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Another Catering Post- River City Catering or John Michaels?

x3Harmony534x3Harmony534
Combo Breaker First Comment
in Florida-Central Florida
Hey ladies, I met with River City Catering yesterday & Angela was SO nice. She sat with us for a LONG time and helped us to figure out exactly what we wanted (My FI are both too flexible about things to make decisions lol). I really liked her but I'm concerned because I can't seem to find ANY reviews on the place. Anyone used them before? We are also considering John Michaels (the lady @ LMEC said these 2 were the least expensive) I don't like the idea of a "group tasting" that was mentioned on another post, but I do understand it. I have heard RAVE reviews about him until the most recent post. I also don't like the $4 pp beer/wine charge, RCC is only charging a flat $100 bartender fee for the whole night! If anyone has had any experience with either of these 2 (Especially River City!) PLEASE share- I'd really appreciate it! :) Thanks ladies!
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Re: Another Catering Post- River City Catering or John Michaels?

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    mlharbismlharbis
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    My suggestion is go have a tasting with both companies. I am biased and had a bad experience with John Michael but many people have had great experiences with him so give him a chance to wow you. As for River city catering I have never heard of them. See if they can give you a list of references. But I really think tastings and if you like the person you will be working with are the most important things!
    Good luck! Let us know how the tastings go!!!
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    RLBlackRLBlack
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We are using John Michaels for our wedding in 5 days. I have had a very pleasant experience with him so far. The price is affordable, the good is excellent, and the service is great. He always get back with me in a timely manner. 

    I recommend him! We did both a group tasting and a one and one. 

    GL!
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    ashbosityashbosity member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    The reason I nixed River City off our list is because nothing is included. Here's from their FAQ page: 
    Are there additional charges for anything? 
    Yes, for tables, linen, decorations, chairs, glassware, silverware.

    Will your Service Staff clear the tables? 
    There is an additional service charge for clean-up.

    So, if you don't want to eat off plastic plates and silverware with paper napkins and clean up your tables yourself, the prices might not work out to be so great. Did you actually get a proposal with all the costs detailed? Puff 'n Stuff quoted me lower than John Michael's basic info. (Again, no one from John Michael's has returned my emails yet, so I have no personalized info) John Michael's, Puff 'n Stuff, Levan's, and Cuisiners all include all that stuff. I am using LMEC too and vetoed Big City and River City for the same reasons. Arthur's is much more expensive than the rest. Classic Creations website doesn't work, so they got nixed too. So that leaves me with the above options. Let me know what you end up deciding! Good luck! 


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    x3Harmony534x3Harmony534
    Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    ashbosity I would definitly still look at River City. I don't know why it says that, because it's not true. Linens, table wear, cake cutting, set up/clean up are ALL included in the price they quote you. I got the most reasonable quote of all of the caterers so far from them too. Plus there bartender fee is a flat $100 for the WHOLE NIGHT to serve anything you bring, and includes soda- compared to the $4 + per person I've been quoted elsewhere. Our tasting is next Wednesday, I'll let you know how it goes. I would def. contact them though because Angela was super sweet & they are definitly on the lower end of pricing.
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    ashbosityashbosity member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks for the info. Definitely let me know. Alcohol is looking like our big problem for breaking the bank. Puff 'N Stuff said $7.45pp plus $30 per bartender per hour for full bar. Most of the others are like $4pp plus $150 bar setup fees which I just don't get. I'm bringing everything that's expensive!! Like I said in my other post, we'd love to come in around $35pp with all the fees and tax included. If there aren't a million hidden fees, I will definitely look into them. Thanks!
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    x3Harmony534x3Harmony534
    Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Yup, I'll keep you posted. Angela actually warned me about the "hidden fees" a lot of other places have and prides herself on the fact she doesn't do that to her clients. That's exactly what we're looking to spend.
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    x3Harmony534x3Harmony534
    Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Wow totally forgot to update you, sorry!! :( We met with Angela & she was great! Unfortunately we weren't super impressed with the menu. We are actually using Levan's. After a budget meeting with Duane (Levan's owner) him he was able to meet John Michael's pricing & even offer more in his package. The food was unparalleled by any other caterer we met with & their service was second to none. That being said River City was still cheaper by nearly $900 but the price difference was definitely worth it to have our dream caterer. Good luck!! 
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