Rehearsal Dinner location?

sarahaz1023

Hi All,

My Fiance and I got engaged about a month ago. We are having the wedding here in December and are trying to figure out where to have the rehearsal dinner. We first thought Grimalidi's pizza would be a great choice, good food, nice, close to the venue and not too expensive. And then, I learned that they charge an additional $100 just to have a bartender assist your party. Is this normal? Does anyone have any other good suggestions/ideas for rehearsal dinner venues in Chandler near Ocotillo Country club?

Thanks for your help!

lcarp203

Hey There-

I am not sure whether or not the $100 charge for the bartender is standard, but most of the places I looked at did have some sort of charge built in for such a service.  Some removed the fee if you met a certain dollar amount and some of the fees varied by location. 

I am using Grimaldis for my rehearsal dinner.  We wanted something in Scottsdale since our wedding is in that area. For Scottsdale, even with the $100 bartender fee, this was the best deal in town! 

Not all of the rooms have bars in them, so you may call and see if they will waive the fee if the wait staff serves the alcohol from the regular restaurant bar.

I will say, I have been less than impressed with the banquet coordinators there.  They seem to change every time I call.  We went from a Carrie, Matt and now we are on to a Liana.  Every time I call, I am back to square one.  So, over the next 5 months, I am sure we will have a few new contacts!

NillaWafer10

We did ours at Maggiano's.  The food was awesome, and our guests loved it!  I think their prices are a little higher than Grimaldi's though.  Can you call them and possibly make a deal?  Like pp said, maybe they could cut a deal with you.  Like, if your bar tab is over x amount, the bar tender service is free.  Just a thought.

est.bride.zilla

You should try Carlos O'Brian's.  It is mexican food and they have a lot of room and great prices!  There is one in Phoenix and Scottsdale.  I think we are using their Scottsdale location for our rehearsal dinner.

sarahaz1023

Thanks all! We ended up going with Grimaldis because like you said Carp, the food costs being so low off set that odd $100 bar tender fee. And, the Chandler location is a mile from the wedding venue. I think its easier if I think about the bar tender fee as an event fee, doesn't seem quite so bizzarre. Thanks all for your suggestions!

scooter2371

I think you made a good choice We had our rehersal at the Grimaldis Chandler location.  The private patio and the inside area make it a perfect place to hold a nice private rehersal dinner. Despite the 100.00 charge it was still the best deal in town and everyone loved the food! 

lcarp203

Hey Sarah- 

Silly Lady- its Lindsay... Didn't realize that was you until I looked at your profile and saw your wedding date!  Welcome to the Phoenix boards!  Lots of planning advice here!  Good luck trying on dresses today and at your venue open house tomorrow!

Lindsay