Preferred Vendors

Caterers

Your caterer will truly be the backbone of your event. The catering team will:

Place linens on your tables and arrange your place settings
Serve your food
Break down the space per The Rickhouse’s policies
Ensure the space is clean prior to leaving

Below we have highlighted several of our preferred caterers that will absolutely make your event special. Please contact them directly to check their availability and they will assist you in building a menu perfect for your occasion. You may also view our List of Preferred Caterers HERE.

Please Note: If your event is within the next 6 weeks, please contact us via your HoneyBook portal and we are available to assist you with booking your caterer.

AC Events

The Catering Company of Chapel Hill

Donovan’s Dish

HL Catering

Lime & Lemon

Mediterranean Deli

Mitchell Casteel

Rocky Top Catering

Sage & Swift

Southern Harvest Hospitality Group

Under the Oak

Is catering out of your budget? For weekday events only, not including Friday, you may bring in outside food of your choice in addition to a $400 cleaning fee. Without a caterer, please be prepared to complete all event set up prior to the event time via a planning team or an event planner. This would include:

● providing all disposable plates, cutlery, and cups needed for the event

● providing all serving plates, bowls, trays, and utensils

● placing centerpieces on tables

● setting up all other personal decor items

● setting up and serving all food

● bussing and disposing of trash during the event

Please note that renting china and glassware are not allowed when adding this additional cleaning fee and that you would be responsible to provide all disposables for your food and beverages. Adding china and glassware rentals may be considered with the addition of hiring staffing through Top Off Events.

The Rickhouse will have all tables and chairs preset per your floor plan and your linens will be placed on your tables prior to your arrival. You will not be required to breakdown tables and chairs at the end of the night. The additional cleaning fee will cover this setup as well as the deep cleaning of our floors post-event.

All food will need to be prepped and ready to serve. You will also have access to towels for any spills, trash cans, trash bags, a broom & dust pan, and a mop & mop bucket for your event.

Please reach out to your event lead via your HoneyBook portal to inform them that you would like to go with this catering option.

Desserts and Finger Food

Florists

Now that you have booked your caterer, created your floor plan, and reserved your rentals, you are now able to receive an accurate floral estimate! Below we have highlighted several of our preferred florists that will ensure your event has those final decor touches. Please contact them directly to check their availability and they will assist you in creating a quote for your occasion.

The Catering Company of Chapel Hill also offers full service planning where they not only handle your food and beverage needs, but may include rentals, decorations, layout, linens, florals, and more. Your event planner will create a custom proposal for your event to suit your budget requirements and individual preferences and will manage your affair throughout your planning process. Please contact them via their provided links in order to receive more information and availability.

Is a florist out of your budget? You are more than welcome to provide any centerpieces and florals yourselves. On the day of the event, The Rickhouse will have your tables in place per your floor plan and linens on your tables. It will be your responsibility to ensure these centerpieces are set up and placed on the correct tables. Please remember that all florals will need to be taken at the conclusion of the event.

Hotels

A huge benefit of hosting your event at The Rickhouse is our downtown location! You and your guests are a short walk from neighboring hotels and surrounded by post-event activities. The following hotels do not offer shuttle services, however group room rates are available! Please call them directly to set up a room block.

The Durham Hotel (0.4 miles away)
Durham Marriott City Center (0.4 miles away)
21c Museum Hotel (0.4 miles away)
Aloft Durham Downtown (0.8 miles away)
The Lodge at Duke Medical Center (2.7 miles away)
The Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club (3.3 miles away)

Transportation

If you would like to provide transportation for your guests, below are several preferred transportation companies that offer a variety of vehicles for your event needs. You may view their fleet options showing passenger capacities via their websites. Please contact them directly for availability and initial quotes.

Carolina Livery | White Horse | EcoStyle | Carolina Classic Car Rentals

If a professional transportation company is out of your budget, no worries as The Rickhouse is only a short walk, scooter ride, or Uber ride away from our preferred hotels! Attendees could book their own rides through the Uber app or maybe their Voucher Feature could be a great fit for you and your guests. Lyft has a similar feature called Lyft Pass for organizations as well!

Valet services may also be added to your event for an additional fee. If you would like to inquire about adding valet services, please contact your event lead via your HoneyBook portal.

Specialty Rentals

Whether you’re hosting a conference, a team building exercise, or an awesome party, these specialty rental companies can provide all kinds of rentals, from vintage & unique to modern & sleek furniture and decor. These specialty rentals can take your corporate event to the next level and transform our space into an unforgettable experience for your guests.

Get Lit Event Lighting | Greenhouse Picker Sisters | Themeworks | Paisley & Jade

Chalk Artists

Our 8’ x 8’ magnetic chalk board is a perfect place for a grand display! We have seen lots of creative uses from magnetic art to banners to custom chalk artwork.

If you would like to create your own custom chalk work, our chalkboard requires standard dust chalk. Chalk markers are not allowed.

Becca Fowler Designs | Marika Wendelken | Rachel Writes

Photography

Capture the story of your event and get the most out of your photography by having it specifically represent your company’s style and brand. Ensure you’re working with a photographer that can capture imagery that represents your company’s culture.

Jeffrey Lynn Media | Michelle Dawn Photography | RTP.Studio | Dana Hurley Photography | In His Image Photography

Photo Booths & More

Companies designed to capture special moments and turn them into lasting memories. Whether you want instant prints or an all-digital experience, a photo booth can add excitement to any event! But the fun doesn’t have to stop there. Provide your guests with another unique take away - a custom, on-demand poem typed on a vintage typewriter from a giant fox.

Music & Sound

While a coworker can provide an iPod playlist over our Sonos system, our system is unfortunately not great for large socials and dance parties. A DJ or band will pace your event and initiate transitions such as when it is time to eat, a program, maybe toasts, or if it’s time to dance, and can adjust the energy level and atmosphere based on the event's needs in real time. You may even hire a technician through Absolute AV to run any equipment you intend to provide or to manage their own equipment for the duration of the event. A DJ or technician would be a huge benefit for panel style presentations so that they can coordinate multiple microphones at once for all speakers.

For Bands: A stage is not required. Shown below is a detailed Electric Map of The Rickhouse. Please contact your event lead via your HoneyBook portal for a shareable copy that you may forward to your necessary vendors. Each vendor will need to bring their own extension cords and gaff tape (duct tape, painters tape, etc. are NOT allowed and will cause damage to our floors that you will be responsible for). Parking for large trucks will need to be day-of decision made by the event lead due to downtown traffic, events, and construction. Please notify your event lead of any and all large vehicles so that they may plan accordingly for your event’s load-in.