Food for your club, house or lab

Feeding a group? Tell Victor.

Say what your group needs, even roughly. Victor gets back to you super fast with the best deal he can find and sorts out the order with the restaurant. You pay the restaurant directly.

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

Victor is the UChicago student who runs Pool, and he knows the Hyde Park restaurants. No account and no menus to dig through. 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.

Send it to Victor

Only your name and email are required. Victor handles the rest with the restaurant.

Write it like a text. Roughly is fine.

How many people

Leave a number and Victor can text you

Victor replies to you and passes your name, contact details 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? Write to Victor at 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 tell Victor

    What you need, for how many people and when. Roughly is fine, and your name and an email are the only things he has to have.

  2. He finds the deal

    Victor takes it to the Hyde Park restaurants that work with Pool and gets back to you super fast with the best price he can get.

  3. He sorts out the order

    Once you say yes, Victor sets up the order with the restaurant. You pay them directly and they give you the receipt.

If you know the date and the headcount, add them and Victor can move faster. If you do not, he asks when he replies.

Send it as early as you can. An early ask gives Victor more restaurants to choose from.

Hyde Park restaurants you can ask

Name any of them in your message and Victor asks them. Want somewhere that is not listed? Name it anyway and he asks them too.

Pool partners, special pricing for groups

  • Nando's PERi-PERi

    Flame-grilled PERi-PERi chicken

    20% off orders of $250 or more. Delivery and setup included.

    Ask Victor

  • Noodles Etc.

    Pan-Asian noodles

    Special pricing for groups through Pool. The number comes with your quote.

    Ask Victor
  • Deep Purpl

    Açaí bowls and smoothies

    Special pricing for groups through Pool. The number comes with your quote.

    Ask Victor
  • Subway 53rd Street

    Subs, open 24 hours

    Special pricing for groups through Pool. The number comes with your quote.

    Ask Victor

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. Victor gets you a price 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 help Victor move faster, and if you leave them out he asks when he replies.
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 Victor still gets you a price at menu prices. 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 write what I need?
Yes. Write it the way you would text a friend, like food for 40 on Thursday, about $15 each, a few vegetarians. Victor reads every request himself and asks about anything missing.
Do I need an account?
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. Victor finds the deal and sets up the order.
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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