Taking down the catering monopoly

McMaster clubs now have more than Paradise Catering to choose from when ordering food for events on campus.

Given the success of the pilot project launched in Jan. 2014, TwelvEighty, the Student Union Bar and Grill will continue to offer a catering menu for smaller events on campus.

This pilot was introduced as part of the McMaster Student Union's ongoing efforts to address the problems stemming from the Paradise Catering monopoly that was established in 1999.

The agreement between the MSU and Paradise Catering gave Paradise Catering exclusive rights to the lucrative catering business on campus. The agreement also created restrictions on bake sales and potlucks on campus.

Exactly what clubs are and are not allowed to do is ambiguous, but the MSU club guide states that “all catering to facilities within MUSC must be ordered through Paradise Catering. Departments may host potluck meals, but attendance must be under 20 guests and food must be brought by attendees. Nothing may be delivered or ordered from an external source.”

Despite the fact that this new menu has been around for over nine months, many clubs are unaware that it exists or still have to resort to Paradise Catering because of the other parts of the agreement, such as room rental deals.

For example, last semester Tahiya Bakht, a fourth-year political science student, had to partner with another club on campus to be able to afford the cheapest Paradise Catering food option.

“We needed to use Paradise catering because of the deal that allowed us the use of a room with the use of Paradise Catering, but the cheapest option ended up being $530” said Bahkt. Her club was lucky to find a group willing to take on some of the cost, but many clubs may find Paradise prices to be a barrier to hosting events of a certain type or size.

Generally, club executives seem to be enthusiastic about the new options.

“I only recently found out that TwelvEighty offers catering for student groups. I would definitely feature their catering options at future club events,” said Asha Behdinan, a fourth-year student.

Although TwelvEighty currently offers a very limited catering menu to clubs, they plan to potentially expand.

“Is this catering menu the be all and end all of what TwelvEighty can offer? Absolutely not. In terms of catering, the possibilities are endless,” said Food and Beverage manager Richard Haja. “We have a large array of menu options that we can customize to fit any budget, any dietary restriction, or any multicultural palate. As for the future, we might add more options to the catering menu, but that is on the agenda for January 2015.”

Although the catering options at TwelvEighty address the price barrier of the monopoly, other problems stemming from the agreement persist.

The agreement limits MUSC to hosting one bake sale per day, and it remains unclear exactly what type of potlucks are allowed. The MSU Clubs Coordinator did not respond to requests for comment on the issue.

This monopoly is not unique to McMaster; it is common at campus universities for one provider to have contracted the food system. Although it may be an annoyance to clubs, with the TwelvEighty catering menu, clubs are beginning to have ways to get around the troubles with Paradise.