Let's Eat

definitely hire Michelle and Let's Eat again!

ocally sourced foods.

uests. (Michelle is the owner and the only steady employee of Let's Eat.) The closer we got to the event, the more she twisted the meaning of the contract so that she could provide minimal services, and the more she added extra charges for everything imaginable. Oral agreements were valid only when they worked in her favor, but not when she didn’t want to do what she had agreed to do. We found out from a local event planner that Michelle’s main work is marketing—her catering is a recently begun side job. As far as we can tell, our wedding was her first attempt at a large event, and it didn’t go as we had hoped. We discovered that she was using our payments to stock her kitchen/linen closet with basic items that any caterer should already have had, such as cake pans and tablecloths, but she would select these items without consulting us about our preferences. In July, Michelle and I clarified over the phone that the bouquets would be blue wildflowers with white roses. Two weeks before the wedding, she insisted that the conversation never occurred and that I couldn’t have any roses without paying her extra. In the end, she did put roses in the bridal bouquet, but they were already turning brown before the ceremony and they were completely dead by the end of the reception. In her e-mail after I posted my first review, Michelle insisted that the roses weren't turning brown, they were just opening after refrigeration. I know a brown flower when I see it. Anyone who was with me can confirm that the bouquet was completely dead and limp by 4 PM. The cake was a disaster. Michelle said she’d send reference photos in the fall. One week before the wedding, she sent photos of hideous square cakes in sickening colors. We told her we wanted a round, white, traditional wedding cake. She said it had to be square because she had used our money to buy square cake pans. In the end, she billed extra us for round pans. The cake was lumpy and leaning sideways. She used cardboard covered in aluminum foil to separate the layers. Everyone who has seen a picture has been appalled. Michelle ran out of food during the reception. While there was still food, Michelle and her staff were so slow at bringing it out that we had to cut subsequent parts of the reception to be out of the venue on time. Michelle never would have been out in time if our guests hadn't packed up most of the dishes and decorations for her. Michelle continued to play the victim, blame us, and manipulate the situation even after it was all over. Minutes after we submitted the first review, she had us written a long e-mail full of complaints, saying that she’s a “hard-working single mom” who deserves only the best reviews, that we had tarnished her reputation as a “5-star chef,” and that she would get the website to remove the review because of her “poor client experience” (which just means she didn’t like us). She keeps insisting that we changed the "expectations," which really means that she ignored our preferences from the beginning. Her attitude of entitlement was the worst part about working with her, from before the wedding through to the present. If you want any say in how your event looks, tastes, or smells, do not let Michelle be involved!