Whilst every effort is made, from receiving your initial catering request to the execution of your catering function on the day, Nyama Catering will be as efficient and thorough as possible in our correspondence to ensure that you know exactly what to expect in terms of our food and the execution of our service & standard procedures at your event on the day!

It is, therefore, CRUCIAL for us that you carefully read through all the terms and catering conditions and familiarise yourself with our operations so that there are no misunderstandings on the day of your event.

We will only accept changes to the details of your event and your quotation via email. We will not accept changes done telephonically, for we need a conversation track record to ensure that minor details are left out or forgotten.

Please read through all the pages in this document and sign the last page to accept our Terms & Conditions. Please email the signed copy to [email protected]

Nyama caters for all nationalities, our chefs are all fully qualified, and the race of staff that Nyama employs does vary. We are proud to say that we do not discriminate against any race and, therefore, can’t supply staff and chefs of a specific race for your function.

Please choose an accurate serving time and stick to the agreed serving time: We cannot and will not change it on the day of the event as we work on a very tight schedule. We only allow 90 Minutes for serving a Main Course and an extra 30 minutes if a dessert is served with your menu. Any overtime will be charged at R200.00 per hour.

Please make provision for your own extra containers for leftovers: we decant all the leftovers for you after serving time. Under no circumstances will any of our braais or catering equipment be left behind at your function to extend serving time.

All invoices must be paid in full and cleared in our account before our chefs leave our premises for a function (as per our payment terms).

Please count cutlery & crockery with our staff upon arrival (if you booked it with us). You will be billed for any shortages after your function. We can’t police your guests with our cutlery and crockery. If they walk away with our equipment, we will bill you for any shortages after the event.

Please ensure that our cutlery, crockery, and equipment do not mix with your own to ensure that our staff does not accidentally pack something that is not ours. We rent about 2,000 plates, knives & forks and many other utensils each week so it will be impossible to find a specific item after the function.

Please ensure we have sufficient directions/instructions or a supported map so we do not struggle to find your venue/address. If you know that your premises are hard to locate on Google Maps and you live in a rural area, please arrange to meet our team at a central point to direct them to your venue.

Ensure that your phone is always switched on in case we need to contact you!

Please ensure that we have easy access to our vehicle after the function to load our equipment. You will be billed for extra time spent due to delays.

NB!! Please note that you are responsible for ensuring sufficient cover for the braai and serving area in case of bad weather. If we need to serve at night, please supply adequate lighting for us.

Our staff will only answer to one person in charge, who should be there upon arrival to show them where to set up. If you are not there to receive them and they have to wait for your arrival, the serving time will move forward, and you will be billed by the hour for any extra time wasted.

Contact our office (012 347 2795 or 083 350 7306) immediately if there is a problem with anything on the day of your function. Please don’t wait until Monday to tell us there was an issue. We will fix this on the day. We always have a team on standby who can rush through to bring anything from a new Spitbraai to a forgotten salad.

Please ensure that our machines will fit through all doors and gates, and note that we can not carry the machine and equipment higher than two flights of stairs. If it is higher than two flights of stairs, a service lift that will be able to fit our machine will be necessary:

Dimensions- Width@900mm, Height@1430mm & Length@1530mm.

We don’t carry our equipment further than 50m from our vehicle, so arrange for easy access. Also, ensure that we have access codes and keys. If we need to use a key card for elevators, you must issue a dedicated key to our chefs for the entire duration of the function.

Please supply our staff with ground cover/protection if you want us to unload/load, cook and prepare the food on paving or any sensitive floor area. Our equipment is serviced and checked for leaks weekly, but fat spills can occur while serving or moving our equipment. We cannot be held responsible for damage caused by spills if you do not provide ground cover.

Our equipment does give off quite a bit of heat, so please also ensure that there are no heat-sensitive flooring or items in our designated area. We cannot be held responsible for damage if the above criteria are not met.

Please provide us with a dedicated water point to assist in our food preparations so we can wash our hands throughout the day. We supply our chefs with sanitiser and plastic gloves for preparations, but a water point is still needed.

Unfortunately, we cannot do site visits before the event as we book between 25 and 30 different functions daily, so meeting with all these clients is impossible. All our procedures, menus and requirements are freely available on our website. They are also sent with all email correspondence during and after quoting & invoicing.

On the day of the event, we also arrive early enough to inspect the setup and serving area to decide with the client how to proceed. You are more than welcome to send us pictures and a detailed description of how the setup and serving should work if you are not happy with our standard setup & service.

We have a Health & Safety Certificate and can supply a copy if needed. Please note that if your company or venue has their own health & safety officer, please arrange that they send through their H & S requirements before the event so that we don’t have any hiccups on the day of the function.

Please note that once you confirm your booking with us, we will not supply any additional equipment in terms of JOC requirements over and above what was agreed upon in terms of our standard catering services. (For example, Gas Certificates, Gas Plans, Fire Blankets etc.) You will have to make sure that the admin around this is covered by yourself, and if need be, you will need to rent this on your own accord.

