Bad Catering Experiences
Almost everyone has gone to an event, be it a wedding, business lunch or other, where the catering was poor. Sometimes its just one aspect, the food is bad, or the staff isn’t helpful. Perhaps the company runs out of food or the organizer is rude. In some instances all of these things were any issues. There are many horror stories particularly of wedding catering events, where the worst happens, from not showing up to food poisoning you name. Sometimes these are exaggerations; during some events emotions are already running high and with increased stress the smallest inconveniences can blow up to become major problems. Often however the problem lies in the selection of the catering company. Sometimes cutting corners, costs or simply not doing an optimal amount of research, while not placing all of the blame on the victim, should be taken into account.
The most common occurrence is that food and/or drinks simply run out. This should never happen of course, remain in contact with your event catering company so that they and you are aware and prepared for the actual headcount of your event. The other most common issue is that the caterers are late in either arriving or having the food prepared and ready for your event. Choose a highly reputable local catering service will eliminate this chance almost 100%, however nothing is perfect and the occasional lateness will occur.
Much more rare is the instance of a company not showing up at all, an organizer or staff member being rude or using abusive language towards yourself or your guests, or of course the food being under or over-cooked (even burnt in some cases). If this happens to you, it would be perfectly reasonable to ask for at least a partial refund of your fees. Again, planning ahead and choosing one of the best local catering companies with a proven reputation is the best way to avoid this trouble.