FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. Can we preview your group menus and prices?
A. Yes. Our Banquet Packet can be downloaded as a PDF here or from the 'Banquets/Request For Proposal' page of this website.
Q. What is your capacity for private parties?
A. Our upstairs banquet rooms have different max capacities, please give us a call to inquire. There is room upstairs for a dance floor and DJ station. The rooms have sliding glass door partitions on either side of the central foyer.
Q. What are your room rental fees and minimums?
A. We do not charge room rental fees. We have food and beverage spending minimums in place and the Group Sales Coordinator will give you the most current minimum for your specific date and time. For a full restaurant buy-out, we have a $2,000 closure fee as well as a minimum. We charge a ceremony and reception fee for set-up and services specific to weddings. The ceremony fee starts at $1000 and Reception Fee is $20 per person . Linen and cake service are also included in our reception fee. Our fee for a dance floor is $600.
Q. Can the deck or pier be reserved?
A. Our deck can only be reserved in the event of a full restaurant buy-out. The pier is public and we cannot close it. In warmer months there is a lot of boating activity that would interfere with an event on the pier. The narrow width of the pier makes it unsuitable for wedding ceremonies, but it is a great place for photos.
Q. Can we arrive by boat?
A. Yes, one of the unique advantages to hosting an event at Riva Grill is the ability to make your grand entrance on a wooden boat or charter a larger yacht, catamaran or paddle wheeler and enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail cruise on the lake. The Ski Run Marina boat valet will assist and bring you and your guests in a water taxi to our restaurant. Please contact Ski Run Marina in advance to coordinate. It is a seasonal service; make sure they will be operating on the date of your event.
Q. Do you have facilities for outdoor ceremonies?
A. Yes, we do offer beach wedding ceremonies, located right in front of our restaurant, with a spectacular view of Lake Tahoe surrounded by the mountains, allowing the perfect backdrop for your wedding photos.
Q. Is alcohol allowed on the beach?
A. No, our liquor license does not permit alcoholic beverages to be taken off premise (outside of the restaurant or deck).
Q. What is the cost to buy-out the restaurant?
A. Buy-out minimums are established based on the sales history for the entire restaurant specific to the date, and for the time-frame we are closed to the public. This includes the set-up time. (Non-peak dates and times of year are going to have significantly lower minimums than summer weekend dates.)
Q. How much is the deposit required to secure a date?
A. 25% of the estimate of charges. As a courtesy, we can tentatively hold a date without a deposit and offer you first right of refusal if another party is interested in booking the same date. We will only hold the date for 24 hours at that point.
Q. What is the deposit schedule?
A. A total of three deposits are due; 25% upon booking, 25% 60 days prior to the date, and 25% 30 days prior to the date. At least 75% of the estimate is due in advance.
Q. Can I get an estimate of total charges?
A. Yes, we are happy to provide an estimate if we know some of the details of what you are planning to host.
Q. How is the beverage tab handled?
A. All beverages are billed on consumption. You may host a full bar with no restrictions or establish limits to the hosted tab. If your event has a minimum, you will want to make sure the minimum has been met before closing the beverage tab. If you are hosting wines by the bottle, please select the wines in advance so we have plenty of inventory on hand and the wine readily available for you upon arrival.
Q. Do you have a bar upstairs?
A. Yes. We certainly offer an event bartender for your private event. If larger than 50 guests we do not charge any extra fee. We also keep your pre-selected wines upstairs and suggest tray passing wine or our signature drink, the Wet Woody, upon arrival to expedite the first round (in combination with cocktail service provided by our servers). Your guests will not need to go downstairs for drinks and we provide plenty of staff to maintain prompt and seamless beverage service.
Q. Do you offer menu tastings?
A. Due to the volume of events we host, we are not able to offer traditional tastings. We invite you to dine with us prior to the event and order off the regular dinner menu, (which differs somewhat from the banquet menu); however all of the food is prepared by the same chef, so this is meant to give you an idea of the quality of the food. We are happy to offer tastings of our house wines and any wines served by the glass.
Q. Do you have a bride's room?
A. No, we are limited on space and ask that you arrive ready. The bridal party is welcome to wait in the reception room or in the downstairs bar prior to the start of the ceremony.
Q. Do you have A/V equipment?
A. We have a microphone system and a projection screen. Each item has a $100 A/V fee and we recommend Audio Visual companies for a projector in our Banquet Packet. You may bring in a portable bluetooth speaker to use in the room, but we do not recommend replacing the professional services of a DJ with music from an electronic playlist. We do not have a portable sound system for outdoor ceremonies.
Q. Can we have live music or a DJ at our event?
A. Yes, musicians, bands and DJ's are welcome. We do have an elevator for those vendors to use.
Q. How early can our vendors arrive and how early can we access the room?
A. Vendors should contact us in advance to determine the best time to arrive. The rooms may be booked or otherwise used for public dining prior to your event and cannot be guaranteed to be accessible more than 1-1/2 hours prior to your start time.
Q. How long can we have the room?
A. We are a full service restaurant/bar and open late so there is no restriction to the number of hours for an evening event, although we require daytime events to vacate in time for evening bookings with 2 hours in between.
Q. Do you provide linen and centerpieces?
A. Linen is included in the reception fee or available to non-wedding groups for $10 per linen. For a more rustic look, tables may be left uncovered in their natural, wood finish. We provide tall, clear hurricane oil candles with silver bases as centerpieces or you are welcome to bring in floral arrangements, votive candles or other table decor as long as it can be set up within our time constraints.
Q. How much decorating can we do?
A. Room decor should be kept to a minimum due to the limited amount of time available to set-up. Our upstairs rooms have beautiful, contemporary decor with open beam ceilings, as well as a stunning lake view, so extensive decorating is not usually necessary. Care must also be given not to affix tacks, nails or tape to the wood finishes.
Q. Can we bring our own wine or liquor?
A. No, all alcohol must be purchased through the restaurant. We are sometimes able to special order wines or bottled beers that we do not carry as long as you commit to the number of cases that you have us order. Prices will be set at cost plus our regular restaurant mark-up. If you have a special bottle or two of wine or champagne that you have saved for your big day, you are welcome to bring it with payment of our corkage fee ($30 per bottle).
Q. Can we bring in an outside caterer?
A. No, food must be prepared by our kitchen.*
Q. Do you make wedding cakes?
A. No. *Wedding cakes are the only exception to the above policy. Our reception fee includes cake service and for non-wedding events with outside cakes such as birthdays and anniversaries, we charge a $5.00 per person cake fee to allow the outside dessert to be brought into the restaurant.
Q. Can your chef accommodate vegetarian requests or other dietary restrictions that our guests may have?
A. Yes, our chef has daily vegetarian options that are verbally communicated by servers to guests that inquire. Our chef and cooks are also very accommodating with requests pertaining to dietary allergies and restrictions. Please provide any known dietary needs to us in advance, if possible.
Q. Are we able to rehearse before the wedding?
A. Yes, rehearsals on the beach are fine on the day before weddings, but we ask that you make an appointment and allow us to make sure there will not be a conflict at your desired rehearsal time. Note: The beach where we hold ceremonies is not a private beach. However, we do our best to clear your ceremony spot by putting out signs in advance to alert the public and politely asking them to move to the other side of the beach. Usually the public is very understanding and respectful.
Q. Are you able to store our cake or flowers in your refrigerator?
A. Generally, no. We have very limited walk-in refrigerator space and cannot store anything more than the smallest cake or floral pieces. Anything we do store is at your own risk.
Q. Do you have air conditioning?
A. No, as is typical in our area, Riva Grill does not have A/C. We have many large sliding doors and windows and enjoy a nice breeze off the lake on most summer evenings.
Q. What is your inclement weather plan if we have an outdoor ceremony planned?
A. We can move ceremonies inside to our upstairs foyer (with a beautiful lake backdrop) or into your banquet room if you have only booked one side. We will quickly re-set the space for your reception following the ceremony.