JOCS

For all and any JOC requirements, Nyama will outsource this to an Event Management Company on an outsourced consultation basis. The client will pay an additional fee charged by them for covering all aspects of the JOC requirements at a rate determined by the said company. This will be added to your invoice for your account!

Please ensure that you provide enough fire extinguishers for your event and that they meet the Health & Safety requirements as set out by OHS Act.

Allergies

Please note that we do not take responsibility for any allergies you or your guests may have. We use specific spices and sauces in our preparations and will not deviate from these methods. If anyone has any allergies at your function, they will consume our product at their own risk. We can provide you with all the ingredients used for your menu choice. Still, because all our food is prepared in an industrial kitchen, we cannot guarantee that the food will not be in contact with food items from other functions that we also prepare for.

Portion sizes

Once cooked and carved (lamb, beef & pork), we work on +- 300g of meat per person. Our other meats vary in portion sizes from +- 100 to 200g, and our side items work out to about 120g – 150g per person per side. These are very generous portion sizes, and we never run out of food if the quoted number of guests eat from the menu. You do, however, know your guests better than we do, so if you feel they will need larger portions than the above, please instead ask us to quote for more people. You do keep all leftovers after the function.

Special dietary requirements

Nyama cannot cater to specific dietary requirements such as Gluten Free or any other dietary requirement form.

Outsourced catering

Suppose you book our service to cater to your company’s client. In that case, you must go through our standard catering terms and standard operating procedures to familiarise yourself with our service and procedures. If you are not on-site at the event, you will have to give us the name and cell number of the responsible person at the function that will receive us and whom we can liaise with. Please note that you are responsible for ensuring that your client adheres to the agreed serving times. Any extended serving time must be communicated to us before your event so that we can prepare for it in terms of how we need to serve and that everything is served fresh for all guests. In this case, we must also add overtime fees to cover our labour costs.

NONE OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS IS ALLOWED TO HAVE ANY ALCOHOL, AND SHOULD THEY BE OFFERED ANY ALCOHOL, NYAMA CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR BEHAVIOUR!!! OUR STAFF ARE NOT ALLOWED TO ASK FOR ANY TIPS. IF YOU FEEL THEY HAVE SERVED YOU WELL, THEN YOU ARE MORE THAN WELCOME TO GIVE THEM A TIP ON THE DAY AFTER THEIR SERVICE IS COMPLETED.

Our payment terms

The client, by default, agrees to the Payment Terms below.

Advanced bookings

The funds must be available in our bank account before we can leave our premises on the event day. We require a 50% deposit to confirm the booking, and the balance payment is needed before we leave our premises on the event day. Please ensure that you make an immediate clearance payment for the balance.

We only require the final number of guests, menu, and serving time ten days before your function. (NB, please phone to check availability before making the deposit)

Clients that made special balance payment arrangements with Nyama accounts must pay the balance of the invoice either in cash to the chef upon our arrival and before we set up or give them a copy of the proof of payment for the balance payment. Unfortunately, we don’t accept cheque payments.

Same day & one day before function bookings

We require that the function invoice must be paid in full. We will only start arrangements for your function once the full payment reflects in our account. Therefore, please ensure direct transfers from other banks if not transferred from a Standard Bank account.

Please note that we cannot serve on time with payment delays.

Please note that Nyama will not be responsible for doing follow-ups with your accounts department for outstanding payments due. The client or person that arranged the function with us will be held accountable to ensure that payments are followed-up with their accounts so that our payment is received on time before the event.

Legalities

The client confirms that this agreement is being regarded as due demand for payment of all outstanding contractual fees owing to Nyama Spitbraai.

The client consents to judgment in terms of section 57 and section 58 of the Magistrates Court Act to be obtained against the client for Nyama Spitbraai to collect any outstanding and due amounts.

Should the Client default in any part-payment, due and payable, they consent to the whole outstanding balance to become payable immediately.

The client consents to pay all legal costs should Nyama Spitbraai have to institute legal action against them, at attorney and own client scale, plus interest.

Limitation of Liability

Nyama Spitbraai will not be liable for any loss or damage suffered by the customer as a result of, among other things, the following: Force Majeure (Acts of God), Fire, Hijacking, theft and related events, Malfunction of equipment – The undersigned agrees to waive any claims of negligence, breach of warranty or contract, mental harm and distress.

Cancellations

Our Cancellation Policy is as follows:

All cancellations must be received via email. Date and time acknowledgement is the client’s responsibility. Please call to be sure that we received your email.

Cancellation 20 or more days before your event:

We should be able to get another booking in your place:

We will retain 15% of your payment as a cancellation and admin fee. Alternatively, you can postpone your event to a different available date without a penalty. Please note that once you have a new date, we will amend your invoice per our current prices on our website. If you wish to cancel after postponing, you will still forfeit the 15%.

