CATERING by DESIGN Reviews

Reviews

• 
  User2903322 Sent on 12/10/2016
  5 out of 5 rating

  5.0
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  I can't say how happy I am that I went with Catering By Design for my wedding. My fiancé and I went back-and-forth trying to decide whether or not to have our wedding at a venue or by an outside caterer. Let me say how extremely happy I am that I booked my wedding with Catering By Design.I had a very specific vision of what I wanted my day to look like. I was a bit apprehensive that an off premise caterer could achieve the results I was looking for. After speaking with Christa, I immediately sensed she understood my vision, and felt completely confident in her ability to pull it off. She worked closely with me to ensure I got what I needed while staying within my budget. Our food tasting set the expectation and gave us a great sense of how things would look and feel on the day of our wedding. We were offered a private tasting based on our menu selections. I loved this personal touch and I was immediately hooked on the food. My fiancé and I were counting down the days till we could taste it again. I must admit I still had a doubt in my head whether or not a caterer could replicate the same quality food for such a large group of people. Well let me tell you, they did not disappoint. On the day of our wedding the food was as delicious, if not more then on the day of our food tasting. I was blown away by the quality and presentation, and felt as if I was eating food from a restaurant and not a catering hall. The servers continuously paraded around with beautifully decorated trays of hors d'oeuvres. My guests are still talking to this day about how delicious the food was. I am so glad I made the decision to go with Catering By Design. Christa and her team truly delivered on their promises. I will definitely be recommending them to everyone I know.

  I can't say how happy I am that I went with Catering By Design for my wedding. My fiancé and I went back-and-forth trying to decide whether or not to have our wedding at a venue or by an outside caterer. Let me say how extremely happy I am that I booked my wedding with Catering By Design.I had a very specific vision of what I wanted my day to look like. I was a bit apprehensive that an off premise caterer could achieve the results I was looking for. After speaking with Christa, I immediately sensed she understood my vision, and felt completely confident in her ability to pull it off. She worked closely with me to ensure I got what I needed while staying within my budget. Our food tasting set the expectation and gave us a great sense of how things would look and feel on the day of our wedding. We were offered a private tasting based on our menu selections. I loved this personal touch and I was immediately hooked on the food. My fiancé and I were counting down the days till we could taste it again. I must admit I still had a doubt in my head whether or not a caterer could replicate the same quality food for such a large group of people. Well let me tell you, they did not disappoint. On the day of our wedding the food was as delicious, if not more then on the day of our food tasting. I was blown away by the quality and presentation, and felt as if I was eating food from a restaurant and not a catering hall. The servers continuously paraded around with beautifully decorated trays of hors d'oeuvres. My guests are still talking to this day about how delicious the food was. I am so glad I made the decision to go with Catering By Design. Christa and her team truly delivered on their promises. I will definitely be recommending them to everyone I know.
• Felicia Sent on 11/08/2016
  5 out of 5 rating

  5.0
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    5.0

  Christa was a pleasure to work with. From start to finish she paid attention to every detail. When setting up our menu she spent hours reviewing our selections, suggesting changes to better serve our needs and pairing choices together for a fabulous foodie experience! The extra steps taken to make the food presentation special were perfect, just enough to show how much she cares. The day of our wedding her staff was responsive to requests and our guests couldn't stop raving about the food. I would not hesitate to recommend Catering by Design to anyone, it was truly a great experience.

  Christa was a pleasure to work with. From start to finish she paid attention to every detail. When setting up our menu she spent hours reviewing our selections, suggesting changes to better serve our needs and pairing choices together for a fabulous foodie experience! The extra steps taken to make the food presentation special were perfect, just enough to show how much she cares. The day of our wedding her staff was responsive to requests and our guests couldn't stop raving about the food. I would not hesitate to recommend Catering by Design to anyone, it was truly a great experience.
• Jan Sent on 12/01/2016
  5 out of 5 rating