Q. Are we limited to the vendors on your list?
A. No, you are not held to our vendor list, but the list includes local professionals that we recommend.
Q. When is the final menu and wine order due?
A. Final menu details and your wine order are due 7 to 10 days prior to the event.
Q. Do you need advance menu selections from our guests?
A. No, our servers will take orders on-site and our chef is prepared for any combination of orders that may come in.
Q. Can our guests order from the full menu?
A. The chef requests that parties of 20 or more select a banquet menu. Small parties of 20 or less have the option to order off the full menu.
Q. For plated meals, how many entrée choices will our guests have and will you print our menu?
A. Your menu can have three entrée choices. At the bottom of the menu we add "Vegetarian Option Available" in addition to the choices described. We print custom menus for each event with a menu heading of your choice on card stock paper. For buffets, we print buffet signs to label the food.
Q. Do you offer a children's menu?
A, Yes, children under 10 may order from our children's menu with a large selection of kid's favorites priced at $15.00. For buffets, children under 10 are charged half price.
Q. When is the final guaranteed guest count due?
A. Seven days out. At that time, please provide us with the number of adults, children under 10, and vendors that will be served a meal. We will then send you a final Event Order for your approval and signature. This needs to be returned to us prior to the event.
Q. What percent above the guaranteed guest count are you able to accommodate?
A. Typically 5%. You will be billed for the guarantee or the actual number of guests if it exceeds the guarantee.
Q. How is final billing handled?
A. Final payment is required at the conclusion of the event. We will provide an itemized bill as soon as the beverage tab is closed. The deposit credit will be reflected. 22% service charge and the current tax rate will be added to the sub-total of your bill. Final payment can be arranged in advance with a signed credit card authorization form on file or payment can be made in person by credit card or cash. We do not accept checks for the final bill.
Q. When can we pick up any leftover items?
A. Anything left behind may be picked up the next morning prior to lunch or the start of any scheduled events.
A. Yes. Our Banquet Packet can be downloaded as a PDF here or from the 'Banquets/Request For Proposal' page of this website.
Q. What is your capacity for private parties?
A. Our upstairs banquet rooms have different max capacities, please give us a call to inquire. There is room upstairs for a dance floor and DJ station. The rooms have sliding glass door partitions on either side of the central foyer.
Q. What are your room rental fees and minimums?
A. We do not charge room rental fees. We have food and beverage spending minimums in place and the Group Sales Coordinator will give you the most current minimum for your specific date and time. For a full restaurant buy-out, we have a $2,000 closure fee as well as a minimum. We charge a ceremony and reception fee for set-up and services specific to weddings. The ceremony fee starts at $1000 and Reception Fee is $20 per person . Linen and cake service are also included in our reception fee. Our fee for a dance floor is $600.
Q. Can the deck or pier be reserved?
A. Our deck can only be reserved in the event of a full restaurant buy-out. The pier is public and we cannot close it. In warmer months there is a lot of boating activity that would interfere with an event on the pier. The narrow width of the pier makes it unsuitable for wedding ceremonies, but it is a great place for photos.
Q. Can we arrive by boat?
A. Yes, one of the unique advantages to hosting an event at Riva Grill is the ability to make your grand entrance on a wooden boat or charter a larger yacht, catamaran or paddle wheeler and enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail cruise on the lake. The Ski Run Marina boat valet will assist and bring you and your guests in a water taxi to our restaurant. Please contact Ski Run Marina in advance to coordinate. It is a seasonal service; make sure they will be operating on the date of your event.
Q. Do you have facilities for outdoor ceremonies?
A. Yes, we do offer beach wedding ceremonies, located right in front of our restaurant, with a spectacular view of Lake Tahoe surrounded by the mountains, allowing the perfect backdrop for your wedding photos.
Q. Is alcohol allowed on the beach?
A. No, our liquor license does not permit alcoholic beverages to be taken off premise (outside of the restaurant or deck).
