Catering for student groups

Food for your club, house or lab

Tell us what you need, even roughly. Pool sorts it out with a Hyde Park restaurant, and you pay them directly.

One club recently ordered through Pool and saved over $220 compared with ordering online.

One form reaches several Hyde Park restaurants at once. No account, no menus to dig through, and only your name and email are required. Asking is free.

If SGFC is paying, its cost guide says it may fund a slightly higher rate per person when the food comes from a local, non-chain Hyde Park restaurant.

Pool partners for groups

Nando's PERi-PERi gives 20% off orders of $250 or more. Delivery and setup included.

The $250 is the food at menu prices, before tax.

Noodles Etc., Deep Purpl and Subway 53rd Street give groups that order through Pool special pricing. The number comes with your quote.

Request catering

Four quick steps. Only your name and email are required, and Pool sorts out the rest with the restaurant.

What food?

Pick any, or skip
Kind of food
A restaurant in mind?

Optional

The event

Roughly is fine
How many people
Budget per person

We ask for a quote that fits it

Time of day

Diets and allergies

Optional
Anyone who needs
More detailsOptional. Who it is for, the place, notes
Who is it for
Where is it

Where we send the quote

Pool replies to this email and passes your name, email and event details to the restaurant, as set out in our Privacy Policy. Nothing is booked yet, and you pay the restaurant directly.

Rather email? Send the date, headcount and budget to victor@pooluchicago.org.

Nando's PERi-PERi catering for UChicago groups

20% off
on orders of $250 or more
$250
the minimum order
Included
delivery and setup, at no extra charge

The $250 is the food at menu prices, before tax. The restaurant is at 1447 E 53rd and it is the first one on the pilot. See the Nando's PERi-PERi page.

Half a flame-grilled PERi-PERi chicken with Portuguese rice and coleslaw at Nando's

How this works

  1. You pick the restaurant

    Choose from the lineup, or name a restaurant and we'll ask them. Your name and an email are the only other things we need, so the form takes about a minute.

  2. We get the quote

    Someone from Pool takes your request to the restaurant, works out the price with them and sends you their quote.

  3. You pay the restaurant

    They take the payment and give you the receipt.

If you know the date and the headcount, add them and the quote comes back faster. If you do not, we ask in the reply.

A person reads every request and takes it to the restaurant, so the quote takes a little while. Send yours as early as you can, with a date you can still move.

Hyde Park restaurants you can ask

Pick any of them and we ask for a quote. Want somewhere that is not listed? Choose Any other restaurant and name it, and we ask them too.

Pool partners, special pricing for groups

Also on the list

The Student Organization Catering Fund

UChicago Dining's fund opens October 7, then January 13 and March 31. It is for on-campus events, orders under 100 people are pickup only, and the event has to be at least 14 days after Dining reviews the application. See Dining's page for the form. SGFC deadlines and the other ways a group pays are in the guide to ordering food for a UChicago club event.

On campus, it arrives as a drop-off

The restaurant brings the food and leaves. We ask for that on every on-campus order. Off campus, someone can stay and set it up, and the form asks which you want.

Your group has its own funding, booking and food rules. Check those with your advisor before you commit to a date, and see the rules and deadlines for UChicago event food.

Questions people ask

Can a UChicago student group order food from a Hyde Park restaurant?
Yes. Pool gets you a quote from the restaurant. Your group's own funding, booking and food rules apply, so check those with your advisor before you commit to a date.
Do I need a date and a headcount before I ask?
No. Your name and an email are enough to start. A date and a headcount make the quote faster, and if you leave them out we ask for them in the reply.
Our budget is under $250. Is it still worth asking?
Yes. The Nando's PERi-PERi discount starts at $250 of food, and under that we still get you the quote at menu price. Noodles Etc., Deep Purpl and Subway 53rd Street price each group order with Pool, and every other restaurant on the list quotes on its own terms.
Can I just text what I need?
Yes. Type it the way you would text a friend, like food for 40 on Thursday, about $15 each, a few vegetarians. The text line asks for anything missing and shows you the request before it goes anywhere. Replies there are written by AI, and a person from Pool handles every request.
Do I need an account to ask for a quote?
No. The form on this page needs your name and an email, and everything else is optional.
Who do I pay?
The restaurant, directly. They take the payment and give you the receipt. Pool gets you the quote.
Which restaurant will cater my event, and what is the deal?
Pool has four partners for group orders. Nando's PERi-PERi at 1447 E 53rd gives 20% off orders of $250 or more. Delivery and setup included. The $250 is the food at menu prices, before tax. Noodles Etc., Deep Purpl and Subway 53rd Street give groups that order through Pool special pricing. The number comes with your quote. Most of Hyde Park is on the list too, and for a place that is not, name it and we'll ask them.
What about the UChicago Student Organization Catering Fund?
UChicago Dining's RSO Catering Fund opens October 7, 2026, then January 13 and March 31, 2027. It is for on-campus events, orders under 100 people are pickup only, and the event has to be at least 14 days after Dining reviews the application. Dining's site has the form.
Can a lab or department order this way?
Yes. A lab or department pays the restaurant itself, under the University's business-meal policy. Ask your department administrator whether yours pays by card or purchase order.
Is Pool connected to the University?
No. Pool is an independent student-built service. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the University of Chicago. Pool is not a University vendor. Ask your advisor whether a restaurant receipt can be reimbursed. Your own funding rules still apply.
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