About this vendor
Dad's Catering Service is a full-service catering and planning company. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, we are family-owned and have served Arizona since 1976, specializing in award-winning cuisine, full bar service, full line of event rentals, cakes, desserts and even event planning.
Details
Business Attributes
- Woman-owned Business
Cuisine
- American
- Italian
- Latin American
- Seafood
Dietary Options
- Vegetarian
Food & Catering
- Buffet
- Catering Clean Up
- Passed Appetizers
- Seated Meal
Awards and Affiliations
Reviews
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4.2
out of 5.017 reviews
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I used Dad's Catering for my wedding, and Tim was so kind on the phone. He answered all of my questions, and was always available to help when needed. There were 4 people sent to help with the catering, and they were so kind and helpful! Constantly checked on us, made sure everything was cleaned before they left, and they communicated. On top of that, the food was amazing! I received so many compliments on how wonderful everything was.
Loved working with this team!! They were nice and always answered our questions!
Dad's Catering is THE WORST CATERER ON THE PLANET. Dad's Catering is a COMPLETE DISASTER!!!
My parents 60th Anniversary was ruined by this unprofessional, incompetent and RUDE company.
TIm, the owner of Dad's Catering , KNEW that were cooking for over 100 people. Tim, the owner of Dad's Catering, KNEW that people would be entering the room at 6:00PM, so everything needed to be set up (glasses, utensils on the tables), including the bar (with drinks chilled, water in the glasses, water/ice tea on the tables and the Margarita Fountain flowing). DINNER was supposed to be at 6:30pm.
All of the guests started to arrive around 6:00pm and here is what they encountered:
One of the Dad's Catering staff members was putting glasses on the table BY HANDLING THEM FROM THE TOP OF THE GLASS, NOT THE BOTTOM!!! He just looked up at the 80 people coming in the door and continued, as SLOW AS HE POSSIBLY COULD MOVE, to put glasses on the table. I asked him to please move the glass racks out of the room because "there are 80 people coming in the door".
"Tammy", apparently The Manager of Dad's Catering, walked to me and said, "Are you in charge? Why are you telling my staff what to do?"
She showed me the "documentation" and said, "we only got here at 5:15pm and you aren't supposed to be here until 6:30pm". IT WAS 6:24PM!!
And that was an ERROR ON YOUR PART Dad's Catering !! Again, a reputable catering company decides and should KNOW how much time is needed to set-up the room.
A staff member was still puttig glassses on the table (and handling them by the TOP instead of the stem!), Another staff member was SLOWLY putting dessert on the dessert table like it was the MOST IMPORTANT THING TO DO.
Again Dad's Catering, the bar was not set up, there was no water on the table (it was 100 degrees outside!!) and 80 people just walked in the door.
I asked her if she could stop doing that and make sure the bar gets set up and water gets on the table BECAUSE 80 PEOPLE JUST WALKED IN THE DOOR.
She,said to me, ":DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!"
WOW! REALLY? THAT'S HOW YOU TALK TO A GUEST???? I accidentally touched her arm when she GOT VERY CLOSE TO ME AND WAS IN MY FACE!
She told at least 3 people that I PUSHED HER. SHE TOLD MY PARENTS' GUESTS THAT I PUSHED HER!!
Really? That's how your staff conducts themselves? THIS IS NOT ONLY SHOCKING BEHAVIOR, BUT A LIE!! If your staff would have done their job, I would never had said anything.
Your staff couldn't figure out how to get water on the tables.
I HAD TO PUT UCE IN PITCHERS, FILLE THEM WITH WATER AND SERV EVERYONE WATER!!!
ME, THE GUEST. YES.... ME!!!
I POURED EVERY SINGLE GUEST IN THE ROOM A GLASS OF WATER BECAUSE THEY WERE SO HOT AND SO THIRSTY AND THE BAR STILL WAS NOT SET UP...it was now 7pm!!
WHAT A SHOCKING, UNPROFESSIONAL BUSINESS.
