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3.2
out of 5.011 reviews
Mark Gallagher did not show up for our
120 person wedding.
From the moment we showed up to the venue around 1pm, the stress began as we had not heard from the caterer who was a...
lso in charge of providing the bartender, drink containers, ice, cutlery, tables and linens in ADDITION to the food.
Not one call was answered by Mark or his team and he truly no-call, no showed this wedding leaving us to truly panic and pull together a miracle to try to save the day. I can't describe to you the stress that this put on the families and the staff of our venue who stepped up to activate an emergency plan.
This man should never be entrusted to someone's event in the future. Dozens of calls left unanswered after paying him in full weeks ago.
We now know this man has no call no showed at least two weddings in three weeks. In the most basic of terms, no matter what emergency occurs, it is not okay to not give notice. Being a no call no show means that you are waiting and waiting and waiting assuming the best in the person-- hoping they got lost. Hoping there was a misunderstanding. Hoping god forbid they are okay if there was a car accident or a medical emergency. If someone calls and tells you they are having an emergency, even on the morning of (!!) the event, you could activate a plan and save the wedding. But when you are expecting them to come you wait until the last possible minute... which is what happened to us. Activating a back up plan DURING the ceremony. I will let you imagine what that felt like to be up a mountain 30 mins deep in the Santa Cruz mountains trying to get someone to save our 120 person wedding. It had a huge impact on our day as there was no bartender, no appetizers, no food, no staff, no tables, no NA drinks, no ice. Then- to find out he won't pay you the $ back. I don't care if you have 9 bad days in 20 years. How you handle your business on your worst days shows your integrity- of which this man has none.
If I could give zero stars, I would. Chef Mark did not return any calls or texts on the day of the wedding, leaving us to scramble to find tables, dishes, food, bartending, servers...
, etc for 150 guests and venue staff. As for communication, two days after the wedding, he sent an email that actually begins "I'm sorry I flaked on your event." This is very clearly a person who is not professional, and should not be able to practice business. There is no words for how this irrevocably harmed what should have been a joyous day, and there is no getting that back (though sending the money back would help). He had time to respond to reviews, but not work through a refund process, then holds refund hostage until people remove their negative reviews. In addition, since then, he has flaked on 2 more wedding events at minimum that we know of. Please beware!!!
Beware! Mark Gallagher signs contracts, takes money and disappears. I wish I could report that my daughter and son in law also had “great communication” and that their wedding gues...
ts enjoyed delicious food and seamless service at their wedding Memorial Day weekend, but Mark didn’t show up at all. He did not return any calls or texts on the day of the wedding, leaving us to scramble to find tables, dishes, food, bartending, servers, etc for 150 guests and venue staff. Thus, I cannot comment on the quality of the food or service because THERE WAS NONE. As for communication, two days after the wedding, he sent an email that actually begins “I’m sorry I flaked on your event.” I’m afraid I find that communique a bit lacking.
There have been several convoluted,, ungrammatical emails and texts sent since, but all fail to explain why, apparently, no one besides Mark expected to provide service, food or bartending for this wedding which was arranged and paid for months in advance. It seems that no one in his employ had access to an address, phone number, email, or vehicle to attempt provision of services. He has intimated that our family’s 1 star reviews are somehow to blame for his inability to even attempt to make this right. I’m confused as to how many stars he feels are warranted in this situation. The families of the bride and groom were stressed and distracted during what should have been a joyous day, and that can’t be recovered.
In this case, the one star reviews matter far more than the fives.
Update: as of 6/28/26, Mark has failed to reimburse the stolen money or actually apologize to the bride and groom.
Zero stars, if I could.
Paid in full, wedding day comes and Mark Gallagher Affordable Chef Svc is a no show to my daughter’s wedding. Contract was for all the food, tables, lin...
ens, tableware, bartenders, and more! He left my daughter, son-in-law and their 120 plus guests with the question, “what the hell?”
Two days after the wedding, after countless unreturned calls, he shoots a sob story text that something came up and someone dropped the ball.
He promises to refund the full payment in a week. Why does it take a week? Because there was never any intention of refunding them. A week later, you guessed it, no refund! My daughter sent an email with contractual info demanding a refund, or she will seek legal counsel. His response; “see you in court”.
He had time to respond to reviews, but not work through a refund process, then holds refund hostage until people remove their negative reviews.
DO NOT TRUST THIS THIEF!
The food was really good, and the staff was very friendly. Mark made sure that there was a special dish for my vegetarian family, and the staff brought us our plates and also made ...
our families who needed it a plate of food (my dad is in a wheelchair), so that was very important to me that my dad was taken care of. Overall, we had a good experience, and the guests were satisfied with dinner.
Chef Mark is responsive and communicative throughout the entire process. He was flexible with the modifications we made as we planned our wedding. His staff was on time, ready, and...
incredibly helpful throughout the entire day. His food won't be the fanciest but it is delicious! He can make any kind of menu you are looking for. He is knowledgeable and friendly and down to earth. We didn't do desserts through him- we used Nothing Bundt Cakes. His team stored them for us and displayed them all beautifully. If you are getting married anywhere near Santa Cruz, don't want to break the budget and have a great tasty event- Affordable Chef Services is a great choice.
DO NOT HIRE. BAD LOCAL REPUTATION.
