up to 20% – or for hotels, the negotiated service fee). These limits should be used to plan meal budgets. Maximum amounts per person are limited to one-and-a-half times (x 1.5) the per diem meal allowances for travel. All rates are available on the GSA Per Diem webpage.
- Off-campus catering needs can be supported through these preferred catering providers. Exceptions may be made for those off-campus venues which offer their own catering services. Be familiar with applicable tax guidelines for these services. Refer to Tax Services.
- For general questions about payments or ATG, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
America To Go (ATG) – VCU FAQs
America To Go (ATG) is VCU’s contracted catering marketplace that allows departments to order from a wide range of catering providers through a single platform. ATG helps VCU streamline ordering, improve compliance, and strengthen visibility into catering spend.
America To Go should be used for department-funded catering purchases whenever possible to ensure consistency, visibility, and compliance across VCU.
VCU selected America To Go to:
- Streamline and standardize catering purchasing
- Improve compliance by routing spend through an approved contract channel
- Increase visibility and reporting on catering spend across the university
- Support local and diverse businesses—America To Go is a SWaM-certified company, helping align spend with VCU’s Quest 2028 priorities
If a supplier is interested in registering with America To Go, they can contact America To Go’s customer service at (866) ATG-TOGO or email them at customerservice@americatogo.com.
Any VCU employee with an active eID can access RealSource as a Shopper. A shopper can start a requisition, create shopping carts, and process receivers for goods or services, but they must assign their carts to a designated requester for final submission.
Orders should be placed using the America To Go catalog within RealSource. This ensures your order is properly documented and routed through the correct approval and payment process.
Basic steps:
- Enter the America To Go punchout from VCU RealSource
- Select a caterer and build your order (delivery time, headcount, preferences)
- Submit your cart through RealSource
- Complete checkout and approvals as required
No. Catering suppliers within America To Go do not invoice or receive payment directly from VCU.
- America To Go invoices VCU
- VCU pays America To Go
- America To Go pays the individual suppliers
This structure ensures consistency, simplifies payment processing, and maintains proper documentation and audit controls.
In most cases, no—America To Go orders should be processed through the punchout workflow so payment and documentation remain compliant and traceable.
If your department believes there is a unique exception, contact Procurement for guidance before placing the order.
Changes require both a system update and direct communication:
- Click My Orders in the sidebar to view your orders.
- Find the order you want to revise.
- Click on the Actions link in the row for the order you want to revise.
- Choose Revise (or Request Revision if the vendor has already confirmed the order).
- The order will open in your shopping cart.
- Update the order items as necessary.
- Click Proceed to Checkout.
- Update the order information as necessary.
- Click Revise Order to revise the order.
For additional help, we provide a Guide for Revising an Order.
Customer Service is available at 866.ATG.TOGO (866.284.8646) and customerservice@americatogo.com.
To cancel and order:
- Click My Orders in the sidebar to view your orders.
- Find the order you want to cancel.
- Click on the Actions link in the row for the order you want to cancel.
- Choose Cancel (or Request Cancellation if the vendor has already confirmed the order).
- Add a comment to explain why you would like to cancel the order.
For additional help, we provide a Guide for Cancelling an Order
Yes. America To Go maintains onboarding requirements for participating suppliers, and supplier compliance (including insurance, health code compliance, and other required documentation) is handled through the program structure.
America To Go supports a wide range of catering providers, including local options.
If a caterer is not listed:
- You may request that they be added to the platform
- Suppliers can contact ATG directly to begin onboarding
Using the contracted platform:
- Ensures purchases flow through an approved procurement pathway
- Supports consistent documentation, approvals, and audit readiness
- Provides visibility into spend and supplier activity
- Reduces risk associated with direct vendor payment and off-contract purchases
- Some vendors can easily turn around an ASAP order or squeeze in an order for the following day - even if they usually have a 24-hour lead time. Other vendors, especially event caterers, may always require a 72-hour notice. America To Go lists this information on each vendor’s America To Go front page so you know before you place your order.
- If you are ever in doubt, call America To Go’s Customer Service team. They will contact the vendor and verify whether the vendor is able to accommodate your order before you go through the trouble of placing it, or they will find a different vendor that can.
- If your order is truly last minute, e.g., you need food in an hour, and you know which ATG vendor can do it, call the vendor! Once you’ve placed the order verbally with the vendor, you can place the order in ATG so that the vendor can be paid.
- Note: if you decide to call the vendor with the order first, you must be sure the order will be approved, or the vendor cannot be paid.
- Note: there is a new feature that allows you to automatically send an order to the vendor pre-approval right from ATG's site. Some institutions allow this functionality.
For general information regarding ATG, please contact jcarrico@vcu.edu.