Service Rules and Guidelines

Room Reservation and Catering

All reservations should be made as early as possible through the Memorial Union Manager's Office at 487-2543. A non-refundable, non-transferable deposit is required to confirm your reservation of the Isle Royale Ballroom or the Keweenaw Commons, and it may be required for larger catered functions in other venues. This deposit will be credited to your account upon determining the final bill.

Please do your planning early, give us at least two week's notice to ensure that proper staffing needs can be met, and also to order food and supplies. Although we will attempt to accommodate late orders whenever possible, a $15.00 late fee will be added to all new food orders received less than 48 hours or two working days from the time of the event. The late fee may also apply to significant changes made to existing orders within the last 48 hours before service time.

Cancellations made more than five working days prior to the scheduled date of an event will not be charged any rental or service fees unless the event required extensive set-up and/or ordering of specialty food or supplies. Cancellations made within five working days will be charged for any food, supplies, or labor that had already been committed at the time the cancellation is received. If the even is in the Isle Royale Ballroom, the Keweenaw Commons, or another venue that required a deposit, please remember that deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable in the event of a cancellation.

For rooms that are reserved but go unused, a $25.00 no show fee will be charged. If extensive room set-up was required, the bill will reflect set-up labor as well. If food or other services were requested for no-show events, the entire retail price of the event will be billed.

As noted throughout our guide, a minimum number of persons is required in order for us to provide certain services. Groups with counts lower than our minimums may still obtain the services listed, however you will be billed at our minimum. If these minimums are a problem for you, please consult with a catering representative to explore other alternatives.

Food, refreshments, and alcohol are not permitted to be brought into any event held in the Memorial Union. Additionally, the Memorial Union is proud to be the exclusive catering service on the Michigan Tech campus and will strive to meet all your catering needs.

Small groups are welcome to go through our food mall and have meals charged to the sponsor's bill. This is a great option for groups that do not meet our minimums for served or buffet meals, or who have last minute needs. Call the MUB Manager's Office to find out our hours of operation and to make arrangements for the charges.

Your estimated attendance will become the guaranteed attendance figure if we do not receive a revised count within three working days preceding your event. You will be billed for your guaranteed count and for any additional guests over your guaranteed number. There may be a surcharge to cover last-minute preparations and set-ups if extra tables, place settings and/or portions are requested.

For buffet meals in the Memorial Union, we will prepare food and place settings for approximately 5% over your guaranteed count. We do this for your benefit so that we may accommodate unexpected guests, because the nature of buffet eating is sometimes unpredictable, and because we want to present a full buffet selection until the last guest has come through the buffet line. This may result in some leftover food on buffets, but please remember that food left over remains the property of the Memorial Union and cannot be packaged for take-out.

For off-site and for sit-down-served meals, we will prepare food for the guaranteed number you give us. If extra portions are desired for 'just-in-case' extra guests, we will be happy to accommodate. However, extra portions requested for off-site and sit-down-served meals will be billed at the full dinner price.

If noted as part of your advance guaranteed count, children under the age of ten receive a 25-percent (25%) discount on the regular price of a full meal. Children under the age of 2 do not need to be included in your count.

It is our desire to serve you promptly at the hour you select. Please let us know if there will be any pre-meal program or lengthy opening remarks. Normal practice will be to let your group into the dining area approximately one-half hour before serving time unless, of course, a cocktail hour is scheduled. This eliminates much confusion and allows our staff to attend to final details without interruption. We appreciate your promptness and will do our best to work around any last-minute delays you may encounter. However, if overtime costs are incurred due to these delays, they will be added to the final bill.

If you have arranged for buffet service, we will begin at the time you select with our staff dismissing tables until all have gone through the buffet line. The buffet line will be left up for approximately 15 minutes after all tables have been served, and then the food will be removed. Although our buffets are not designed as 'all-you-can-eat', seconds will be allowed during the time between when the last guests have gone through the buffet line and when the food is removed. The amount of time the buffet is up will depend on the size of your group, but should not last more than one hour. If a more extended buffet time is required, additional labor charges will be incurred, and the quality of the food at the end of the serving time may be diminished.

Our catering service reserves the right to make last minute substitutions for food items that are not available due to seasonality, product inferiority, or supplier outages. We will notify you of such substitutions if time allows.

Food left over from any function will remain the property of the Memorial Union.

If noted as part of the advance count, we will provide vegetarian meals and meals suited to special diets at no additional cost. If a last minute request is made for a special diet or vegetarian meal, we will do our best to respond as quickly as possible, and the additional meal(s) will be added to your final bill.

