this is the code for the render ad
Community› Local Wedding Boards› Missouri-Kansas City
Missouri-Kansas City
New Discussion

VENDOR Pro's and Con's

BrettErinBrettErin member
10 Comments
in Missouri-Kansas City
We are just starting to meet with our caterer list. We came up with these through the few reviews and recommendations out there. We want the food and service to be good for sure but aren't willing to spend the whole budget on it. We're hoping to stay at or under $15 per person and we're doing the casual Hors D'oeuvres route. Anyone who knows anything about any of the vendors below, good or bad, please let us know. We truly appreciate it! - Above & Beyond Catering - Sugar and Spice Catering - Cuisine Catering - Olive Events - Cupini's - Kansas City Catering - Shining Star Catering
Report Reply to Post

Re: VENDOR Pro's and Con's

  • caroljg2001caroljg2001
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We looked at Cupini's as they were on the list of "must-use" caterers for a venue we were considering.  I was uneasy because, from what we could tell, they charged for EVERYTHING...33 cents for each plate, fork, etc.  The math was making my head spin.  I have never booked a caterer for anything before, so perhaps I mis-read and mis-interpreted, but I would be careful to inquire about ALL costs.  And, make sure they inform you of taxes (and what charges they are applied to...food only, everything, before or after gratuities are added, if any).  Those "extras" can really add up.
    Report Reply
  • lindyd_03lindyd_03
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We're using Cuipini's. Their food is EXCELLENT, and we got a free tasting for four people and we got to try a ton of stuff. PP- you are correct that they charge for everything, but you are by no means required to use the stuff they charge for. You can bring your own plates/forks, etc. They charge for linens, but again you don't have to use them. They charge for servers, but we got them to drop the number of servers by half to reduce the cost. Our meal is $17.99/pp with a full dinner buffet and hors d'oeuvres , but with the additional costs, it's closer to $24/pp. I think you could get just hors d'oeuvres for under $15. If you don't have to use those vendors, I'd look into Affordable Catering. I've been to three weddings that have used them (one was hors d'oeuvres), and they were all good. And they're within your price range.
    Report Reply
  • lindyd_03lindyd_03
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Also...what Cupini's did for us was sit down and create an invoice of all the food and additional things we'd need, such as plates, linens, coffee, etc. (This included tax and gratuity.) After looking over it, we made some changes to bring down the cost, and we saw exactly what we'd be paying (based on an estimated # of guests) before we booked anything. Since then, we've altered our invoice some more, and we'll give them a headcount for food 10 days in advance.They're very flexible. We're actually purchasing our own metal silverware from Sam's Club for less than the cost of renting thru them, delivering it to them ahead of time to set up with the buffet, and then reselling after the wedding.
    Report Reply
  • BrettErinBrettErin member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Lindy...thank you for the info Cupinis's. It's good to know they are flexible. Also thank you for the suggestion of Affordable Catering. They were on our list but we've taken them off for a couple of reasons. One, the owner of the venue we're using said the crew of Affordable argued with him when he asked them to help clean up their mess...not professional. I've also read mostly good reviews for them, but there a few really terrible reviews which usually consist of the event staff not being very professional or day of issues. My hope is there are enough good choices that can avoid the possibility of those type of issues. Plus, I don't want the owner of our venue to end up punching a caterer mid-reception :)
    Report Reply
  • lindyd_03lindyd_03
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    That's interesting about Affordable. When we were searching for venues, we found a couple places that also said they were unprofessional. The people's weddings I've attended never mentioned having a problem with them, but I'm sure the reception site owners have to deal with the caterers leaving messes or whatever more than we do. All I know is that their food is good, but I don't blame you for being hesitant. All the more reason to use Cupini's! :-)
    Report Reply
  • raelynn1880raelynn1880 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Affordable Catering just catered our wedding on 7/11. I was actually really impressed with their customer service and professionalism. They really went above and beyond for me.
    Report Reply
  • dopeysmomdopeysmom
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Affordable was one we chose not to use because they just were not that professional.
    Report Reply
  • katiekapowkatiekapow member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I know it wasn't on your list, but we're using Brancato's Catering for a slightly fancy hor d'oeuvres reception.  Our current price is $26 a person, but we probably went a little overboard, as we love food.  ;)   I'm sure if you were a little more discriminating, you could bring that price down.  Linda Franke is our contact person there, and she's awesome. 
    Report Reply
  • BrettErinBrettErin member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Thank you everyone for your input...keep it coming for sure. Just to update: We met with Deborah from Shining Star and she is amazing. I'm not sure how anyone's going to top her. We came home and knocked Cupini's and Sugar and Spice off of our list immediately mostly because the food selection and creativity couldn't compete. I like Cupini's menu but Deborah seems more varied and creative and I can't imagine someone caring more. We're going to three or four others so we'll see.
    Report Reply
  • amywaageamywaage
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We are using Kansas City Catering and doing heavy hor d'oeuvres.  They are very reasonably priced and can definitely do $15 per person. 
    Report Reply
  • BrettErinBrettErin member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We've narrowed the list down to Shining Star, Olive Events and Above and Beyond. We'll be making our choice this weekend, so if anyone has last minute advice on these three that would be great. We'll let you know who we picked and why when it's figured out.
    Report Reply
  • lynsey83lynsey83
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Anymore feedback on Olive? We're considering them and Cupinis right now. My wedding coordinator said she's been to a couple Cupinis weddings and was not impressed. But we had already scheduled the tasting, so we're going ahead with it. I would love to hear from someone who has used Olive though. As a side note, My friend used Affordable for her wedding in 2007 and they screwed her. They "counted" about 20 more people than were actually there. Big ouch!Thanks!
    Report Reply
  • BrettErinBrettErin member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Olive gave us a great tasting and they seem like really good people. Our final decision was between Olive and Shining Star. We just gave our deposit to Shining Star yesterday. The owner is very passionate and personable and really seems to want everything to be perfect. The final menu is a good balance of classic and elegant and we're getting more food choices (Hor d'ourves) with her for less money than Olive. We don't have a negative word to say about Olive and felt like they would be great too. We obviously have to recommend Deborah at Shining Star though :)
    Report Reply
  • katiemac123katiemac123 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I'm relieved to see your post about Shining Stars catering - I just met with her today and she seems too good to be true!  I am so excited to have found her, and am sending her a deposit tomorrow.  She is just fantastic.
    Report Reply
  • dgonz0503dgonz0503 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We are using Sugar and Spice for our wedding. when it was time to meet with them for the first time for the tasting, they had messed up and booked us for a different date and had nothing for us to try. I was really dissapointed and uneasy about putting a deposit down but my fiance' went to college with the son of the owners. I have heard good reviews, but I would also be interested in hearing people's review of them!
    Report Reply
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards