Applause Catering + Events

Applause Catering was SO easy to work with and made great suggestions to keeping everything 'sanitary' with COVID-19 restrictions. We had a couple 'small plate stations' available for guests and everyone RAVED about the food AND service at our wedding. Would definitely recommend to anyone getting married or hosting an event!

We hired Applause Catering for our wedding. We initially worked with Kyle who ended up leaving the company pretty early on in our contract to spend more time with his family. We were at first disappointed because we really loved working with Kyle but Tyler stepped in and did a great job. Overall, their food was pretty middle of the road. There were a couple things at the wedding that were disappointing. 1. We tasted the Portobello Mushroom bake at our tasting. It was BEYOND good. So good in fact that I ordered it for my dinner over chicken and steak which says a lot for me. What I ate for dinner on our wedding night was NOT what I had at our tasting... there were huge chunks of vegetables in it, the seasoning was way off, and it wasn't as smooth as it was when I first had it. I walked around and most people had generally the same concencous which was disappointing to me because I had talked it up so much. Not sure what happened here, maybe a new chef but really, really disappointing. 2. Their waitstaff was extremely young and they didn't seem to be trained very well. They were sometimes running in circles and one of them dropped items during dinner (just dishes, not a meal). Overall, middle of the road experience and really disappointing dish but if you stay away from that, the rest seemed to be loved by all.

Everyone at applause is wonderful. However, the beta by far is Tyler. He made every effort to make our wedding work smoothly. He was attentive and accommodating. He even went above and beyond to ensure that we could have the day we dreamed of. The only thing that could be improved is the knifes to cut steak a little more easily. Still tastes great and was served quickly so it was hot. The food is fabulous and service is second to none.

Applause is an amazing catering company! They are extremely easy to work with and have a large variety of options to choose from. Tyler offered us a lot of helpful advice in choosing the best options for our guest count and also helped us stay within our budget. I would highly recommend this company to other couples!

We worked with Stephanie at Applause who helped us get all of the details lined up for our large banquet. The whole process was smooth -- starting with the taste testing portion which was catered to our specific needs. Stephanie created a stress-free event day because of her attention to detail. The best part was -- the food was great, and our guests noticed as well!

I worked with Applause beginning very far in advance of our wedding because I was planning initially from very far away. They arranged for my mom to participate in the tasting and when I all of a sudden was able to be in town several hours after the tasting, they sent her home with to-go boxes of everything so that I could taste everything as well. Throughout the process the accommodated all of me requests, including some very last minute changes, with no push back. The day of, the food was DELICIOUS and the service was superb. Everyone was so cordial and made the whole reception not stressful at all.

Applause was excellent. They were professional and easy to work with the entire process! They communicated often and were willing to go and beyond to make sure everything was perfect for our big day! We had them on site which can be tricky for any caterer. Their antipasto appetizer display was gorgeous and a HUGE hit! I would always suggest ordering a meal with sauces, and we would have loved just a tad more on our chicken dish as it was dry for some guests. We had the s’mores bar and they transitioned the app display to the dessert display flawlessly and without commotion. Their staff was everywhere and nowhere which is always the goal!! Overall, would definitely recommend Applause, we loved our experience.

My experience with Applause was excellent! After trying a couple different caterers in town, Applause was by far the best fit for my wedding. They were professional and easy to work with. The food was amazing and the service was fantastic. My wedding guest repeatedly complimented the food and the staff. I will certainly be using Applause again for any future catering needs.

I did food stations and everyone raved. I have celiac and was able to have several gluten free options. Staff were all super polite.

Applause was amazing to work with. They made everything smooth and easy and were very professional. We did their encore appetizer package and it was the perfect amount of food and tasted just as amazing at our tasting as at our wedding. The only complaint we heard at our wedding was with our dessert. Instead of cake we chose pie & gelato. Heard that some pie slices came out without any gelato and others with a just sliver of gelato. This is not something that every wedding does so can't fault them too much for the confusion. Otherwise heard nothing but compliments on the food. Highly recommend them!

