Jennifer Charette
I made my decision to hire Happy Catering to provide dinner for one night of a 2.5 day conference partly based on reviews, so I feel it may be helpful to others to read a balanced review.
My initial interactions with the team at Happy Catering were great - they were the most prompt of any Birmingham-area caterer to respond, telephoned me to learn of our conference's character, and quickly provided a quote that represented what we'd discussed.
The challenges began when I shared a list of our attendee's dietary restrictions with our "Happiness Consultant" and asked for recommendations on how to meet these needs. Admittedly, almost 30% of attendees had some sort of need - vegetarian, pescatarian, gluten free, dairy free, etc, but I don't think that is wholly uncommon these days. I was open to an overhaul of the original menu, modifying dishes, purchasing individual meals for those with significant restrictions, etc, and asked for the team's expertise and guidance in how to best proceed. This proved to be wildly difficult and complicated. Which surprised me, as our other two caterers for other aspects of the conference had no issue making adjustments.
Ultimately, a manager got involved, and we were finally able to adjust the menu to meet the needs of guests just a few days before the conference.
The morning of, I received a call from a member of the Happy Catering staff asking how I wanted one of the items - the butternut squash mac and cheese - to be prepared. I'm still confused by the reason for this call, which came in the middle of running a conference, so not at all convenient. This wasn't a menu item I requested specially, it was recommended, so it wasn't my recipe.
At the event, the venue manager coordinated set-up and I arrived with our attendees. Our banquet manager never introduced herself, nor did I see her tending the buffet (two men were, so it wasn't unattended, and they were very kind). The first time I saw her was when I asked for her so I could provide payment. The men who had actively been present had to themselves locate her 15 minutes later.
The food was at best unremarkable, at worst unappetizing. I am one of those vegetarians, and couldn't bring myself to eat the stuffed bell pepper that was my option. Our guest with a significant dietary restriction did not receive her custom meal until after she had already eaten a granola bar she'd brought for herself. The "happy punch" was a brilliant, neon pink, and was not an appropriate recommendation for 50 adults. It was barely touched.
Luckily, the food throughout the rest of our conference was outstanding, so this was a blip on the radar of our attendees. Had it been a signature event meal, it would have been an embarrassment. The cost was higher than another evening buffet meal at one of the Birmingham area's premier restaurants, so it is hard to understand.
No one from Happy Catering has reached out to request feedback, express appreciation, etc.
Not being from Birmingham, I have not worked with all the area's caterers, but of our three Happy Catering is the only one I was at all disappointed with.
