The fine print
DISCLAIMERS AND FAQS
Thank you for checking on our disclaimers. Please note this is the area you will find all the fine print associated with an event and will be where we garner information to solve any question associated with The Chris Cakes Experience.
As a functioning operation we MUST charge a minimum amount to be able to provide our services.
This amount is NOT always the dollar amount listed in the menu description, sometimes it is the percent.
MOST of our services are charged at 100% of the estimate we send or MORE if you should go over the estimated number of people to serve.
SOMETIMES we use the listed percent for fundraisers or The Short Stack.
It all comes down to how many people you have to serve.
For that reason we list all MINIMUM FOOD CHARGES on the quote that we send. Please ask and we’ll be happy to point it out ahead of time if you have any questions at all.
Every event has a minimum food charge. Your quote will show one of these options:
- $895 or 50% of the estimated food charges (whichever is greater)
- $895 or 80% of the estimated food charges (whichever is greater)
- $895 or 100% of the estimated food charges (whichever is greater)
- $995 or 100% of the estimated food charges (whichever is greater)
How the minimum works (simple version): We look at the total of your per-plate charges.
- If that total is less than the minimum listed on your quote → you pay the minimum.
- If that total is more than the minimum → you pay for the actual number of plates served × the quoted per-plate price.
Other important details:
- Ala carte items are always charged at 100% of the quoted price (or by the plate if you go over).
- Mileage, tax, and any other fees are not included in the minimum food charge — these are added on top.
Please contact our office before your event if you have any questions about the minimum charge. We can tell you the exact dollar amount based on the details you gave us. We cannot change or adjust the minimum after the event has taken place.
Chris Cakes of Saint Louis is located at 3031 Telegraph Road, St Louis, MO 63125. We operate a mobile catering business and conform to all rules set forth by the Missouri Dept of Health that concern our business. If any other licenses, fees, or permits are needed for your event, it is your responsibility to obtain and pay for these items. We will need to be notified if your event needs a temporary health permit. The fees range anywhere from $35 to $150 depending on your locale. We will happily handle acquiring a temporary permit for your event for the food we serve if we are notified with enough notice (14 days generally) and it is required. Most events are covered under our in house health permit and won’t need a temporary permit.
Certain parks and areas around St. Louis have fees associated with their use. This will be passed on to you and noted prior to your event. We never mark these up, we simply pass the cost through.
All of our equipment should be assumed hot. Some even say our Event Specialists are the hottest thing about us!
Our grills are propane powered. If you need an electric grill for your event please let us know as soon as possible as there are many more parameters that must be met to use the electric griddle. We will happily discuss those with you prior to your event.
Our pancake grills are propane powered, don’t smoke (it’s not healthy anyway) and have been successfully used indoors since 1969. If you would like more information about the grills or need electric grill information just ask, we are always happy to help!
If you are working with facility engineers please ask us for an onsite tour. We can bring a grill out and show them what we are working with and the various options available.
Weather, Traffic, Car Accidents and Mechanical Breakdown are all things that can and do happen. We do our best to leave early, find a way or send a back up when possible however sometimes the worst happens and we miss an event. We have missed 2 since 2004. We conduct nearly 1000 events a year so the odds of us missing are low. Depending on the circumstances we will work with you to schedule a make up date. Sometimes that is not an option. Please note Chris Cakes STL, LLC is not responsible for any monetary damages associated with a missed event.
DO-
-Call the office 314.398.3827
-Tell your server…then watch your email the next day. If no email call the office please.
-Book online
-Email pancakes@chriscakesstl.com
–Make sure you receive your next booking quote, otherwise you are NOT booked.
DON’T
Assume you are re-booked automatically.
Send carrier pigeons
Trust that we heard you in a conversation. (We don’t listen at home and you expect us to listen at work?!)
Send Smoke Signals
Hope that maybe we will show up, it’s better to call us to verify.
Visa, Mastercard, AMEX and Discover are all accepted. We also accept cash and checks.
Fundraisers paying with a credit card OR Invoiced will be charged an additional 2.5% as the listed price is for cash or check.
Any tax exempt events must provide an exempt letter before or with payment. If it is not available, tax will be collected. It can be refunded upon receipt of the letter.
If you notify us in advance we will, at our discretion, invoice your event. There are additional charges associated with that because quoted prices are for payment the day of the event. A PO number does not constitute payment and will be treated as an invoiced event.
Chris Cakes STL does operate 364 days a year, 24 hours a day. There is a mandatory surcharge of 20% added to all events that we cater for on any major holiday (including, but not limited to: Easter, Thanksgiving, New Year’s, and Fourth of July). Other holidays, including, but not limited to Labor Day, Memorial Day, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day, will have a mandatory surcharge of 15%. Personal events all have a mandatory gratuity of 20%. These surcharges will be mentioned before the event(s) take place and will be added directly to your invoice and stated as such.
We do reserve the right to decline any event on any given day or time. We will not work Christmas Day from 6pm Christmas Eve until 3 am 12/26 CST. This means your event could have an arrival of 3am and start around 5:30 the day after Christmas.
Fundraiser Deposit & Cancellation Policy
For events in all months except November and December:
- Weather or facility closed because of weather We will work with you to find a new date within 60 days so you can still use your deposit or cancellation fee. This depends on our availability. If we cannot find a date, or if you do not use the new date, the money is forfeited and considered abandoned.
- Cancellation for any other reason The deposit is forfeited and you will be charged the full minimum amount listed on your quote. We often book fundraisers a year in advance and turn down other events for your date. Once that happens, we cannot recover the lost time slot.