Tim, the owner Dad's Catering, instructed my father to buy the WRONG AMOUNT OF TEQUILA for the margarita fountain (that DIDN'T WORK!). So my Dad had to leave his OWN PARTY to buy more tequila!!
The champagne glasses and the water glasses WERE SPOTTY !I don't think we got to eat until after 7:15pm!!!
Dad's catering went above and beyond! The food was amazing and their staff was so friendly! I would use them for any big event or get together
We used Dad's Catering and they were pretty good. We had a backyard wedding, so we rented everything from them. The staff at the Dad's Catering office was really friendly and easy to work with. However, they outsource all the rentals and that company was less than ideal. I got the impression that they were annoyed to be working. Also, the communication between Dad's the outsourced rental company was awful! I provided Dad's with so much information about how I wanted everything, yet the delivery and service staff was left completely in the dark. The price was good, the food is fine, but I'm not sure I would suggest them to a friend.
This is a family owned business and they were a pleasure to work with! I never had trouble getting ahold of them and they worked with me to find the best meal and cake. The cake was out of this world! It is the best cake I've ever had and I don't even like cake! The food was delicious at the tasting, but was a bit dry at the actual wedding. It was still tasty though and I had people tell me it was great. The service at the wedding was wonderful. They were so helpful and kind. We also had hot coco, which they ran. My guests said it was delicious and people went for seconds. Overall, this was a wonderful service!
THIS WAS THE BEST MONEY I SPENT ON MY WEDDING!!!! We had 130 guests and Dad's sent enough servers that there was not one piece of trash left on a table longer than 5 min. no joke. Not only was the service great but the food was AMAZING!!!! They do taste testings and make sure that everything is still the same before the wedding and if needed come in again to make sure the food is what you want because you can change anything up until the week of the wedding!! They are amazing! It seemed everytime I turned around at my wedding one lady was there to make sure I didnt need any more food or anything to drink and if I did she swiftly went and got it(I wasnt expecting that kind of service at all!!) They were just amazing and the food was sooo delicious everyone enjoyed it! I would HIGHLY recommend to use them!!
Dad's Catering is the PERFECT place if you're looking for quality, price, flavor and friendliness. Tim & Linda helped SO much planning out all the details. Their team at the wedding was outstanding. We went with an Italian Buffet and the servers still took care of everyone like you were at a sit down. They were fast, clean, VERY helpful and very polite. The cake was AWESOME!!!!!!! They decorated it so nicely and helped with every detail as far as serving it. The BEST part was they were SO fast & efficient, you never saw them. They remained in the background but kept the food & party flowing. They put all of the leftovers together to take home AND made my husband & I a plate WITH cake for the night of the wedding. SOO GOOD! =)
They were so professional, always got back to me by the end of the day, had so many options all with amazing prices, AND THE FOOD WAS TO DIE FOR!!!!!!
We chose Dad's Catering based on other reviews and were not disappointed. When we went to sample the food it was ok, tasted like most catering places with no seasonings however we asked that the chef please season the food on the day of the ceremony and the outcome was fantastic. We had the Roast Baron of Beef and the Chicken Marsala along with twice baked potatoes, glazed carrots and strawberry walnut salad. Everything was delicious. We also had them make our wedding cake and it was by far the best cake I've ever had. We did the dinner buffet style with fine china and silverware. When the caterer's arrived they asked about centerpieces which we had already made and had ready to go. I explained how we wanted them placed on the tables and they did exactly as we asked. The tables looked gorgeous. Patrick and his crew did an absolutely phenomenal job of setting up the tables, the bar, serving, picking up and packing up the leftovers. They helped us load all of our equipment, centerpieces, decorations etc. into our vehicles after the reception which was most appreciated. We could not have asked for a better catering crew, better food or more delicious cake. They truly made the dinner and reception perfect. I would definitely recommend Dad's catering for any event. Tim and Linda were outstanding and went with the flow everytime we called and made a change. I don't think you can go wrong with them. They sure made us happy.