Cancellation 10 or more days before your event:

It is unlikely that we will get another booking in your place:

We will keep your deposit as a cancellation fee. If you have paid in full, we will refund 50% of your payment. Alternatively, you can postpone your event to a different available date without a penalty. Please note that once you have a new date, we will amend your invoice per our current prices on our website. You will still forfeit your deposit if you wish to cancel after postponing.

Cancellation less than ten days before the event:

We will not get another booking in your place:

We will keep your deposit as our orders for your function have already been placed and/or delivered. If you have paid in full, we will deliver the produce purchased for your event on the day your event was scheduled. You cannot postpone an event ten days or less before the date. The cancellation terms apply as our orders for your function have already been placed and/or delivered. If you have paid in full, we will deliver the produce purchased for your event on the day your event was scheduled.

Postponement and cancellation work on the same policy.

You cannot use a forfeited deposit for a later date or event.

If cancelled indefinitely, you will forfeit all money paid for your booking.

Additional Policies

Nyama Catering will not be responsible for any food item or beverage taken off the premises to be consumed after the event. We ensure that there is enough food per your signed menu and the number of guests, and our staff will control the serving of these portions on the day of your event. If you don’t follow our serving procedures and times or ask our staff to leave the food for you to serve yourself, we cannot ensure the quality or that everyone gets food.

2nd and 3rd-party billing is not permitted. The named person and/or company on the invoice reconciles all financial terms with Nyama Catering.

No handwritten amendments to this document are permitted, and as such, no handwritten amendments to this document are legally binding. Please note: Nyama Catering does not offer a Plated Meal Service; we only do BUFFET-STYLE catering!

Below is a complete explanation of Nyama’s Standard setup on the day of your function, together with what is included and not included.

Bookings on Weekends during November and December

We reserve Fridays for functions with 100 guests or more in November and December and Saturdays for 50 or more. We have special rates for functions on 25 December.

Arrival

Upon our arrival, our chef will find his contact person (function co-ordinator) to greet us and to find out where to set up our serving table and catering equipment.

Please note that if you are not present upon our arrival and we have to wait for you, we will move the serving time forward and bill you for the additional time we are serving late.

Please ensure that we have easy access for our vehicle to off-load and access to the site where we need to braai.

We then start off-loading our vehicle and getting all our equipment to the designated area where we will braai and set up the serving station.

What do we need to do for the setup

We ask that you show our chefs where a basin is to wash hands after they off-loaded and before they can start preparing the food. Please show them the allocation you kept open for them to set up.

Depending on availability, we provide branded umbrellas to form part of the setup to cover the serving table. It is, however, not enough cover in bad weather conditions. We require an undercover area to do their setup in case of bad weather.

We need enough lighting if we cater in the evening, it is difficult for the chefs to prepare in the dark, and your guests want to see what they dish up for themselves. Dark lighting conditions jeopardise the service in general.

How can you assist us in terms of setup?

(Please note that this is not a necessity)

If there is a kitchen area to utilise to prepare their salads, it will be convenient, but it’s not a must! If you have a fridge with some space where they can keep some of their dishes chilled, it will help with convenience, but again not a must; we are geared to keep everything fresh and chilled on-location.

From time to time, there might be a specific dish to heat up, so if you have an oven that they can use, it will be helpful but not a necessity.

How does the setup work?

We do “Buffet-Style” catering; therefore, we will set up a rectangular table on which the cutlery, crockery, condiments & garnishes, and all the side dishes not served from our stainless gas spit braais. Here your guests will help themselves to a plate and cutlery and help themselves to the side dishes provided.

For 50+ functions, we send two chefs. One will look after the buffet table, keeping everything tidy and assisting the guests, whilst the second chef will serve the meats and potatoes directly from the spit braai.

We serve for a duration of 90 minutes from the confirmed serving time before we start clearing away. Once all your guests enjoy their meal and those still hungry have had second helpings, the chefs will remove the dirty plates from the table and start clearing away.

Please note that we don’t leave any of our catering equipment behind. We require you to have your own dishes available to give to our chefs so they can decant all the leftover food for you to enjoy the next day. If you need to keep any of our catering equipment, you can buy it from Nyama by paying cash for it on the day. You can contact our office for pricing.

Desserts

After serving the main meal, we prepare a dessert table.

Serving times – 90 Minutes for Main Course & 30 Min Dessert. We can allow only up to 30 minutes for late serving. After that, we bill you R200.00 per chef per hour of overtime. We want to serve our food at its best. If we serve late, we won’t guarantee food quality and will bill you for extra time! We start serving dessert once we have cleared away the dinner plates. We do dessert for a 30-minute duration after the main course.

What serving utensils do we use? Important!

Black tablecloths with red overlays

For hot dishes – Stainless Bain Mare’s

For Salads – stainless salad bowls, stainless steel serving spoons

Other serving dishes – stainless steel

Plates – white china (We rent it in from a supplier – all looks exactly the same)

Cutlery – standard catering stainless steel

Salad dressing, butter, ice cream, custards (As purchased)

Please refer to our food safety tips for leftovers!