Jayhawk basketball fans are hungry for victories. And hot dogs.

Every game at Allen Fieldhouse, fans spend more than $30,000 on concessions. They buy 1,500 hot dogs, which they wash down with 6,000 drinks.

For more than a dozen volunteer groups, that means an easy way to raise funds.

“It’s a fun way to make money for us,” said Mark Reiske, a volunteer with Lawrence Catholic Schools parent-teacher organization.

Reiske’s PTO has run a concession stand at the north end of the fieldhouse for 10 years. Members sell the traditional fare of Coke products, nachos, pretzels, hot dogs, popcorn and candy. They also sell Mexican food from a separate stand. Other stand operators include the Ottawa Middle School basketball team and the KU psychology honor society.

All nine concession stands in the fieldhouse are run by MidAmerica Concessions, which operates stands for all KU sporting events. Between 120 and 200 people work concessions for men’s basketball.

Groups apply to MidAmerica to acquire stands. First preference is given to groups with ties to KU.

Mona Kloster, MidAmerica’s general manager, said each fan spent an average of $2 on concessions at basketball games.

The time of the game makes a big difference for what fans choose to eat. Kloster expects today’s game against Arizona — with a noon tipoff — to be a big game for sales.

Managing the arena’s food doesn’t change much year to year, she said.

“Every arena in the nation pretty much sells the same things,” she said. “The basketball fan base is pretty static. They know what they want.”

Lori Crabtree serves a plate of nachos at the Lawrence Catholic Schools parent-teacher organization concession stand at Allen Fieldhouse during the Kansas State game. The PTO is one of about a dozen volunteer groups that run food stands at Kansas University men's basketball games.

Kloster said her company attempted to notch up the culinary offerings a few years ago. They offered shrimp cocktail as a menu item at two football games.

“We went two games without selling a single one,” she said.

Reiske said it took between 10 and 14 people to run his concession stand for men’s basketball.

“There are people who work a lot of the games, and then we sprinkle in some others,” he said.

The PTO is paid 10 percent of gross sales, which means the group makes $300 for a basketball game. Overall, the PTO makes $10,000 to $11,000 a year working basketball, football and baseball concession stands.

Reiske said the volunteer groups tried to be as professional as possible when serving food.

“I think a lot of people who go there don’t realize we’re just volunteer groups,” he said. “They just know we’re pushing a hot dog and Coke to them.”