Full meals served in the Memorial Union Building will include china and linen service. Meals outside of the building as well as beverage, coffeebreak, hors d'oeuvres, and snack service will be presented with disposable serviceware. You may upgrade to china and linen service at any time, with a 35% service charge of $25.00 minimum fee.

Luncheon buffets served in the Memorial Union Building will include china and linen service. If you decline the china and linen service included with the in-the-MUB luncheon buffets, the buffets will be presented without tablecloths, and using disposable serviceware on the buffets line. A $1.00 per person price reduction will be offered for these LIMITED SERVICE BUFFETS.

The normal set-up for meals in the Memorial Union will be eight guests per table. If you need accommodations for less than eight at a table, we will be happy to provide this special set-up. However, additional charges may apply for the set-up depending on the extent of the changes.

The Memorial Union is happy to offer its customers a smoke-free environment. Please help us by encouraging your guests to smoke outside.

We do not make specific provisions to decorate banquet tables-this is left to your wishes and taste. Decorating methods, including all candles, must be approved by our catering staff. The Memorial Union does not take responsibility for any decorations broken or left on premise after an event. Special effects such as smoke machines and foggers are not permitted.

Occasionally, we are asked to assist clients by providing hourly labor for a special event or function. Subject to availability, we can provide laborers at the rate schedule listed below. Please note that any overtime incurred will be passed on as additional charges.

For full meals served away from the Memorial Union Building, including buffets and sit-down meals, a surcharge of $2.00 per person will be added. Additional mileage and labor costs may also be incurred or out-of-the-ordinary circumstances or unusual venues. Ask your catering representative for details.

Our luncheon buffets are highlighted as *A Value Service. If you select one of our printed luncheon buffets, we will deliver those buffets without the addition of the $2.00 per person off-site fee. Delivery charges still apply.

Delivery charges are added to all picnics, food orders, meals, and equipment delivered out of the Memorial Union Building. The on-campus delivery charge is $15.00 and includes pick-up. For smaller orders, you may want to consider avoiding the delivery fee by picking up your order at the Memorial Union kitchen on the ground floor of the building. It will be your responsibility to return all non-disposable items after picking up your own order. If you pick up your order, but call to have the non-disposable items picked up later at your location by our staff, the $15.00 delivery fee will be charged.

For off-campus deliveries within 5 miles of the Memorial Union Building, $25.00 will be charged. For deliveries outside the 5-mile radius, $50.00 will be charged and labor and mileage charges of $1.00 per mile will be added. Pick-ups will be charged as another delivery fee.

For off-site full meals, and for off-site china and linen service, please remember that we are bringing food and supplies only for the amount of food and number of guests guaranteed. Because we are away from our main facility, our ability to respond to last minute requests for additional services or supplies is limited, and we may not be able to accommodate such requests. If extra food or supplies are desired for "last-minute" adjustments, we will be happy to be prepared with them if arranged for in advance. Extra food will be billed by the item or plate, and extra supplies will be billed in the form of rental and/or labor charges.

For meals served on holidays (actual and/or observed), an additional charge will be assessed, to be determined by our catering representative, and will be based on actual staff holiday and overtime rates.

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No room fee, audio-visual rentals, or minor set-up charges will be billed to registered student groups for use of Memorial Union meeting rooms including the Isle Royale Ballroom and the Keweenaw Commons unless:

1. Revenues are being generated from the event (excluding fund-raising activities).


2. The registered student group is coordinating the event for another organization where tuition, registration, or other fees are being charged.

Prices in this publication do not include tax and are subject to change. Six percent Michigan state sales tax will be added when applicable, unless a tax-exempt number is provided prior to the event.

University departments and organizations:  Your account number and department name must be provided at the time your reservation is made to ensure proper billing.

All others:  Deposits and pre-payments for room rental, food service, and other charges can be made at the Manager's Office. The balance due statement will be mailed to you by University Accounting. The Memorial Union will send a separate mailing with an Event Evaluation Form and a more detailed list of charges. Please provide us with complete billing information, especially if another party will be responsible for the bar bill.

For events in the Keweenaw Commons and Isle Royale Ballroom, and for large events in other venues, a pre-payment of at least 75% is required no later than one week prior to the event if paying by money order, credit card, or cashier's check. Payments made by personal check must be received two weeks in advance of the event. Payment may be mailed in or presented in person. Visa and Mastercard is accepted. (See event contract)

Room Reservation and Catering Agreement