Cocktail Party Associates Says Business Booming For Its 'Sophisticated' Bartending, Catering Service

Cocktail Party Associates, the catering and bartending division of Harvard Student Agencies, will probably supply 5,000 worth of party assistance to Bostonians, suburbanites, and the University community this year.

Harold B. Pouser '61, manager of the operation, made his prediction yesterday on the basis of $2,000 in receipts during the first ten weeks of the Fall term. The Associates grossed only $3,000 in all of 1960-61, its first year in business.

The group has brought in its new customers by becoming a "complete party service," which can take care everything from mailing invitations to cleaning up after party-goers. In commercials over radio station CRB it advertises "sophisticated service at a dance for several hundred or a wine and cheese party for 20."

Harvard Name Attracts Customers

Using the Harvard name also draws customers. "People the idea of Harvard students doing their party," assistant manager Dean R. Johnson '64 explained. "I think there's a slight amount of prestige involved."

Hors d-oeuvres, a bartender, and accessories for a party of 50 cost of the host around $35. He can also buy liquor through the Associates at a "considerable discount."

Currently the Associates have a list of 40 student bartenders, most of whom are graduates of the bartending school offered by the Student Employment Office. They earn $7 to $10 per night, and are insured against "serious mistakes," according to Pouser.

Most of the Customer come from Beacon Hill or high income suburbs such as Wellesley and Newton. Faculty members, who provided the bulk of last year's business have become less important, and the number of students hiring the Associates is very small.

"Students usually can't afford us," ohnson said. "Besides, most of the bartenders would rather work at outside parties, because the student parties sometimes turn into real horror shows."

Despite the glitter which the Associates furnish for their customers, the operation remains relatively simple on the inside. For example, Johnson still washes the glasses in his bathtub and keeps twenty cases of mix in his room because there's no other space for storing them.