This is actually a 3.5 star rating, but I'll round up.
The pros: The food was delicious, guests raved about the appetizers and the presentation of the paella, and the bartenders were great! We had happy and full guests! The linen selection was... extensive and my event manager found a solution to obtaining the chairs I needed, even when there were initial obstacles. Leading up to the event, Rouge was excellent in the menu determination. Walking in with some idea of what I wanted, but no clear dishes, Celeste was wonderful in crafting a menu for us and customizing it to fit our needs. Out of the many caterers I reached out to, she was the most prompt and accommodating and able to work within our price point. The tasting was fantastic and she walked us around the facilities, so we could see what was going on behind the scenes and how they prepare for an event. At the time of our signing, they had bar options that could not be beat and the small cutting cake they provided was absolutely perfect for us. In addition, every Rouge employee I worked with through every step of the process was friendly and willing to help make the day everything I wanted.
The cons: After signing the contract, I was bumped between 4 different associates and I had to take initiative to follow-up on many details that slipped through the cracks. The employees I interacted with promised they had worked in the space before, but in the walk-through and discussions about set up, it appeared I was more familiar with the space. It took far too many repeat emails and phone calls, even less than 2 weeks before the event to straighten out chair counts, seating arrangements, station layout, and linen colors, all options I had chosen weeks before. This was eventually finalized, but not with much undue stress and effort on my part as well as clear diconnect between the planning manager and day-of coordinator. The day of, the staff had the correct chair count, but were sloppy in set up with the rows crooked and not symmetrical. Close friends and relatives were adjusting the seating before the ceremony to make the space crisp. In addition, my cocktail food stations were not set up independently and turned into two buffet lines, something we had discussed multiple times and had purposefully avoided in the floorplan. The final small con was Rouge promised and contracted to provide the bride and groom boxed meals at the end of the night. While we were given boxes, it was clear they were leftover from the very end of the night—we received 6 of one of our dessert options (none of the other) and a box of our paella (no sides and nothing from the other two sets of station entrees)-- a little disappointing, as we didn’t get to eat anything during the event.
Overall, for the main purpose of a caterer, providing food and drink for our guests, Rouge shined! From all I heard and witnessed, the staff was professional in set-up, clean-up, and throughout the entire event itself. I would recommend Rouge to others, with the caution to stay on top of all the details yourself to make sure it all goes in accordance to plan.