Q. What is the cost to buy-out the restaurant?
A. Buy-out minimums are established based on the sales history for the entire restaurant specific to the date, and for the time-frame we are closed to the public. This includes the set-up time. (Non-peak dates and times of year are going to have significantly lower minimums than summer weekend dates.)
Q. How much is the deposit required to secure a date?
A. 25% of the estimate of charges. As a courtesy, we can tentatively hold a date without a deposit and offer you first right of refusal if another party is interested in booking the same date. We will only hold the date for 24 hours at that point.
Q. What is the deposit schedule?
A. A total of three deposits are due; 25% upon booking, 25% 60 days prior to the date, and 25% 30 days prior to the date. At least 75% of the estimate is due in advance.
Q. Can I get an estimate of total charges?
A. Yes, we are happy to provide an estimate if we know some of the details of what you are planning to host.
Q. How is the beverage tab handled?
A. All beverages are billed on consumption. You may host a full bar with no restrictions or establish limits to the hosted tab. If your event has a minimum, you will want to make sure the minimum has been met before closing the beverage tab. If you are hosting wines by the bottle, please select the wines in advance so we have plenty of inventory on hand and the wine readily available for you upon arrival.
Q. Do you have a bar upstairs?
A. Yes. We certainly offer an event bartender for your private event. If larger than 50 guests we do not charge any extra fee. We also keep your pre-selected wines upstairs and suggest tray passing wine or our signature drink, the Wet Woody, upon arrival to expedite the first round (in combination with cocktail service provided by our servers). Your guests will not need to go downstairs for drinks and we provide plenty of staff to maintain prompt and seamless beverage service.
Q. Do you offer menu tastings?
A. Due to the volume of events we host, we are not able to offer traditional tastings. We invite you to dine with us prior to the event and order off the regular dinner menu, (which differs somewhat from the banquet menu); however all of the food is prepared by the same chef, so this is meant to give you an idea of the quality of the food. We are happy to offer tastings of our house wines and any wines served by the glass.
Q. Do you have a bride's room?
A. No, we are limited on space and ask that you arrive ready. The bridal party is welcome to wait in the reception room or in the downstairs bar prior to the start of the ceremony.
Q. Do you have A/V equipment?
A. We have a microphone system and a projection screen. Each item has a $100 A/V fee and we recommend Audio Visual companies for a projector in our Banquet Packet. You may bring in a portable bluetooth speaker to use in the room, but we do not recommend replacing the professional services of a DJ with music from an electronic playlist. We do not have a portable sound system for outdoor ceremonies.
Q. Can we have live music or a DJ at our event?
A. Yes, musicians, bands and DJ's are welcome. We do have an elevator for those vendors to use.
Q. How early can our vendors arrive and how early can we access the room?
A. Vendors should contact us in advance to determine the best time to arrive. The rooms may be booked or otherwise used for public dining prior to your event and cannot be guaranteed to be accessible more than 1-1/2 hours prior to your start time.
Q. How long can we have the room?
A. We are a full service restaurant/bar and open late so there is no restriction to the number of hours for an evening event, although we require daytime events to vacate in time for evening bookings with 2 hours in between.
Q. Do you provide linen and centerpieces?
A. Linen is included in the reception fee or available to non-wedding groups for $10 per linen. For a more rustic look, tables may be left uncovered in their natural, wood finish. We provide tall, clear hurricane oil candles with silver bases as centerpieces or you are welcome to bring in floral arrangements, votive candles or other table decor as long as it can be set up within our time constraints.
Q. How much decorating can we do?
A. Room decor should be kept to a minimum due to the limited amount of time available to set-up. Our upstairs rooms have beautiful, contemporary decor with open beam ceilings, as well as a stunning lake view, so extensive decorating is not usually necessary. Care must also be given not to affix tacks, nails or tape to the wood finishes.