  5.0
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  Let me start by saying that I don't think the word "No" is in their vocabulary! From the very first phone call to the last email, the communication was amazing. Being a new bride, I was very overwhelmed with the whole wedding process. My fiancé and I contacted many caterers for information, but we're pretty dissatisfied with the information that was given, as well as the response time. But when we contacted Catering By Design, we were answered promptly and professionally. Christa took plenty of time to explain to us how the process works and what we could expect. I knew right away that this was the caterer for us! The food and the service was beyond exceptional. We were looking for a farm to table caterer, because freshness, as well as seasonal menus, were very important to us. I was extremely impressed with how the menus were written. We were able to make final menu selections right up until the time of our wedding. This allowed us the flexibility to choose what was fresh and in season at the time of our event. The final outcome was extremely fresh and delicious food on the day of our wedding. Both the food and the service exceeded our expectations. One of the staff members surprised us, and brought to our room, a beautifully decorated plate of our favorite hors d'oeuvres prepared by the chef. We were surprised as this was not a service we had asked for. However, the staff had noticed that we were too busy to stop and eat, and took it upon themselves to make sure we had plenty of food. It was special touches like this that showed us how much they cared. A huge thank you to the staff at Catering By Design for helping to make our wedding a special night that we will never forget!!

  Let me start by saying that I don't think the word "No" is in their vocabulary! From the very first phone call to the last email, the communication was amazing. Being a new bride, I was very overwhelmed with the whole wedding process. My fiancé and I contacted many caterers for information, but we're pretty dissatisfied with the information that was given, as well as the response time. But when we contacted Catering By Design, we were answered promptly and professionally. Christa took plenty of time to explain to us how the process works and what we could expect. I knew right away that this was the caterer for us! The food and the service was beyond exceptional. We were looking for a farm to table caterer, because freshness, as well as seasonal menus, were very important to us. I was extremely impressed with how the menus were written. We were able to make final menu selections right up until the time of our wedding. This allowed us the flexibility to choose what was fresh and in season at the time of our event. The final outcome was extremely fresh and delicious food on the day of our wedding. Both the food and the service exceeded our expectations. One of the staff members surprised us, and brought to our room, a beautifully decorated plate of our favorite hors d'oeuvres prepared by the chef. We were surprised as this was not a service we had asked for. However, the staff had noticed that we were too busy to stop and eat, and took it upon themselves to make sure we had plenty of food. It was special touches like this that showed us how much they cared. A huge thank you to the staff at Catering By Design for helping to make our wedding a special night that we will never forget!!
• Alice Sent on 10/05/2016
  5 out of 5 rating

  5.0
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  I Would just like to thank Catering By Design for the outstanding service we received for our recent wedding! Christa and her team made sure to take care of every detail of our event. From the minute I contacted Christa, I felt at ease. She took the time to answer questions for me without rushing me or making me feel patronized. Many of the other caterers I contacted made me feel very rushed and like they had other calls to take. We were offered a personalized tasting for our wedding which included all of the foods we wanted to sample. At that consultation meeting she sat down and took the time to go through all of our questions and concerns, and I immediately I felt like we were in good hands. Her staff was professional and courteous and took care of everything. The food at the event was even better than I remembered, and believe me there was plenty of it. Every time we thought the last appetizer was being passed, another appetizer was right behind it. My Guests are still calling me to rave about how wonderful the food was. The presentation of the tables were beyond anything I would've expected. They really put the attention to detail into everything that they do. I would recommend Catering By Design to anyone who is looking for a quality caterer...You won't regret it!

  I Would just like to thank Catering By Design for the outstanding service we received for our recent wedding! Christa and her team made sure to take care of every detail of our event. From the minute I contacted Christa, I felt at ease. She took the time to answer questions for me without rushing me or making me feel patronized. Many of the other caterers I contacted made me feel very rushed and like they had other calls to take. We were offered a personalized tasting for our wedding which included all of the foods we wanted to sample. At that consultation meeting she sat down and took the time to go through all of our questions and concerns, and I immediately I felt like we were in good hands. Her staff was professional and courteous and took care of everything. The food at the event was even better than I remembered, and believe me there was plenty of it. Every time we thought the last appetizer was being passed, another appetizer was right behind it. My Guests are still calling me to rave about how wonderful the food was. The presentation of the tables were beyond anything I would've expected. They really put the attention to detail into everything that they do. I would recommend Catering By Design to anyone who is looking for a quality caterer...You won't regret it!
• Michele Sent on 06/09/2014
  5 out of 5 rating

  5.0
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  WOW! What an amazing caterer. Christa and her staff at Catering by Design were right on point the entire process of planning our Wedding. The morning of my wedding started off very stressful due to incorrect flower arrangements and by the time Catering by Design had arrived I was the happiest bride. Let me first start by saying the food was so fresh and delicious I had guests approaching me while I was taking pictures to ask where I found this caterer. Christa and her staff went above and beyond to ensure our day was truly the happiest day of our lives. The quality of the food was like a five star restaurant and the food just kept coming. Prior to our wedding Catering by Design was very easy to work with. They were very helpful and patient with us while we decided on our menu.
  At the end of the day my husband and I told Catering by Design we wish we could get married again and again so you could be our caterers. We look forward to our next event with Catering by Design. Thank you again for making our Wedding Day the best day of our lives.
  

