Crystal Lake Catering Company

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were receiving. Utterly grateful my husband found this company as they exceeded our expectations.

- my husband and I knew we wanted to prioritize the food for our wedding and were in good hands. Almost everything was kept seasonal and local and was cooked to perfection - to this day, people rave about the pork and the ratatouille they made! In addition to helping us craft a delicious menu, it was super helpful that they knew our venue (the Elberta Life Saving Station). They were able to help us with the layout of tables and set up ahead of time. The day of, they were able to make the necessary changes to accomodate pouring rain (all seamlessly and without stress). We would recommend them for any event with our whole heart.

all the appetizers when I missed the cocktail hour due to picture taking. I thought that was so sweet. By the way, his tacos are THE BOMB!!!

d Jim Barnes in a heartbeat. Thanks!

ssatisfaction. Each one he stated it was his fault for either misleading us or forgetting to omit things from our contract. After admitting fault, he has refused to refund any of the money that was paid for things not included from the contract. If you are looking for great food and little customer service, Crystal Lake Catering is the place to book. We would never recommend them because of their lack of understanding after the event and lack of communication during planning.

we explained our budget and he agreed he would be able to stay under it. He took many notes during the meeting, so I was very surprised a few days later when we received his quote which was double our budget! Feeling frustrated, I went through the quote and found that he included bartenders, glassware, etc all things we had told him we did not need. I emailed him back asking him if those things would lower our cost or if there was another menu option we could consider. His reply was to seek another vendor that always "surprised him with his low costs." I did not even bother responding. We ultimately did go with another vendor but were very disappointed in our experience. Especially the time wasted! My husband was also very disgusted in the owner's demeanor during the meeting, constantly snorting and touching face. Also, since we live in the area and are not tourists (as many are), we will never consider using company for our future events and would strong urge others to avoid this company.

It was easy to get a hold of Jim and he was very accommodating to all of our needs. It made planning a breeze to know that Jim and his crew were taking care of set up as well as the food. The food was amazing, the set up was perfect and the staff were personable and helpful. Our guests continue to comment on how delicious the food was and how well they were taken care of by the waitstaff. Our experience with Crystal Lake Catering couldn't have been more perfect, from beginning to end.

in the world and some of our favorite foods from the area. Jim helped make sure this happened. He was a big help in planning our menu. We especially appreciated the attention to detail and his work fulfilling our requests to have the food reflect Northern Michigan dining and be sourced as locally as possible. The day of, Jim delivered delicious food to our party of 60. The appetizers were wonderful and appropriately proportioned (no dealing with unwieldy finger-foods). Every entree (fish, filet, and mushroom pasta) was very good and plated beautifully. His staff was also top notch. The servers were incredibly helpful and polite, and the bartender kept the drinks flowing to our very thirsty crowd. Thanks for helping make our wedding perfect!

llent, so it seemed like a good place to start. They were well within our budget and offered all the services we needed- food, serving staff, bartender, plates, cups, cutlery, linens. Everything was wonderful. We didn't have a wedding planner, so we were sort of waffling our way through the planning and set-up process. The staff here was super helpful. I'm terrible with spacial stuff and they helped us sort out where to put hor d'oeuvres, the bar, and the buffet. They also helped us be really clear about timing on everything. Overall, they were easy to get a hold of and quick to answer our questions via phone and email. The plates and forks they provided looked awesome- wood-y, and so they matched our woodcut centerpieces. The food tasted great! We had so many compliments on it. It was really unique (though with familiar enough elements that no one picky left hungry) and really yummy. The serving staff was very friendly and very patient with us. All in all, this was a ~great choice for us, worked perfectly with our wedding, as I'd imagine it would with most!

ing about it!