Q. Can we bring our own wine or liquor?
A. No, all alcohol must be purchased through the restaurant. We are sometimes able to special order wines or bottled beers that we do not carry as long as you commit to the number of cases that you have us order. Prices will be set at cost plus our regular restaurant mark-up. If you have a special bottle or two of wine or champagne that you have saved for your big day, you are welcome to bring it with payment of our corkage fee ($30 per bottle).
Q. Can we bring in an outside caterer?
A. No, food must be prepared by our kitchen.*
Q. Do you make wedding cakes?
A. No. *Wedding cakes are the only exception to the above policy. Our reception fee includes cake service and for non-wedding events with outside cakes such as birthdays and anniversaries, we charge a $5.00 per person cake fee to allow the outside dessert to be brought into the restaurant.
Q. Can your chef accommodate vegetarian requests or other dietary restrictions that our guests may have?
A. Yes, our chef has daily vegetarian options that are verbally communicated by servers to guests that inquire. Our chef and cooks are also very accommodating with requests pertaining to dietary allergies and restrictions. Please provide any known dietary needs to us in advance, if possible.
Q. Are we able to rehearse before the wedding?
A. Yes, rehearsals on the beach are fine on the day before weddings, but we ask that you make an appointment and allow us to make sure there will not be a conflict at your desired rehearsal time. Note: The beach where we hold ceremonies is not a private beach. However, we do our best to clear your ceremony spot by putting out signs in advance to alert the public and politely asking them to move to the other side of the beach. Usually the public is very understanding and respectful.
Q. Are you able to store our cake or flowers in your refrigerator?
A. Generally, no. We have very limited walk-in refrigerator space and cannot store anything more than the smallest cake or floral pieces. Anything we do store is at your own risk.
Q. Do you have air conditioning?
A. No, as is typical in our area, Riva Grill does not have A/C. We have many large sliding doors and windows and enjoy a nice breeze off the lake on most summer evenings.
Q. What is your inclement weather plan if we have an outdoor ceremony planned?
A. We can move ceremonies inside to our upstairs foyer (with a beautiful lake backdrop) or into your banquet room if you have only booked one side. We will quickly re-set the space for your reception following the ceremony.
Q. Are we limited to the vendors on your list?
A. No, you are not held to our vendor list, but the list includes local professionals that we recommend.
Q. When is the final menu and wine order due?
A. Final menu details and your wine order are due 7 to 10 days prior to the event.
Q. Do you need advance menu selections from our guests?
A. No, our servers will take orders on-site and our chef is prepared for any combination of orders that may come in.
Q. Can our guests order from the full menu?
A. The chef requests that parties of 20 or more select a banquet menu. Small parties of 20 or less have the option to order off the full menu.
Q. For plated meals, how many entrée choices will our guests have and will you print our menu?
A. Your menu can have three entrée choices. At the bottom of the menu we add "Vegetarian Option Available" in addition to the choices described. We print custom menus for each event with a menu heading of your choice on card stock paper. For buffets, we print buffet signs to label the food.
Q. Do you offer a children's menu?
A, Yes, children under 10 may order from our children's menu with a large selection of kid's favorites priced at $15.00. For buffets, children under 10 are charged half price.
Q. When is the final guaranteed guest count due?
A. Seven days out. At that time, please provide us with the number of adults, children under 10, and vendors that will be served a meal. We will then send you a final Event Order for your approval and signature. This needs to be returned to us prior to the event.
Q. What percent above the guaranteed guest count are you able to accommodate?
A. Typically 5%. You will be billed for the guarantee or the actual number of guests if it exceeds the guarantee.
Q. How is final billing handled?
A. Final payment is required at the conclusion of the event. We will provide an itemized bill as soon as the beverage tab is closed. The deposit credit will be reflected. 22% service charge and the current tax rate will be added to the sub-total of your bill. Final payment can be arranged in advance with a signed credit card authorization form on file or payment can be made in person by credit card or cash. We do not accept checks for the final bill.
Q. When can we pick up any leftover items?
A. Anything left behind may be picked up the next morning prior to lunch or the start of any scheduled events.