Preferred Catering & Bar Service
The Conrad Mansion has several fantastic caterers at a variety of price points with delicious menu options. These caterers are not required. You are welcome to choose your own caterer.
Please note that there is no food and beverage minimum and when utilizing Apres Bar Co. for bar service, it is possible to have a lovely meal and bar for 200 guests for under $5,000 with several of our catering options (catering and bar not included in venue rental pricing.) Several of our caterers also offer a wide menu with many elevated dinner options. It's your day and we can't wait to see what you design with the help of our preferred caterers.
Please scroll to the bottom of this page for several frequently asked catering questions and answers.
Smokin’ G's BBQ
Smokin' G's offers delicious BBQ as well as appetizers, home cooked meals, desserts and drinks. If an elegant buffet with meat carvers, ice sculptures, and extensive food selections is more your style, Smokin' G's can do that too. We also operate a food truck. (see below) No matter the level of service you choose, your catered food will be hot, fresh and delicious.
Phone: 641.751.1427
Website: www.smokin-gs.com
Moment in Thyme
Moment in Thyme is a premier custom caterer providing fine cuisine and impeccable service that you and your guests deserve. Whether standard menu items or a request for something more unique let us help you develop the perfect menu and we’ll take care of the rest!
Phone: 319.505.3029
Website: www.momentinthyme.com
The Silver Spoon
The Silver Spoon can cater all your events and offers a wide range of services. Is your budget feeling a bit pinched? The Silver Spoon offers Pasta Bar Choices from $5.35 - $8.50! Pasta Bars include a Salad & Breadsticks.The Silver Spoon does it all! We also provide other options for home-cooked meals! See the full catering menu below.
Price includes plates,napkins,cutlery,and all condiments needed for meal. Price does not include tax and 18% gratuity which are added to final bill! If you do not see something on menu you would like just let us know,we can do a wide variety. We can also customize a menu to fit your catering needs.
The Silver Spoon is locally owned and operated and does a number of catering events for ISU and other events in the Ames area.
Phone: Call Justine @ 515.291.5390
Website: www.thesilverspoon
Katie J’s Cakes & Catering
Our team is dedicated to preparing delicious, natural, fresh food for any gathering you can imagine. Our menu is designed to provide a complete experience or complement your own creations.. Let us help you make a great impression, entertain with style & ease, or simply take the worry out of planning your next special occasion. We even can even serve your own family recepies!
Katie J’s is a locally owned Commercial Catering & Bakery Business operated by Katie & Patrick Moore & Staff. We offer a wide variety of services to cater any & all of your needs. We can help with any catering event large or small. From a boxed lunch to a full service gourmet buffet. WARNING: Their website isn’t that great but their food and service are TOPS!
Phone: 641.753.9166
Website: Katie Js
Food Trucks - Choose One, Two or All Three
Big Red Food Truck
The Big Red Food Truck offers fried tacos, jumbo street tacos, al pastor (pork tacos), beef and lamb gyro, fish taco and more. Or try their famous hand cut pork loin that's tenderized by our staff; then freshly breaded in panko crumbs AFTER it's ordered for peak freshness. Served on a buttered and toasted corn Kaiser bun. Possibly the best tenderloin you will ever eat! (Grilled or Fried). Big Red has been on the Food Network, Family Food Showdown, and won “Best of Show” out of 200 food trucks at the 2019 Iowa State Fair. For larger weddings they can bring 2 trucks.
Phone: 515.320.5738
Website: www.thebigredfoodtruck.com
Smokin G’s BBQ Truck
Smokin' G's offers delicious BBQ Smoked Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Smoked Brisket Sandwiches, Smoke Chicken as well as cole slaw, baked beans and other celebration favorites.
Phone: 641.751.1427
Website: www.smokin-gs.com
Magoo’s Pizza
Our menu features our artisanal, thin crust pizzas you know and love! Salads and our signature brownie bites are available for catering and private events.
As always, we create our pizzas with gourmet ingredients that are garden fresh and handcraft our dough.
You will find our pizzas are rich in flavor and great in texture. On the Magoo Mobile, once individual pizzas are made, they are cooked at an oven temperature of at least 550 degrees. With this high flame, the pizza is ready within five minutes.
Phone: 515.776.7922
Website: www.MagoosPizza.com
Apres Bar Co. is Des Moines’ Premiere Bartending Service. They are professional bartenders and they specialize in making sure all of the beverage service details for your event are covered. Their service makes your event more enjoyable & gives you a chance to have fun with your guests. They believe every celebration should be a great experience, not just for your guests, but for you as well. They take great pride in creating the best possible bar experience for your event. Their professional bartenders provide the ultimate in beverage service with a friendly attitude to ensure you and your guests are properly taken care of. They provide liquor license, Insurance, supplies, ice, and professional staffing for your entire celebration.
Typical Alcohol Budget (Beer & Wine) is around $3,000 - $4,000 for 200 people when having an “Open Bar”..
DJ Das Phone: 515.339.0353
Website:www.dj.das.com
DJ Das is an Integrated Wedding DJ Providing the Perfect Soundtrack for Your Special Day!
You've dreamed of this day for a long time and now that it's approaching, you want your special day to be even more spectacular and memorable! My role as an integrated wedding specialist, is to ensure that you the couple, your family and friends have an exceptional celebration and a one-of -kind experience.
My collaboration with you is purely based on a genuine friendship and desire to narrate your story in a way that your guests feel emotionally connected with you. Your wedding is a story...your personal story that I bring to life with style and elegance.
The success of your wedding will be at the heart of everything I do.
DJ DAS will spend time with you to create a personalized Plan for the best experience.
DJ DAS will provide music entertainment to keep you and your guests on the dance floor having Fun!
Frequently Asked Catering Questions
Is there a food and beverage minimum, guest count minimum, or china requirement?
No. Many venues have minimums because they make a 10 - 15% commission from the caterer based on how much you spend on catering. We choose NOT to make a commission because we want our food options to be as elegant or affordable as your budget allows, and therefore we don't have a food and beverage or guest count minimum. Additionally, we do not have a china requirement. (Honestly we love many of the beautiful and affordable disposable options available today! I can't even count how many times we have had a sample of these at the venue and touring couples didn't even know they were disposable until they touched them!)
Do we have to utilize your caterers and bar service?
No, you are free to use your own food service but we are partnered with several fantastic preferred caterers at a variety of price points with delicious menu options..
Yes, we require Apres Bar Co. bar service
We selected the caterers on our list as preferred but not required caterers with many elegant and affordable choices. Bar service is unique since it requires licenses, security, and insurance all which our provided by our bar service caterer "Apres Bar Co.”. Additionally, we have purposely selected small business owners, because although no one is perfect, and none of our caterers claim to be, when you work with a small business owner they are personally invested in the success of your wedding day.