Kenekes, anyone?

nbk2d9q

Hi all!I'm trying to select a caterer for my reception which will be at a private estate on the North Shore of Oahu. I really really like the menu choices that Kenekes has and love the price as well. I talked to my DOC about them and she had mixed reviews. 1st event - they used all paper plates for 60 guests. They didnt bus ANY plates from any of the guest tables, so i would need to either ensure they increase staffing to take care of this or my DOC can make arrangements to bring in additional staff @ $25.00/per hour (4 hour minimum) for this. That client had their own bartender, so all cups, cans, etc. was also left on the tables which was a mess.   Once dinner service is done, they left with everything of theirs, including the coolers that their bartender was using (we had to line boxes with trash bags and place beverages inside, their took tables that were being used for bar, so we had to relocate them, so Wai should take care of ordering all tables, coolers, etc. separately.  At the end of the evening, their guests were clearing the tables and two of the groomsmen were disposing of the remaining trash.2nd event they used chinaware (actually it is melanine) so they did set tables and cleared dishes.    Again, once they are done with service, they were gone, so the coffee service was finished at 8:30pm with them leaving cups of coffee in styrofoam cups and a half gallon of milk on the table which to me was tacky.Sorry it's so long i'm just feeling a little torn. I want good service, but also food i can eat! I'm super picky about food and their menu seems perfect. all of the other caterers i have found have menus that are too fu-fu or just food that i won't like. Any thoughts from brides that have used them for their wedding? Mine is small and intimate - 20-25 people max. Mostly family and very close friends so we're really not needing to impress anyone. I just don't want our friends/family doing the work and want them to have a wonderful meal that everyone is happy with.

destiny1108

Not sure about Kenekes, you can try our caterer which was Poke Stop.  Our WC advised to ensure they were staffed for entire event, bussed tables, helped with breakdown.  Food and service was good.    Their waitstaff were $35 an hour.

BoBride28

There was a thread the other day where some people discussed Kenekes. You may want to page some of them to get their specific experience. http://talk.theknot.com/boards/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=62519731&forumid=73

emptybee83

Jen and Tya are big fans of Keneke's!! Soon2bemrsrdavis and lilswtazn...'m sure they'll be able to give you some great feedback!!

soon2BMrsRDavis

i loooooved kenekes!!! they were FAB at my wedding!!!! keith was before beyond amazing and their servers were amazing! e mail me if you would like additional info and photos! ryandjenatlani09 at g mail dot com

mdjs

Hi there!  I don't have experience with Keneke's, but I think we have the same DOC, since I also received this exact same message about Keneke's yesterday.My impression is that the DOC isn't interested in doing the heavy lifting day-of, but I don't think that should stop you from hiring the caterer you really want.  Several brides have had good reviews for this caterer on this board.  If it is the food you want and the right price, and you feel like you can communicate with them, I think you can probably work out any other issues ahead of time.  For us, this DOC has been sort of a bummer--discouraging us from a lot of ideas that felt right for us.  She obviously has a lot more experience planning weddings than I do, so I am trying to be understanding of her perspective.  At the same time, it's your wedding!  If this is the food you really want, you should go for it!HTH!

destiny1108

Maybe it just depends on how many guests you have.  We had 80 guests and had 4 servers plus the bartender and the chefs.  The chefs left after dinner was done, but the servers and bartender was there until the end of the event.  Our DOC was busting her butt throughout our evening and I can't imagine if she had to try and clear all the tables too.   

zoesha

This is why we hired our DOC or WP...to let us know what to expect.  We had Wai as our DOC.  Believe us, if it wasn't for her, we might have been cleaning up as well at the end of our wedding...and that, is completely out of the picture.  We did not want anyone to lift a finger.  We took it upon ourselves to be the best hosts we can be to our guests.  And, we turned to Wai for the loop on everything.  She was the eyes and ears of the 'operation'.  There are just so many tidbits that you didn't expect such as extra service.We got married at Molii Gardens.  And so, we were a good ways away from your nearest 7-eleven for any last minute tidbits.  So, we wanted to make sure that everything was taken care of...down to the nitty gritty about forks, plates, napkins, chairs, watages, and yes----service.  We wanted everyone to drive home happy especially since a lot of our guests were driving a good 45 minutes back home at the end of the night.  We had the same concept, "...don't want our friends/family doing the work and want them to have a wonderful meal...".  We had Willows as our caterer. And we had staff from both Willows and HW&E because they could provide  help to offset the service price that Willows quoted us at.  And, Wai's staff was great and to top that off, they assisted with other aspects of the wedding and not just stood around waiting for the next plate to be scraped.But if Keneke's is what you want, Keneke's you get but you have to remember that you hired a DOC to keep you in the know how before the wedding...she has to keep all ends tied in order for you to have the wedding you always wanted.  We didn't know how complicated a wedding, even a simple wedding, can be.  And, I would say, especially when planning an outdoor wedding...in Hawaii.  As far as Wai, heavy lifting she does.  She was zipping all over the creation on our wedding day.  She was on it with everything.  All we had to do was show up to our wedding.  I don't even know if she had dinner on our wedding day.Just as she doesn't have control over the weather on your wedding day, she has knowledge about the coverage required to keep your day going.  With that said, same goes for the caterer.  Your DOC is just looking out for your "just-in-case-but-not-to-jinx-your-rainy-day".