I can't say enough good things about Applause! The food was incredible, the staff was amazing, and we felt so taken care of during our reception and throughout the process of planning our wedding. Stephanie was willing to chat with me on the phone after hours to go over the final details for our wedding, and she answered any and all questions I had (and there were a lot!) with grace and patience. We definitely made the right choice when it came to using Applause!!

The food was absolutely delicious! Kyle was fantastic to work with! He was always quick to answer phone calls/emails and he was also wonderful working around dietary restrictions. We were so grateful for his help. The only problem was a small miscommunication between our DJ and our caterer over when a wedding game was to be played. We had hoped it would be played after dinner, but it ended up being played before dinner and so food came out later than we might have hoped. Other than that, everything was absolutely amazing! We could not have asked for a better caterer. The food was also super affordable. Would definitely recommend!

Applause Catering truly delivers 5-star experience. We worked with Stephanie for our wedding reception and I could not have been happier. From the planning process to the week-of logistics, to day-of help, she was always gracious, happy, honest, and helpful. If I ever work on another event that needs catering, Applause will be the first place I call. I would happily refer them to anyone looking to check dinner, bartending and dessert off of their list!

Applause catering, specifically Barbeque Boys, provided the catering for our wedding on June 25th, 2016. The price was reasonable, the food was delicious, and all of the staff was great to work and interact with. We would definitely use them again.

I highly recommend Applause catering. The food was delicious, and tasted just like the samples we tried at our tasting. Kyle was our prime contact and was phenomenal. We were planning long distance and he was very flexible about scheduling tastings and working around our travel schedule. He had helpful recommendations for us, both as to food and for place settings and tablecloths.

Really enjoyed worked with Kyle - he was super friendly and easy to work with. The food quality turned out great.

Kyle was amazing to work with. He always responded quickly to my emails or calls and was always available. He made sure everything went smoothly and made planning so easy. He let us see the reception room multiple times and accommodated all of our requests. The day went perfectly. The food was amazing, even better than it was for our tasting. We could not have asked for a better team!

When you go in to taste the food take pictures. We did not but what we were served at our wedding was not Chicken Portofino, like we ordered. At the wedding, we were served chicken cordon bleu. When my mother tried to call about it after the wedding, they claimed that was what we ordered (chicken portofino). Being in catering, I would think they would know the difference between the two. I remember the breaded chicken with the gross thick sauce on it and I didn't like it at the tasting and I didn't like it at my wedding. My husband ended up sharing part of his meal with me because of the meal I was served. I'm thoroughly disappointed with Applause and won't be recommending them. Food was decent but swapping food out at the last minute was not what I was expecting from them.

The catering staff along with the food was perfect. I have had several people come up to me and tell me how impressed they were with the food, the service, everything! Kyle was the perfect person to help me plan my perfect day! I told him what my vision was an he made it better! We did a really cool seafood station, a grilled cheese station with had several different kinds of grilled cheese and a pasta station that everyone loved. If I could do it again, I wouldn't change a thing.

Our venue had a list of approved caterers and when we went through the list, many of them were waaaaay out of our price range (*cough* Amway Grand). We looked through the Applause website, checked over their menu and prices, and contacted them about a tasting. We attended their tasting event at Bridgewater Place where we got to taste lots of their food offerings and meet various vendors from the area (we met our DJ there!). They had a full dinner service so we could see how their staff operates and they had plated and buffet options on display to show attendees what their food looks like in various forms. My (now) husband LOVED the Applause Chicken Portofino, while I loved the Classic London Broil. Seriously, my husband loved that chicken so much that he pitched it to every single one of our guests before they sent their response cards back. Since we wanted to give our guests choices, we did the split plate option which gave us up to 4 choices, so we had chicken, beef, fish, and vegetarian options. We had the roasted potato trio and green beans amandine for our sides. Throughout the wedding planning process, Kyle was great over email and answered my many, many questions, including things like, "will you put salt and pepper shakers on each table?" (yes) or "can you do this random napkin fold I saw on Pinterest?" (they could). Kyle answered every question and always did so in a friendly way. We had two guests with intense food allergies and Applause staff made sure that they wouldn't have any problems on the day of the wedding (and they didn't, so good job!). Applause provided all our linens (napkins in our wedding color and crisp, white tablecloths), tableware, and even provided our cake cutting materials, because I thought it was silly to pay $40 to buy one for myself and then never use it again. They even included a late night coffee bar and waived our cake cutting fee as part of our catering package. All our food was hot and delicious on the day of the wedding. My bridesmaids nearly licked their plates. We were all very happy with our dinners and Applause timed everything well. We had a waiter assigned only to the head table and he made bar runs for us if any of us wanted something to drink (which was great, because getting around tables in my dress was a challenge). The day-of catering manager also checked with me throughout the night to make sure everything was to my satisfaction, which I appreciated. We had a great experience with Applause and if we did it all over, we would happily hire them again.