  WOW! What an amazing caterer. Christa and her staff at Catering by Design were right on point the entire process of planning our Wedding. The morning of my wedding started off very stressful due to incorrect flower arrangements and by the time Catering by Design had arrived I was the happiest bride. Let me first start by saying the food was so fresh and delicious I had guests approaching me while I was taking pictures to ask where I found this caterer. Christa and her staff went above and beyond to ensure our day was truly the happiest day of our lives. The quality of the food was like a five star restaurant and the food just kept coming. Prior to our wedding Catering by Design was very easy to work with. They were very helpful and patient with us while we decided on our menu.
  At the end of the day my husband and I told Catering by Design we wish we could get married again and again so you could be our caterers. We look forward to our next event with Catering by Design. Thank you again for making our Wedding Day the best day of our lives.
  
• Faith Sent on 06/10/2014
  5 out of 5 rating

  5.0
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  I would HIGHLY recommend Catering by Design! The food and the service for my wedding in February was top notch. The presentation was beautiful & my guests couldn't stop talking about how delicious everything was. They made my special day even better than I could have imagined. I will be using them for all of my catering and party planning events in the future.

  I would HIGHLY recommend Catering by Design! The food and the service for my wedding in February was top notch. The presentation was beautiful & my guests couldn't stop talking about how delicious everything was. They made my special day even better than I could have imagined. I will be using them for all of my catering and party planning events in the future.
• 
  User1636638 Sent on 05/28/2014
  5 out of 5 rating

  5.0
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  Amazing food, service and attention to detail. Can't say enough about how wonderful everything was handled. Made our event carefree and quite special.

  Amazing food, service and attention to detail. Can't say enough about how wonderful everything was handled. Made our event carefree and quite special.
• Popo Sent on 12/20/2016
  4.7 out of 5 rating

  4.7
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    4.5 out of 5 rating
    4.5
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    4.5 out of 5 rating
    4.5
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    4.5 out of 5 rating
    4.5

  wonderful food. christa and her staff made sure the food was just good and right

  wonderful food. christa and her staff made sure the food was just good and right
• Karen Sent on 07/18/2016
  4.7 out of 5 rating

  4.7
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    3.5 out of 5 rating
    3.5
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  I would most definitely recommend Catering-By-Design to absolutely anyone. Christa is very knowledgeable especially when it came to planning my backyard wedding for my best friend. She took the time to find out what type of event we were interested in and then used her expertise to guide us to the finish line! We decided on the "extended cocktail hour" which is hot, passed hors d'oeuvres throughout the evening, plus 2 stations - a taco station (the HIT of the night) and an Asian station. As an Italian, my main concern was making sure people had enough to eat. She definitely kept her word. Let me tell you, there was PLENTY of food and OMG it was to die for! Seriously, delicious! Some of my absolute favorites: crab cakes, mini beef wellingtons, fresh mozzarella & tomato skewers with AWESOME balsamic glaze. The taco station was out of this world as was the Asian stir-fry. Her staff was extremely personable, professional and on top of their game. I strongly recommend you give Christa a call - she's got this catering thing down to a science. And, by the way, I don't think you'll find a better value for your dollar. I checked out 2 other caterers - Catering-By-Design was in the middle with their pricing and absolutely worth every penny!

  I would most definitely recommend Catering-By-Design to absolutely anyone. Christa is very knowledgeable especially when it came to planning my backyard wedding for my best friend. She took the time to find out what type of event we were interested in and then used her expertise to guide us to the finish line! We decided on the "extended cocktail hour" which is hot, passed hors d'oeuvres throughout the evening, plus 2 stations - a taco station (the HIT of the night) and an Asian station. As an Italian, my main concern was making sure people had enough to eat. She definitely kept her word. Let me tell you, there was PLENTY of food and OMG it was to die for! Seriously, delicious! Some of my absolute favorites: crab cakes, mini beef wellingtons, fresh mozzarella & tomato skewers with AWESOME balsamic glaze. The taco station was out of this world as was the Asian stir-fry. Her staff was extremely personable, professional and on top of their game. I strongly recommend you give Christa a call - she's got this catering thing down to a science. And, by the way, I don't think you'll find a better value for your dollar. I checked out 2 other caterers - Catering-By-Design was in the middle with their pricing and absolutely worth every penny!
• 
  User2800836 Sent on 10/05/2016
  1.2 out of 5 rating

