Catering & Food Guidelines | Student Center | SIU

All events or meetings held within the Student Center must use one of SIU's Approved Caterers or one of the Student Center's vendors.  Caterers must meet the food safety standards set by the Student Center.  Food items which require refrigeration or heating on site to ensure food quality must have a caterer present for the duration of the event. 

Talk with your Event Coordinator today about catering options! 

SIU Approved Caterers

The approved list of vendors is subject to change. Please contact the Assistant Director of Dining and Catering, Kelley Wilkins at 618/453-1136 if you have further questions about catering.

The Student Center requires Registered Student Organizations (RSOs), University Departments, and off-campus organizations to utilize the SIU Approved Caterer list for all catered events.

Not all caterers on SIU's Approved Caterers list can provide the services needed to host an event in the Student Center.  Prior to booking a caterer, it is the customer's responsibility to ensure the caterer can handle the capacity of the event. 

The full catering policy can be found below. 

Catering Policy PDF

Events/meetings with less than 75 attendees: Registered Student Organizations (RSOs), University departments, and off-campus organizations may bring small, pre-packaged food into the Student Center.

Events/meetings with more than 75 attendees: Registered Student Organizations (RSOs), University departments, and off-campus organizations may not bring small, pre-packaged food into the Student Center. Events/meetings must use a SIU Approved Caterer unless otherwise approved by Student Center Event Services.

Small, pre-packaged food includes food in manufacturer sealed, airtight containers or wrappers. No homemade items are allowed.

Examples of Small/Pre-Packaged Food

Small/Pre-packaged Food Policy PDF

Events wanting to have alcohol must read and abide by the Alcohol Liquor Management Policy for Southern Illinois University Carbondale. 

A few highlights are listed below:

• Vendors: All alcohol vendors are noted on the Approved Caterers list with (Licensed to serve Alcohol).
• Alcoholic Liquor Use Request Form: For events held in the Student Center, the Alcoholic Liquor Use Request Form will be completed with your Event Coordinator.  It is the responsibility of the organizer to ensure correct information is communicated to your Event Coordinator in a timely manner.  Approval of alcohol at an event is not guaranteed. 

General Terms and Conditions:

Prior to the sale or distribution of alcoholic liquor on the Carbondale campus or at SIUC-controlled events at other locations, the unit hosting the event (hereafter referred to as the “sponsoring unit” shall complete an Alcoholic Liquor Use Request form. The form must be completed and submitted to the Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance at least ten (10) business days before the start of the event. The sponsoring unit must receive written approval to sell or distribute alcohol prior to any such sale or distribution and shall abide by all rules, requirements, and restrictions in the law, Board or University policy, or as otherwise stated by the Chancellor (or designee).

The University reserves the right to withhold approval of possession, consumption, delivery, and sale or serving of alcoholic liquor from any event at any time and for any reason deemed appropriate by the University.

All sale or delivery of alcoholic liquor on the Carbondale campus or at events controlled by SIUC shall meet the following requirements:

1. Events where direct cash sales and/or service of alcoholic liquor occur must be catered by one of the approved campus vendors or by sponsoring unit in compliance with this Policy.
2. An off-campus vendor shall not conduct direct cash sales for alcoholic liquor on University property even if the vendor is a licensed caterer unless the vendor has been approved in writing by the Chancellor or designee.
3. Alcoholic liquor may only be sold, delivered, or served in campus facilities and is limited to public cultural, educational, entertainment, athletic, or social events. No alcoholic liquor shall be sold or served in violation of any laws, including but not limited to, selling or serving alcoholic liquor to individuals under 21 years of age.
4. Alcoholic liquor must be sold, served, and consumed in a physical setting that is conducive to control and reasonable privacy. Participants may not be permitted to remove alcoholic liquor from this setting.
5. Participants may not be permitted to bring or otherwise provide their own alcoholic liquor to any event, except as otherwise approved by the Chancellor (or designee).
6. The campus vendor, or sponsoring unit if a campus vendor is not being used, is responsible for ensuring that the sale or service of alcoholic liquor and the demeanor of the participants and their invited guests are in accordance with state law and University policies.
7. Prior to holding or advertising an event at which alcoholic liquors may be sold or served, the sponsor(s) or unit(s) planning the event shall obtain approval for the sale and/or serving of alcoholic liquors from the  Chancellor (or designee). See the Alcoholic Liquor Use Request. Each event requires approval; standing approvals are prohibited.
8. Events involving requests for the sale, delivery, or serving of alcoholic liquor must comply with all other requirements set forth in University policies regarding the use of University facilities.
9. The head of the sponsoring unit and/or other sponsor and the vendor (if applicable) are responsible for ensuring that the sale, serving, and consumption of alcoholic liquor remains in compliance with this Policy, and all other policies, laws, and regulations governing the sale or service of alcoholic liquor. The head of the sponsoring unit and/or other sponsor and the vendor (if applicable) are also responsible for ensuring that the demeanor of the participants and their invited guests at the event remain in compliance with University policy.
10. The following regulations apply to all events at which alcoholic liquors are sold or served:
    1. The events must be catered by one of the approved campus vendors or the sponsoring unit must have Basset-trained staff on-site to provide oversight and ensure compliance with all applicable laws, rules, regulations, and policies;
    2. The sponsoring unit of the event must demonstrate compliance with the factors set out in Board policy.
    3. The sale or service of alcohol liquors must be approved in writing in advance of the event by the Chancellor (or designee);
    4. The event must be hosted and/or controlled by a campus or university unit;
    5. The event must be closed in the sense that there are specific invitees or ticket holders or the location is otherwise separated or sectioned off from other areas of campus;
    6. The event must be conducted in a physical setting that is conducive to control and reasonable privacy; and
    7. The event must comply with all other requirements set forth by the Chancellor (or designee) in the approval and all other University policies, regulations, or rules governing the use of University facilities.
11. All events, sponsors, concession operators, and caterers who are authorized to sell alcoholic liquors at events held in buildings owned or controlled by the University must maintain dram shop liability insurance with a minimum of $1 million of coverage with the Board of Trustees named as an additional insured.
12. Non-alcoholic beverages must be available whenever alcohol is being sold or distributed in any way.
13. The University reserves the right for its staff, contractors, and representatives to refuse to provide or sell alcoholic liquors to any guest who appears to be intoxicated, inebriated, or impaired due to alcohol consumption and to require the guest to leave the property or premises.