We use Dad's for every event. The food is great and the staff is wonderful! Their cakes are delicious as well! I would highly reccomend Dad's for any event whether it be small or large. The only thing we're waiting on is the top of our cake. We have not recieved that yet... 11-11-2011
Working with the catering coordinator was great. He was supportive and attentive throughout the planning process. I felt that with the meticulous attention to detail prior to the event, there would be no issues on the day of the event. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Catering showed up 45 minutes late which held up decorating. The appetizers we ordered were not served during cocktail as planned, instead they served two trays of fruit and veggies and popcorn with no scoop! Our guests were starving. In addition to that the bartender did not follow the recipe for our signature cocktail and made the drinks too strong. So before dinner was even served, half our guests were either drunk or nauseous.
Other than that, the food was good. Just a little disappointed with the execution on the day of our wedding.
They catered my wedding on 10/1/11 and the food was terrific! The communication and service during the planning process was also great - helpful to a stressed out bride. All my guests complimented the food. I would definitely recommend them!
I have a gluten allergy, and I was delighted when they were able to make a small gluten-free cake for me! It was delicious!
The tiered cake was exactly what we wanted, and our guests devoured it!
First, let me tell you what we were happy with. Tim drove out to the house before the wedding & figured out how many tents we'd need & where we'd need to put them. The tent setup he arranged worked out very well. The service we received from Tim & Linda throughout the planning process was great except for a bit of difficulty at times to getting a response to an email. The service staff, on the other hand, were a HUGE disappointment! First of all, the hors d'oeuvres that were supposed to have been passed to our guests during the cocktail hour were merely placed on a table. Second, the food was cold. THE FOOD WAS COLD. I really feel that there is no excuse for this. They're caterers. It's their business to provide people with a hot meal & if they can't do that, then they shouldn't be in business. Several of our guests have said to us that the food would have been delicious if it had been hot. This was very upsetting to us because we paid for a hot meal & didn't get one. There was also no au jus served with the roast beef (even though it was listed on the menu), & when we asked about it we were told that the meat had been sitting in the au jus for hours and had soaked it all up. Not only was that upsetting but extremely unappetizing as well. One of the servers eventually brought my husband a cup of au jus, but Shaun had to tell him to do the same for our guests. We had only contracted the bartender until 9:00pm, but the rest of the staff disappeared at 9:00pm, too! They did not stay until the event was over and clean up like they were supposed to. I specifically remember discussing cleanup the first time we met with Tim. I asked if the servers would be the ones to clean everything up after the wedding, & he looked at me like I was stupid for even asking & said of course they would, it's part of the service they provide. We said that it was important to us that our guests not have to lift a finger, that they would be able to just relax and enjoy the wedding & Tim said that his people would take care of everything. That was one of the primary reasons why we went with this company in the first place. The catering staff left at 9:00 sharp & my mother, brother, bridesmaids, & other friends were left to clean up. We had purchased our own wine & hired a bartender from Dad's to serve it. The bartender was just supposed to close the bar and leave at 9:00, but he moved the wine into the house, told people where to find it, & then (rudely) told my coordinator that we were now liable. He also (rudely) told my coordinator that we were responsible for returning anything that belonged to Dad's Catering, when that was never mentioned to us before. The equipment rental company was also a disappointment (Dad's Catering took care of that for us). They did not bring enough linens for the tables we had, and the linens they brought for the cocktail tables were red. (My colors were black and emerald green.) I had requested crystal glassware for the reception but didn't get them. In short, we were very disappointed with the way our wedding was handled. We don't feel that we got what we paid for at all. They made a lot of promises and didn't deliver on many of them! We spoke to Tim about a refund, but he doesn't care about what happened. He didn't believe us & demanded proof of everything that went wrong. He made us feel even worse about dealing with his company. DO NOT HIRE DAD'S CATERING. At least not without a very detailed, itemized contract.
this company is awesome if you are looking for something affordable and want lots of choices. They work at a lot of different venues and they let you provide your own alcohol!
I used Dad's Catering for both brunch and dinner on my wedding day. The servers were friendly and helpful, and the food was excellent.
Contact
739 East Dunlap Ave, Phoenix, AZ
Dad's Catering Services
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