  1.2
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  I wanted food trucks at my wedding so basically needed a caterer to help me with a few passed items and a whole staff and rentals. There was another caterer I was debating on but thought the food was very good from catering by design and asked Christa if she could match their quote. I even gave Christa a copy of the proposal from the other caterer since she asked for all details. She matched the price but when it came down to the day and the details of the contract I realized that she did not offer anywhere close to the services the other caterer had offered. I thought I could trust Christa to include everything I needed since she told us she had catered at the fairgrounds before. She and her staff had showed up late and did not get the beers on ice early enough for them to chill before my guest were being served. Her staff barely cleaned up the tables and she dismissed them by 7:40, she wanted to take away the coffee at 7:45 when my wedding didn't end until 9:30, she just argued with my day of coordinator towards the end of her night, when we talked to her about the clean up she said it wasn't in our contract and wanted us to pull up the contract in the middle of our wedding. My fiancé, day of coordinator, and I stayed at the venue to clean everything up because Christa never wrote that her staff will clean through the end. I basically paid her a shit ton of money to come by to pass out food and that was it. Some of this is partially my fault because I didn't question her on every detail of the contract, but my fiancé and I both thought that we could trust her to include everything we needed. I am absolutely disgusted with how unprofessional they were at my wedding and felt that I was completely scammed by them when I came to them with complete transparency and sharing a proposal from the other cater. I would NEVER recommend catering by design to anyone looking for a cater after this experience

  I wanted food trucks at my wedding so basically needed a caterer to help me with a few passed items and a whole staff and rentals. There was another caterer I was debating on but thought the food was very good from catering by design and asked Christa if she could match their quote. I even gave Christa a copy of the proposal from the other caterer since she asked for all details. She matched the price but when it came down to the day and the details of the contract I realized that she did not offer anywhere close to the services the other caterer had offered. I thought I could trust Christa to include everything I needed since she told us she had catered at the fairgrounds before. She and her staff had showed up late and did not get the beers on ice early enough for them to chill before my guest were being served. Her staff barely cleaned up the tables and she dismissed them by 7:40, she wanted to take away the coffee at 7:45 when my wedding didn't end until 9:30, she just argued with my day of coordinator towards the end of her night, when we talked to her about the clean up she said it wasn't in our contract and wanted us to pull up the contract in the middle of our wedding. My fiancé, day of coordinator, and I stayed at the venue to clean everything up because Christa never wrote that her staff will clean through the end. I basically paid her a shit ton of money to come by to pass out food and that was it. Some of this is partially my fault because I didn't question her on every detail of the contract, but my fiancé and I both thought that we could trust her to include everything we needed. I am absolutely disgusted with how unprofessional they were at my wedding and felt that I was completely scammed by them when I came to them with complete transparency and sharing a proposal from the other cater. I would NEVER recommend catering by design to anyone looking for a cater after this experience
• Jessica Sent on 04/17/2017
  0.5 out of 5 rating

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  Initial phone conversations were great. Everything seemed perfect. Christa was very open to what we wanted for our wedding and the style of food we wanted to serve. Very attentive and answered all correspondence immediately or within 24 hours. We entered a contract with Catering by Design before we had a tasting because we were told another couple was inquiring about our date. Due to this- we had a clause put into our contract that stated if we are unhappy with the tasting we would receive a full refund of the deposit amount less the tasting fee. The deposit amount was a large sum - $5000. Upon paying the deposit we had spoken about a tasting date, that was put in an email. As the tasting date got closer - I followed up with Christa and was told that date was unavailable and she had no record of our appointment. We scheduled another date for a tasting and I was asked 3 separate times what phone number I could be reached to discuss the tasting. It was discovered that the bar package we had put into the contract did not include glasses- they were an extra fee and there is only one option of "high grade" disposable plates otherwise there is another upcharge. We had our tasting in January and decided to go in a different direction. We have yet to receive our refund even after numerous attempts at trying to collect. A refund was requested February 2 and it is now April 17 and no refund has been given. Communication since signing the contract and paying the deposit is spotty at best and we have been told a check is in the mail - from NJ to NJ- and have yet to receive 2 weeks later.

