Thank you for choosing Novo to celebrate such a monumental occasion!

We are thrilled to be considered for your special celebration! In 2024 we will be celebrating our 20th commencement season right alongside all of you. Over the years we have learned how to better provide a smooth experience for families who are looking for a special celebration. We do our best to accommodate your needs AND the needs of all of our other guests throughout the weekend. Before putting in your reservation request, please read all of the information below. Your agreement to these policies will be required to move forward with your booking request.

Keeping things Running on Time: Please make sure all guests are on time for your reservation. Novo allows 2 hours for all groups on graduation weekend. This timeline begins at the START TIME of your reservation as your table is reserved for another group 2 hours later. We will not be able to extend the time at the table for the guests that are late. Please allow ample travel time and time to find parking when requesting your reservation. It is not unusual for travel time from the LA area to take up to 8 hours with traffic during graduation weekend dates.
Adding Guests to your confirmed reservation: We will do our best to accommodate change requests to your guest count as we approach graduation. However, it is incredibly important to note that we cannot guarantee that we can accommodate more than the original reservation number. Additional guests who show up on the day of your reservation will likely not be able to be seated.
Large Party Information: Special Menus, Service Charges, Split checks
1. For Parties of 8-14 Guests: For parties of 8 or more there will be a 20% service charge added to your bill. This service charge will be distributed to the service team caring for your table. While we do not split checks, we will accept multiple forms of payment.
2. For 15 or More Guests: If your group has 15 guests or more you will be required to select a preset family-style menu for your group, as well a $300 non-refundable deposit that will go toward your final bill. Menu examples will be available to you during the booking process. If you have fewer than 15 people and are interested in a preset menu, please let us know and we will see if we can accommodate the request.
Decorations: We do not provide decorations for your table. If you would like to bring in decorations, please keep them to a minimum as we will be very busy. You will, in all likeliness, not have access to your table before you are seated.
1. Restricted Decor:
  - open flame candles (we have LED candles we put on all dinner service tables).
  - confetti or decorations that require significant clean up time.
Requests for Table Location: While it is typically our practice to do our best to accommodate table location requests, that is simply something we cannot adhere to for this unique weekend. We can not guarantee or take requests for table location, including any preferences for indoor or outdoor seating. We will not be able to guarantee where your table will be, as it will change several times throughout the planning process. Over the years, we have come to find that we need this flexibility on this particular weekend to make for a smooth service and provide the best experience for all of our guests. While most of our reservations are for our patio, we have some indoor dining. Your reservation coordinator will do their best to communicate when you will be booked at a table someplace other than on our patio.
**portions of our patio are NOT accessible by ramp. If you require ramp access to your table, please be sure to let your reservation coordinator know about that during the booking process.
In the event of inclement weather, the patio will be tented, or all parties will be moved indoors if indoor dining is applicable.
Corkage & Outside Dessert Fees: Please note that Novo has a corkage fee and a dessert service fee. Corkage is $20 per standard 750ml bottle, $40 for magnums. We can waive one corkage per bottle you purchase from Novo (on up to 3 bottles).
A dessert service fee of $5 per person will be added to your check if you choose to bring in an outside dessert to consume at Novo after your meal. This fee is charged regardless of whether it needs to be cut and plated or not. We will gladly do full cake service for you if needed.
***If you do bring in a dessert please label it with your first and last name, the time of your reservation, as well as the graduate's name. Along with refrigeration instructions.
Cancellation Policy
On all major holiday weekends we activate a cancellation policy, and commencement weekend is no different. The purpose of the policy is to give us access to accurate information needed to pull off the busiest weekend of the year. To be clear, we never like to charge a cancellation fee, however in the last few years we have experienced an overwhelming number of last minute cancellations, 'no shows', or large reduction in guest count without adequate notice (due to reservation hoarding), so we have needed to adapt to the changing behaviors. For this, we will require a credit card to hold your reservation, and we will assess a $25 per person non-refundable cancellation/no show fee.
This fee will automatically be charged to your credit card under any of the following circumstances:
- You cancel within SEVEN (7) DAYS of your reservation.
- You arrive with fewer guests than reserved for (for example you reserve for 14 guests but only 10 show up. A $25 per person fee will be assessed for the 4 missing guests).
- You do not show up for your reservation.
In short, it is very easy to avoid this fee. Be realistic and honest with your guest count and communicate with us as soon as you know if something changes.
This is the busiest weekend of the year in San Luis Obispo and there are many families left without a place to celebrate. This cancellation policy helps us accommodate those families.

Thank you, in advance for your understanding!

Please fill out the below form to submit a reservation request for June.

Name

First Name

Last Name

Email

Phone

(###)

###

####

Number of People in Your Party

If your group has 15 guests or more you will be required to select a preset family-style menu for your group, as well a $300 non-refundable deposit that will go toward your final bill. If you have fewer than 15 people and are interested in a preset menu, please let us know and we will see if we can accommodate the request.

By agreeing with the Reservation Agreement, you adhere to our policies and procedures listed above.

I agree

By agreeing with the Cancellation Agreement, you agree to our cancellation policy listed above. In the case of breaching this agreement, you agree to pay $25 per person.

I agree

Graduation You're Attending

Graduate's Name

We only ask for this to help ensure that guests who arrive separately can find the rest of their party. Someone may not know the name the reservation is under, but they will know the graduates name.

First Name

Last Name

Does your party require ramp access?

Yes, my party requires ramp access.

No, my party doesn't require ramp access.

First Preferred Reservation Date and Time

Each ceremony will last approximately 90 minutes. The College of Architecture and Environmental Design ceremony will be slightly shorter in duration. The College of Engineering ceremony will be slightly longer in duration. However, please plan extra time to allow for parking and traffic. Your reservation request should be for no less than 2 hours following your ceremony.

Second Preferred Reservation Date and Time

Third Preferred Reservation Date and Time

Parking in San Luis Obispo

Please note that during this time, parking can be difficult. So please allot enough time for you to park and walk over.

San Luis Obispo has both street parking and parking structures available. For more information, click here.

Graduation 2024

June 14th-16th, 2024

Thank you for choosing Novo to celebrate such a monumental occasion!

Cancellation Policy

Parking in San Luis Obispo