
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, March 7, 1992                   TAG: 9203070088
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

AT LEAST THERE'S NO CONFUSION ABOUT CATERING POLICIES

Not all relationships between Virginia Tech and the local merchants are confusing. At least one food fight appears to have been averted - catering.

"As far as catering goes, we've done two things," explained Ray Smoot, Virginia Tech's treasurer and vice president for business affairs.

"The first is that university catering is only allowed to cater university events. The second is that non-university caterers can cater events in Squires Student Center whenever the organization holding an event wants to have an outside caterer."

The new university policy was issued to help eliminate recent confusion over catering events on campus.

"I've been in the catering business for 13 years," said Charlotte Linkous, manager and co-owner with her husband, Larry, of Custom Catering. "And I've never had any problem catering on campus. I've catered for different departments, at the football stadium, alumni parties. I even catered in Squires before Squires was closed.

"But last year there were rumors that someone said - and you never know who that someone is - that no outside caterers would be allowed on Virginia Tech to cater."

To separate fact from fiction, businesses asked Tech officials to clarify.

Local caterers also had expressed concern that anyone - even if they had no connection with the university - could use Tech facilities and hire the campus caterers. And since the university catering service cannot charge the town meals tax and only has to break even instead of earning a profit, business people believed they were at a competitive disadvantage.

To lessen direct competition, Director of Culinary Services John Engstrom said a customer must have a university affiliation to use its facilities.

And Owens Banquet Room is about the only place where off-campus caterers are not allowed. The banquet room is the domain of the university's catering service.

What is true is that the catering service does not charge the town meals tax or try to make a profit. Its structure as a state not-for-profit enterprise prevents it from doing either. However, it does have to break even and cover all costs, including its share of the university's central administration.

by CNB