  Initial phone conversations were great. Everything seemed perfect. Christa was very open to what we wanted for our wedding and the style of food we wanted to serve. Very attentive and answered all correspondence immediately or within 24 hours. We entered a contract with Catering by Design before we had a tasting because we were told another couple was inquiring about our date. Due to this- we had a clause put into our contract that stated if we are unhappy with the tasting we would receive a full refund of the deposit amount less the tasting fee. The deposit amount was a large sum - $5000. Upon paying the deposit we had spoken about a tasting date, that was put in an email. As the tasting date got closer - I followed up with Christa and was told that date was unavailable and she had no record of our appointment. We scheduled another date for a tasting and I was asked 3 separate times what phone number I could be reached to discuss the tasting. It was discovered that the bar package we had put into the contract did not include glasses- they were an extra fee and there is only one option of "high grade" disposable plates otherwise there is another upcharge. We had our tasting in January and decided to go in a different direction. We have yet to receive our refund even after numerous attempts at trying to collect. A refund was requested February 2 and it is now April 17 and no refund has been given. Communication since signing the contract and paying the deposit is spotty at best and we have been told a check is in the mail - from NJ to NJ- and have yet to receive 2 weeks later.
• 
  User3304248 Sent on 11/12/2017
  0.5 out of 5 rating

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  On 6/30 Christa informed me that she did not have enough people to arrange a tasteing for us (I had been waiting for that to make our final menu choices). On July 1st, about one month before my wedding reception, I was hospitalized after a bad accident. On 7/11, I touched base with Christa to let her know about the accident, and asked her for some final information I needed to provide to or venue (license plates, liability insurances, etc). She responsed on 7/11, but didn't address anything I had asked for. On 7/14 I emailed and asked again for those things, and asked if we could choose the stations. She did not respond. On 7/17 I followed up and emailed her again. Christa finally replied on 7/20- but again did not give me the information I needed. On 7/24 I emailed Christa again to follow up and confirm the details. She responded that day and expressed her concern that we needed to finalized the menus, but when I requested we speak on the phone about the stations, she said that she did not have time and was busy. I responded with my questions about the menu via email, but did not hear back that day.
  I emailed again on 7/25 to follow up- no response.
  7/27 Christa finally responded and said that she would not be catering our wedding.
  
  I am going to assume that she realized she couldn't get the liability insurance I needed, and then used the fact that I was asking about the menu as an excuse to pull out of the event. She said that our contract stated final menu choices needed to be made 30 days before the event, and for that reason, she would not be catering our wedding. I reminded her that I was badly injured in the hospital 30 days before (yes, she saw this picture and knew the severity), and she told me that my husband should have taken care of it.
  
  Well, Christa, if it was SO time sensitive, why did you not simple express this to me on 7/11 when I was clearly reaching out to get everything done? Why would you let SO many days go before responding?

  On 6/30 Christa informed me that she did not have enough people to arrange a tasteing for us (I had been waiting for that to make our final menu choices). On July 1st, about one month before my wedding reception, I was hospitalized after a bad accident. On 7/11, I touched base with Christa to let her know about the accident, and asked her for some final information I needed to provide to or venue (license plates, liability insurances, etc). She responsed on 7/11, but didn't address anything I had asked for. On 7/14 I emailed and asked again for those things, and asked if we could choose the stations. She did not respond. On 7/17 I followed up and emailed her again. Christa finally replied on 7/20- but again did not give me the information I needed. On 7/24 I emailed Christa again to follow up and confirm the details. She responded that day and expressed her concern that we needed to finalized the menus, but when I requested we speak on the phone about the stations, she said that she did not have time and was busy. I responded with my questions about the menu via email, but did not hear back that day.
  I emailed again on 7/25 to follow up- no response.
  7/27 Christa finally responded and said that she would not be catering our wedding.
  
  I am going to assume that she realized she couldn't get the liability insurance I needed, and then used the fact that I was asking about the menu as an excuse to pull out of the event. She said that our contract stated final menu choices needed to be made 30 days before the event, and for that reason, she would not be catering our wedding. I reminded her that I was badly injured in the hospital 30 days before (yes, she saw this picture and knew the severity), and she told me that my husband should have taken care of it.
  
  Well, Christa, if it was SO time sensitive, why did you not simple express this to me on 7/11 when I was clearly reaching out to get everything done? Why would you let SO many days go before responding?