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Business Meeting Meals and Catering Expense Guidelines

All Drexel faculty and professional staff are required to follow these guidelines. These guidelines apply to meals that are local to the Drexel faculty or professional staff member's primary business location, as well as business meals associated with University-sponsored travel or food provided as part of a University event, including student events. For business meal expenses incurred in connection with University-sponsored travel, see the Business Travel Expense Guidelines. Where Drexel faculty members have unique needs or circumstances related to business meals, they may contact their Dean for additional guidance.

Guidelines

  • University funds, regardless of source (e.g. restricted, unrestricted, research, grants), may not be used to provide meals during meetings unless the meal is proven to be necessary and integral to the meeting. For a meal to be considered integral to the meeting, it should be included as part of a meeting to discuss Drexel business that takes place over a period of two hours or more during a reasonably accepted meal period (e.g. breakfast, lunch or dinner) with an agenda that requires a working meal, and not simply offered as a matter of convenience. The inclusion of Drexel faculty and professional staff at these meetings should be kept to a minimum, and meal costs should be kept to a reasonable level within the maximum limits provided within these guidelines. Additional examples of business meeting meals and catering expenses which may be allowable, subject to departmental approval, include meals held for the purpose of recruiting prospective faculty, professional staff, or students and student functions hosted by Drexel which are related to Drexel's academic mission.
  • Using University funds to provide meals for frequent or routine meetings, including staff or team meetings, is prohibited.
  • All meal expenses are subject to budget availability, and approval of the applicable Cost Center administrator.
  • Approved business meal per-meal, per-person maximum limits are as follows (including approved alcohol, applicable taxes, and appropriate gratuity), except where otherwise approved by the applicable Cost Center administrator:

    Breakfast Lunch Dinner
    $25 $35 $80
  • Meals in local restaurants with only Drexel faculty and professional staff are not reimbursable. Meals in local restaurants with suppliers, consultants or contractors are generally not eligible for payment using Drexel funds, are not reimbursable, and are considered a personal expense unless there is a business purpose for the meeting not being conducted on campus.
  • University funds may not be used for occasions such as, but not limited to, holiday parties, employee birthdays, weddings, baby showers, anniversaries, or other occasions of a personal nature.
  • Drexel University's food service provider must be used for all University City Campus catering needs totaling $100 or more. A Catering Exception Form must be completed and approved by Drexel Business Services before engaging any outside catering or food supplier. Please see the Business Meeting Meals and Catering Expense Guidelines FAQs for scenarios in which use of the University's designated food service provider is not required.
  • Alcohol purchases must comply with the Events with Alcohol Policy and the purchasing guidelines set forth in the University's Purchasing, Purchasing Card (P-Card), and Event policies in accordance with the type of business meeting being conducted.

Processing Procedures

Payment for meals or catering that meet the criteria set forth in these guidelines must be made using a University P-Card and as follows:

  1. Request approval from the applicable Cost Center administrator prior to the event whenever feasible or as soon as possible afterward;
  2. Adhere to the P-Card Policy, including submission of an itemized receipt; and
  3. Include the following information in the Transaction Notes (note that these requirements follow IRS regulations):
    1. Business purpose of the meal;
    2. Name of venue, location, date, time of event/meal if not ascertainable from the transaction detail and/or receipt (e.g., catering expenses); and
    3. Names and business relationship of meal attendees (for large events without an ascertainable invitation list, provide the number of attendees, a general description of the invitees, and their connection to the function).

Payment for meals or catering with personal funds followed by a request for reimbursement:

  1. Request approval from the applicable Cost Center administrator prior to the event whenever feasible or as soon as possible afterward;
  2. Adhere to the Business Travel Expense Policy, including submission of an itemized receipt; and
  3. Complete the Business Meal Expense Approval Form [PDF] to travel@drexel.edu.

Consequences

  • Any employee who does not follow the above guidelines will be subject to disciplinary actions and, if the purchase was made with a P-Card, the consequences set forth in the P-Card Guidelines for violations of the P-Card Policy.
  • Any employee using University funds used to cover expenses of a business meal, event or celebration prohibited by these guidelines must personally reimburse the University, except as set forth below.
  • The University reserves the right to refuse payment of business meal expenses deemed to be frequent or excessive. These expenses will need to be personally reimbursed to Drexel by the employee who authorized the expense, except as set forth below.
  • Where business meal expenses were approved by the applicable Cost Center administrator but are subsequently determined to be prohibited by these guidelines, the department and not the employee incurring the expense shall be responsible for reimbursing the University.

Supplemental Materials