- Any cancellations under 48 hours in advance of the listed ARRIVAL time will result in us billing you for the minimum charges listed on the quote.
For November and December fundraisers only – you have two choices when booking:
Option 1: Book with a deposit The deposit is non-refundable. However, if you need to cancel, we will let you reschedule the event within 6 months and apply the deposit to the new date — but only if the cancellation is for one of these reasons:
- Weather
- Disease
- Building mechanical failure
- Other situations we have not listed (final decision is always up to Chris Cakes)
If the rescheduled date is later cancelled for any reason (including another reschedule), the money is forfeited completely.
Option 2: Book without a deposit If you cancel for any reason (including snow days or facility closures) after September 30th, we will invoice you for 100% of the minimum charge listed on your quote. There is no option to move the payment to a different event. That benefit is only available if you chose the deposit option above.
Important note We have limited openings for fundraisers. If we are already fully booked for fundraisers, we will do our best to offer you a different menu option instead.
Accurate Guest Estimates for Corporate & Fundraiser Catering
Please give us the most accurate guest count possible. As a leading St. Louis catering company specializing in onsite breakfast and corporate catering, we prepare and load equipment based solely on the number you provide. We do not know your specific crowd or situation in advance.
If you believe your employee appreciation event, corporate breakfast, or large gathering may need a second grill, please tell our office when you book. Most days we can send an additional grill and Event Specialist, though extra equipment carries a fee.
How we help you avoid extra charges We recommend spacing service in groups of about 50 people every 15 minutes. Each of our specially designed propane griddles can serve 200+ people per hour. If you expect higher volume than that, simply let us know so we can plan the right equipment. We routinely handle events of several thousand people — we just need accurate information so everything runs smoothly.
For events that naturally require a second grill (typically over 700 guests), we automatically send an extra grill and Event Specialist at no additional charge.
Some events don’t need an extra griddle just an extra Event Specialist. We know how to account for that too!
Tips for the best experience
- Fundraisers: Pre-selling tickets is the most cost-effective way to get a reliable headcount.
- Corporate appreciation events and company breakfasts: Tickets usually aren’t practical, so give us your best estimate. After your first event we track your history and can help refine future numbers.
- First-year events: We intentionally load a bit heavier to protect against unexpected turnout. You do not need to add that buffer into your estimate — our all-you-can-eat service often absorbs the difference.
Accurate numbers help us deliver the fast, high-quality, all-you-can-eat experience Chris Cakes is known for across the St. Louis area. When you’re ready to book your corporate catering or employee appreciation event, just give us a realistic count and we’ll take care of the rest.
Yes — as long as it is during one continuous sitting. We will keep serving you until you are full. In fact, we often enjoy watching guests try to eat 36 pancakes. Our national record is 72!
Important rules that apply to all-you-can-eat menus:
- If you leave and come back 2 hours later, we treat that as a second meal.
- If you share a meal with someone and then come back for more, or if you load a plate and feed two people from it, we will charge the event for the additional person(s) as if they had gone through the line themselves.
Not every menu is all-you-can-eat. Please check your quote carefully. If your event is not an all-you-can-eat menu, every time a person returns for seconds it will be billed as an additional plate to your organization.
We stay an appropriate amount of time to feed the people involved. Our office will work with you to determine that.
Maximum serve time without additional charges is 3hrs however most of our events are about 1.5hrs.
Additional hours can be arranged and cost extra.
Corporate Catering Shift work is always set up as multiple events with their own minimum charges.
Large Events that require multiple grills or are on a customer imposed time constraint may see charges for extra equipment and Event Specialists. This is up to the discretion of Chris Cakes to adequately serve your event.
Deposits & Cancellation Policy
Deposits Chris Cakes STL, LLC requires deposits on certain events. A deposit secures your date. Because we turn down other events once your date is held, all deposits are non-refundable at 60 days..
Corporate and Personal Event Deposits
- If you cancel more than 60 days before the event → we will refund the deposit less any credit card fees (usually 6%). Refunds may be issued by check to save you 3%.
- If you cancel within 60 days of the event → the deposit is forfeited.
We often accept bookings a year in advance and have usually already turned down other requests for your date by the 60-day mark. This 60-day rule does not apply to fundraisers (fundraisers have their own separate policy also in the FAQ).
Personal event deposits are treated as non-refundable once the 60-day window begins.
Cancellation Rules (When No Deposit Was Paid)
These rules apply only if no deposit was collected. If a deposit was paid, the deposit rules above take priority.
| Menu Type | Cancel This Long Before Arrival Time | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Pancakes and Sausage and Tang/OJ | 48 hours (to the minute) | No charge |
| Pancakes Sausage and Tang/OJ | Less than 48 hours | Charged the minimum food charge on your quote |
| All other menus | 7 full calendar days | No charge |
| All other menus | Less than 7 days | Charged 100% of the minimum food charges listed on quote |
| All Events over 500 people | 30 days | Must cancel at least 30 days out or pay 100% of the minimum food charge |
Weather note (Pancakes and Sausage only) The 48-hour minimum charge may be waived only in cases of extremely bad weather, and only at the sole discretion of the Chris Cakes office. We have missed only one event due to weather since 2004.
How to Cancel Properly
Call 314.398.3827 (our answering machine is on 24 hours a day) and leave a message. You will receive an email confirming we received your cancellation. If you do not receive the confirmation email, your event has not been cancelled. Emergency number: 314.498.1006.
If Chris Cakes Misses Your Event
If Chris Cakes STL, LLC fails to appear for any reason, our only financial responsibility is the return of any deposit that was applied to your account. We have no further liability.