I don't know where to start with this review.... I ALWAYS try to give people chances, hear out their side of things, and make things right but I...
feel it is my duty to alert all future brides and grooms NOT to use Mark for any catering needs.
I had a bad feeling from the moment we did our tasting (at his house). I was sure because of this feeling to get everything in writing and be very clear with what we needed and wanted. 4 weeks before our wedding we went to a rental company and while making small talk with the owner, she asked us who was doing our catering. I informed her and she turned white. She asked if he was providing the rentals and I replied yes. then she stated "nobody in SC county will rent to him so that is a surprise" and i asked why was that. she stated "he doesn't pay his bills, you need to be very cautious with him," Just what a bride wants to hear a month before the wedding!
I have put off writing this review for about 6 months to allow mark to make things right and he has failed us over and over again.
We hired mark for our wedding in August over a year prior to date.
We gave a high estimate of people (220) and prepaid in January 2018. As the wedding approached Mark was notified of the guest count being low (165) and he agreed that after the wedding we would even up and get a reimbursement for what was over paid. During this email exchange mark asked if we would like to change out our menu selections from New York Steak to tri-tip and from Asparagus to green beans, stating that many of his clients were making the change because it is easier.
I replied stating that I would like to keep the meat the same but the veggies could be changed.
The day of our wedding comes, I arrive at the venue and hear nothing but negative things about Mark. Everyone was telling me how hard he was being during set up.
Dinner comes, we were served tri-tip instead of NY steak and asparagus instead of green beans.... I was so disappointed and honestly embarrassed that we had this huge menu sign by the buffet that was misleading our guests. Not to mention the major cost difference between tri-tip and NY steak.... We paid for something that wasn't even provided.
The catering staff was a joke. There was one really nice lady who checked on us every few minutes which was amazing but other than her it was a joke. Stained T-shirts and all. there was a boy probably not older than 15 pouring wine for our guests at their tables.
The bartender, who was a complete ass was literally never at the bar. Our guest served themselves about 80% of the time. Then to top it off, we had over ordered cases of wine and the bartender was caught trying to take them home. Stating, "Well there is so much extra i thought i would take a couple cases home." He was reminded several times that we provided the alcohol.
The staff left behind a number of items, which i collected and took home. After returning from our honeymoon 2 weeks later, I contacted Mark about the refund and returning his items. He stated that he needed to calculate the refund and that he would put a check in the mail and asked if i could drop off the items at a random apartment. Out of good will, i returned the items, hoping mark put a check in the mail.
All attempts of contact to Mark were not returned. I sent a final attempt to collect letter and my husband called Mark to see if there was something else going on. Mark refuses to answer the call and responds in text messages which is perfectly fine with me because things in writing hold up better in court.
We have been promised many times that a check is in the mail... and still nothing.
FYI there were many reviews JUST like mine that have mysteriously disappeared. many of them included the fact that personal checks from Mark had bounced.
Do your self a favor and do not go anywhere near this man or his company. He will say whatever it takes to get your money.
I honestly cannot write and praise Chef Mark and his crew enough!! They made our day amazing. We did not have to worry about anything. They were so on their game, and went as far a...
s sending one of the servers out to us while we were taking photos so we could try the apps.
They ran on time, and the food was delicious! They made the dinner for us at our venue (OVY Camp - San Greogrio, CA)and then also made a brunch for us that Sunday. They were the best we could have gotten. I so appreciated the fact that it truly was affordable. When compared to other caterers - they don't even come close to the quality and the amazing deal that you can get through Mark.
If your're planning a wedding -or just an event- I would hire Mark no doubt. He is extremely easy to work with, mellow, but will also reply very very fast. They went above and beyond our expectations.
My husband and I really enjoyed working with Mark as our wedding caterer and received many compliments on the food at our wedding (especially Mark’s veggie lasagna). In addition to...
catering, Mark also provided the bartending staff for our reception. The staff passed appetizers, served drinks and re-stocked the buffet like pros and with 215 guests we were no easy wedding to cater to. I was told by multiple guests how much they liked Mark’s staff and how professional they all were and Mark made us feel at ease through the whole process while also being affordable. Mark provided my husband and me with a tasting at our home, which was great, and answered all of my questions in a timely fashion. Mark also provided us with all of our linens and serving needs for the evening (plates, glasses, utensils, etc). I wouldn’t hesitate to use Mark again for a future event.
Chef Mark was punctual in replying to my questions before the big day, which, as an out-of-town bride, was very reassuring! At the last minute, Chef Mark was unable to attend the r...
eception, but his on-site chef made delicious food, and the staff were phenomenal! There was one staff member in particular who took an interest in my Husband and I. She told us that we were her "celebrities for the day," made sure we ate appetizers before we walked in, escorted us to the buffet first, and was constantly checking on our drinks. She also took an interest in our families, leading many people to tell us how amazing she was! The bartender Chef Mark sent was also lovely, knew her stuff, and made our signature cocktails perfectly! All in all, a great experience and a company we would trust our next big event to!
Mark was super easy to work with. He was very responsive to every inquiry and the food was amazing! We did the BBQ Buffet for 70 people and everyone raved about the ribs and mac an...
d cheese especially. Couldn't be happier with the service!
Contact
740 Eddy Ln, Santa Cruz, CA
Affordable chef services