To be clear, I DID NOT use Applause Catering for my wedding, but think it is very important for prospective brides and grooms to know my experience with them and why I will not ever use them or recommend them for an event. I am planning my fall 2015 wedding and found Applause Catering on the list of approved vendors for my venue. After reviewing their website, my fiance and I decided to schedule an appointment and a tasting at their facilities. Following the instructions on their website, I submitted a request for a tasting, along with the information that was requested...and waited... Having not received a response after 2 days, I submitted a new request...and waited... After 2 more days of waiting and not getting any responses, I called the number found on the website. Unfortunately, it is a fully automated system with no general contact to speak with, so I selected the extension of the first person listed as a sales and catering specialist and left a detailed message...and waited... That evening, I received an email in response to my first two requests telling me that "he thought the chef would be out (on my requested date) with his children and would get back with me" but would like to schedule an appointment anyway. He also stated in the email that he would get back with me right away to let me know if the chef was or was not going to be available. As both my fiance and I are from out of town, it's imperative that we are very efficient with our appointments and would not schedule one to hear his sales pitch without having a tasting as well. I called the number on his email immediately- literally, in the time it took for the email to come in, for me to read it, and subsequently dial the number, 5 minutes may have elapsed- and had no answer. I then responded to his email with very detailed information about my travel plans and the requirements for my appointment....and waited... The next morning, I received a call from a different person, but unfortunately was away from my phone and missed the call. I called back right away (perhaps 15 minutes had elapsed since the message was left), but again, no answer. I left a message requesting a call back right away...and waited...in fact, I have not heard back from either people whatsoever. If this company values new business, they certainly don't show it. The communication-or rather, lack thereof- is simply appalling. If it is this difficult to so something that should be so simple as to schedule appointment, how is it going to be to work with them to ensure my needs are met for my wedding? If they can't handle a simple task of returning a phone call or email in a timely manner, then how can I trust that they are going to properly do their jobs? I can't, and they have lost my business as a result. So disappointing. UPDATE: I ultimately received an email communication stating they could not accommodate any tasting requests on the date I requested but they "still wanted my business". There were no suggestions of when their chef might make an appearance for a tasting for alternate dates.

We scheduled Applause Event Center and their catering in enough time, but as for the final details, I really neglected to follow-up or get back to Applause at all about what food we wanted ordered, what time on our booked day we would have guests arrive, etc. Thankfully, the Event Coordinator, Stephanie, was incredibly helpful and she was even willing to meet with me two weeks before the wedding when I finally moved back to Grand Rapids. Cannot recommend this company enough!

Right off the bat, my (now) husband wanted amazing food that didn't taste like banquet food. In our tasting, I was impressed with the quality but he said it was not the best he had eaten. We went with Applause because of their impressive ability to accommodate allergens. We had 4 cases of different allergens with our guests, and everyone ate well with no hospital trips! At the reception, my husband said that his food was well above and beyond his expectations, and everyone enjoyed what they had to eat. Salad was fresh and cold, meals were hot and cooked correctly! Stephanie and her team are amazing! We had a disaster with the florist and our wedding venue coordinators, but The Applause Team was professional and handled everything without a problem. I am so impressed and thankful that we went with this company. Highly recommend!

I loved working with Kyle. Everything was great and easily customizable.

I was happy with Applause Catering. Stephanie was a huge help through my wedding process and was always well organized and easy to get in touch with. She really made me happy I chose Applause. Their portofino chicken was delicious and the staff the day of the wedding was awesome!

