The North Branch Café: Space Reservation and Protocols

The North Branch Café was created as a community space. The Library room was designed to allow small groups to gather for work or for personal enjoyment. The entire Café can also be reserved for larger groups. It has become important to identify some consistent policies for reserving the space. Each space may be used for a flat fee, through the purchase of food/beverages by attendees or a combination of both (see below).

Educational, Artistic, Social or Non-Profit Presentation

Any educational or non-profit organization, artistic group or personal party/gathering may reserve either The Library or a designated space in the front of the Café. For events that are open to the public, we will post any educational or cultural events on our calendars (Website and Facebook). If you supply us with a poster, we will post as an in-house event.

For-Profit/Sales Gathering

Any for-profit entity may reserve The Library and be contained in that space for their event. If the event involves any sale of merchandise or a service, the event may not branch into the regular customer space or invite regular customers into the space. A sign may be placed on the door leading to The Library notifying the public of the event. The entire café may also be reserved for these events. For sales events where an item or a service is being sold to attendees, we will not post these on our calendars. The entity reserving the space is expected to bring in their own attendees.

Food, Dessert and Beverages

It is expected that attendees will purchase food and/or beverages from The North Branch Café. No food or drink may be brought into the café for the event. We are only authorized by the Vermont Health Department to allow food/beverages that are prepared in our certified kitchen. There may be some exceptions but generally there is no option to bring in food/beverages. All alcoholic beverages must be purchased from the Café with no exceptions. Our catering platters may require a two week advance purchase of food items.

The Library is available to be reserved for 6 -15 people. The minimum rental of The Library is $90 per hour. It is requested that all attendees purchase food or beverages from the Café. If food is not part of the plan, there is a fee of $110 per hour for the space. If some attendees buy food or beverage, that can be applied to the fee. There is also the option for food platters and beverages being paid by one entity.

The Full Café is also available for larger parties or gatherings (maximum 50 guests at one time). The rate for use of the entire space is $360 per hour, either in catered platters and beverages or as a flat fee. This rate does not include Vermont State Tax and tip. A minimum 15-20% service fee is added at the event, if more is elected, the option will be available. Catering platters may be prepared for 12+ people and will create beautiful as well as delicious food for your event.

Event Liaison

For parties and other events where alcohol will be consumed, we request at least one person in your group who is designated as an incident liaison. In the event that any alcohol related behaviors or incidents arise that are of concern to The North Branch Café staff, we would address these concerns with the liaison. This arrangement is intended to minimize any awkwardness with guests of the event while protecting the safety and interests of both the café and the café guests. If no other person is designated, the organizer of the event will assume this responsibility.