The following time restrictions are the minimum standards for time restrictions at events where alcoholic liquor is sold or delivered. The Chancellor may approve or require alternate starting and/or ending times for the sale or delivery of alcoholic liquor at the event. The sponsoring unit may also end the sale or delivery sooner than required by the approval or this Policy. The sponsoring unit responsible for the event may not extend the sale or delivery of alcoholic liquor.

1. The sale or delivery of alcoholic liquor may not begin more than sixty (60) minutes prior to the scheduled start of any event.
2. For concerts and plays at the University, the sale or distribution of alcoholic liquor will terminate no later than forty-five (45) minutes prior to the scheduled end of the performance.
3. 3. For events conducted by Intercollegiate Athletics, the sale or distribution of alcoholic liquor may begin not more than ninety (90) minutes prior to the scheduled game time for men’s and women’s basketball games and not more than 3 hours before the scheduled game time for football games. For other events, the sale or delivery of alcoholic liquor may not begin more than sixty (60) minutes prior to the scheduled start of the event.
4. For all other events the following general rules will apply:
   1. If the event has a scheduled intermission, the sale or delivery of alcoholic liquor will terminate no later than thirty (30) minutes after the end of intermission or no later than forty-five (45) minutes prior to the end of the scheduled end of the event, whichever is later.
   2. If the event does not have a scheduled intermission, the sale or delivery of alcoholic liquor will terminate no later than forty-five (45) minutes prior to the end of the scheduled completion time.
   3. For private events, the sale or delivery of alcoholic liquor shall terminate no later than thirty (30) minutes prior to the scheduled end of the event.

Servers and bartenders hired by the University, approved food service contractors, and other University-approved vendors or contractors must meet all legally mandated Basset training standards prior to beginning work.

If you want to give your guests options within the Student Center, meal cards are the best solution! 

Each guest would receive a meal card to use at any of the eateries within the Student Center.  Mealtimes are dependent on Student Center hours, which can vary by semester(s). 

Review our meal card options below. 

Guarantee Cards

These cards can be set to any amount desired. This can be chosen based on the Marketplace/Subway/Starbucks pricing and determined by how many meals will be covered. Example: $20 a day for breakfast/lunch, $12 for lunch ONLY, $25 for lunch/dinner.

Guarantee cards are billed for the total amount assigned, not by the amount used per card. Cards will be paid in full by the contractual amount. Example: $25 per day, but guest only uses $18. Card will be billed at $25.  

Offset Cards

These cards are similar to the guarantee cards but are used as “extras” should a guarantee card be misplaced or a guarantee card holder runs out of money. We recommend a supervisor hold onto offset cards and only hand out as needed. We don’t charge for any of the offsets unless they are used. If they are used, it will be charged like the guarantee cards, in full by the contractual amount.

Inclining Balance Cards

These cards are used like credit cards. There is no limit to the amount and can/will add up quickly. Inclining balance cards are great for back ups when using guarantee cards or if you are hosting lunch for a campus visitor. We recommend inclining balance cards be assigned to a supervisor. If the inclining balance card is lost or not returned, we do charge a $50 lost fee. Should you lose the card, please contact us immediately so we can deactivate the card. 

Additional Information:

• Meal cards have a 5-business day MINIMUM advance notice requirement.
• Customers should provide a timeline of when meal cards will be used (i.e., breakfast at 7:00am, lunch at 12:00pm, etc.). This will help us prepare our staff so that lines may move faster.
• Some customers may qualify for tax exempt status. If you think you may, please ask!
• Meal cards are only redeemable in the Student Center. They may not be used at any other businesses or University Housing dining facilities.