I was thrilled with the service that we received from Applause Catering. My son and daughter in law's reception was held at the GOEI Center and Applause was their Caterer. A perfect venue and caterer. Our Event Planner was Melissa and she was a total asset to our planning process. Melissa was easy to work with and offered many great ideas. The Executive Chef, Mark, personally spent time with us to customize the perfect menu. The food was amazing!!! The portions were generous and our meals were hot! I received so many compliments from our guests. It was very clear that the entire staff was dedicated to making sure that my son and daughter in-law truly had a night to remember. Thank you Applause for making this special occasion absolutely perfect!

I worked with Melissa, she was great to us. Contacted us often to see if we needed anything. Worked throughly with what we wanted and made it happen.

Bridgewater place was absolutely beautiful! It looks like a very expensive venue but is extremely affordable. A lot is included in the price (ie. bridal suite, cake cutting, parking in the ramp, multiple floors). The food was delicious which I was nervous about b/c some of the food at the tastings were not so good. All the staff was very friendly but not completely organized. The banquet manager I dealt with had slow reponse time and often forgot items so as a detailed oriented person that drove me nuts but that is really my only complaint. Thank you for a beautiful reception!

Applause catered our wedding and did a fantastic job for an affordable price!

Applause did a great job catering my wedding reception and everyone really enjoyed the food. The staff was friendly and professional. I would definitely recommenced Applause to anyone!

Applause has catered a number of events for my family in the past, they did not disappoint! Melissa is GREAT.

Kyle was very helpful in helping me design a menu to perfectly fit my needs, the food was delicious, everyone loved it, and the staff stayed after the reception until literally everything was cleaned up and did so happily.They also coordinated very well with the wedding planner from our venue to make sure that everything was taken care of. I didnt have to worry about a thing. Would definitely recommend.

I just recently had my reception at the Bridgewater Place catered by Applause. They were great to work with and very helpful. They made sure everything went smoothly and I didn't have to worry about a thing. I have also been to other weddings catered by them and had and equally great experience as a guest.

Melissa did a great job through the wedding planning process. She helped us plan everything out. The food was amazing it's all I have been hearing about since the wedding. The service was amazing. They did a great job with everything.

The food was amazing. We chose an hors d'evours package, which came with maybe 6 or 7 hors d'evours, with 2 of each for each person. I cannot say enough how amazing the food was. Our biggest problem, and that of our family, was that all leftovers were tossed. Apparently if you want to keep any leftovers, you have to tell them beforehand and sign a waiver. Oh, and bring your own containers. We were never told this. We had noticed about an hour into the reception that there was a ton of food left over and we were so excited to be able to have so many leftovers! Also, my new brother-in-law was happy to be able to take some home to their grandmother, who had been too sick to attend. Later in the evening I asked one of the waitresses where the leftovers were and she told me that they had all been eaten. We knew this was not true. I emailed within a few days to try to get to the bottom of this, and this is when I was told about the waiver. Needless to say, after having spend over $1000 for this, and having maybe just over half of it actually eaten, I was extremely unhappy. After an exchange of a few emails with nothing seeming to happen, other than them telling me about food quality and safety (had I known beforehand that I would need to take care of the leftovers, I would have made plans to use the frige at the venue), I have given up. I am so unsure of how to feel about this caterer, since the food was so amazing, and prior to the wedding I really liked them. Having lost out on so much food, and money, and not having them try to make it right, I really don't feel like they deserve higher than 3 stars. However, you now have the knowledge of a waiver, so if you want great food at a decent price, I might just suggest them to you.

