Iowa State students and faculty members looking for a way to cater their next meeting or social gathering don’t have to travel far off campus.

“We do anything from university and alumni events to weddings and political events,” said Brent Stewart, assistant banquet manager.

Although the catering business is privately-owned, most of the events they cater are university affiliated, Stewart said. The majority of the catering takes place in the Memorial Union or the Scheman Building, but sometimes caterers travel to The Knoll and even Parks Library.

“We cater to a lot of university events, especially in the Memorial Union,” said George Freeney, liquor manager and senior in marketing.

The catering services offer a variety of foods, depending on the amount of money people want to spend.

“We serve foods from steak to a deli-style buffet,” Stewart said. “We have a price range of upper to lower scale.”

Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks also can be catered to an event, Freeney said

“We offer a variety of drinks at the MU,” he said.

Stewart said the Memorial Union catering services offer many advantages.

“Some things that we offer that other caterers don’t are nice facilities, a central location and a friendly staff,” Stewart said.

Freeney said the fact that they can serve large groups is another strong point.

“The size of our banquet halls are something other caterers don’t offer,” he said.

The catering services also offer students job opportunities.

“I like this job a lot because I get to choose my own hours,” said Jackie Skahill, junior in marketing. “I’m able to make my own work schedule. It’s also a great way to meet people.”

Freeney said the majority of the employees are students.

“I like this job because the pay is great,” he said. “On top of my regular salary, I get gratuities.”

For more information, interested persons can call 294-5732.