I originally looked for a venue that didn't work with Applause, I didn't like their service. We found a place. Celebration Cinema and the Wave Room. Mid way through our wedding planning we found out that Celebration Cinema partnered with Applause...so we were stuck. Melissa (our point person) was great to work with, I just wasn't fond of her staff at all. Our rehearsal dinner was a Taco buffet. Most of it was good, however the beef was swimming in a pool of greese...with was so gross. Our reception went well. We had offered a steak, chicken, or fish option. I got rave reviews on the chicken and fish...the steak however, not so much. I would say 70% of our guests ordered the steak. Many said it was over cooked (to the point of well done) and cold. Others said it was good..so the cooking was not consistant. My Husbands (whose meal is one of the most important) was cold and nothing but a plate of fat. He was really upset about it, and not to mention starving. When I emailed Melissa to tell her about everything she seemed concerened and said she was informing her manager and wuold get back to me....it's not beed almost 2 weeks and I haven't heard anything from her. This is the exact reason I didn't want to use Applause in the first place. Celebration Cinema as a venue, and Bartenders were fantastice, and April Butler with Celebration Cinema was an absolute please to work with.

I really enjoyed my face to face interactions with my planner at Applause. She had every detail for my reception down and it all played out perfect on the day of the wedding! I would have expected more in just communicating by email, but it ended up not being a problem by the time the day came. I'm a more laid back person though, so if you are more high maintenance, this could be a little frustrating at times.

We had to use applause because of our reception location and the food was the worst I have ever eaten. It was good at the tasting and a nightmare at the wedding reception. We had chicken and steak and the steak was inedible. I was not aware before this that you could so completely ruin steak to the point of people not eating it at all. However, this is what happened. They claimed that there was a fuse problem and that the person in charge of the steaks walked away. First of all if this happened anyone but the person in charge of food should have fixed the fuse and second the chef should never walk away from the food he is preparing for 170 people and third if the chef will admit to the bride that there is a problem with the steak it looks horrible on the company that they would still serve the food. This was a horrible experience and all my guests are talking about is how bad the food was. The company should have stepped up at the reception to admit that there was a problem. However, they didn't and at a meeting after the fact they acted like we were in the wrong not them. A horrible experience starting with a horrible attitude on the part of our contact, followed by horrible food, and finished with a bad attitude on behalf of the manager after the fact. If you have an option NEVER WORK WITH THEM. I will spend forever telling everyone I talk to about the horrible and unprofessionalism we experienced with this company.

I tried to talk to Applause to get a quote for our wedding. I never received an email back. When I found their rep at a bridal show and asked about it, she claimed her email hadn't been working at that time, but then replied to THAT EMAIL. When she did reply, she told me that my idea to have family-style service was basically a bad idea, they don't recommend it (we did and it worked out great!), and that they could not/would not make anything off-menu. Next!

Day-of, everything was perfect. Food was great, everything was timely. Kyle made sure everything went smoothly. Leading up to the big day, however, I felt Applause was a little slow to respond to both myself and my wedding coordinator regarding menu, final costs. Overall though, great people and great food. Would recommend to others..

We could not be happier with the quality of our event with Applause Catering. Stephanie was our event coordinator and she was always prompt in answering our emails and any questions we had. She was so helpful in working with us so we were satisfied with everything in the event. Kyle was our coordinator for the day of the wedding and he made any concern or problem we had disappear quickly and to our satisfaction. Our head table server was so accommodating, and the food was AMAZING and looked so beautiful on the plate! We can't forget our bartender, they ran out of one type of beer we had (my husband's favorite) in the last 1/2 hour of our event. When he went to the bar someone said "they're out of Oberon" but the bartender had poured him a glass before they ran out and saved it for him! Wow! All of the staff was so friendly and helpful and if I had a question one person couldn't answer they would track someone down that could. We were so happy we chose Applause!

Overall, the food was good and the service the night of the wedding was good. There were, at times, communication issues before the wedding and things we would have liked different. But they were minor issues and overall we were happy with our three entrees, the cocktail hours set up and the drinks.

I have had this food at several weddings and events. The food on the whole is good! I think it is also reasonably priced.

The food at our wedding was awesome! Everyone had great things to say about it. The staff was extremely helpful and so nice. Melissa was able to help us make our wedding day perfect. They are very flexible with decorations and food options. We were very pleased and wouldn't have changed a thing!

The food was good and the venue was great (Bridgewater Place). Had a hard time getting ahold of someone the couple weeks before the wedding to confirm all the details. The staff at the reception was great.

After our wedding we had more then 50 people tell us how much they loved the food and how normal weddings-the food tastes horrible but they loved it so much they went up for seconds!