The Catering Connection

Catering Connections did an outstanding job! When starting our search for a caterer to do our outdoor wedding at Lanikuhonua, we contacted Bruce for a quote and he provided an estimate for our review. We went back and forth several times with Bruce and Lei to settle on the rentals and menu. They were professional and great to work with. Lei arranged for us to see the Lanikuhonua setup a couple of months prior to our wedding so we could see how they setup the tents, chairs, etc. She was so accommodating and helpful. We took photos so we could envision and plan our layout. A couple of weeks later, Lei sent the proposed layout to us and we were able to make adjustments. On the day of our wedding, the Catering Connections staff was awesome! First, they helped us to move things in from the parking lot. Then, as they were setting up, they offered us water to keep us hydrated. They were very friendly and helpful. They did an outstanding job with the setup. Everything looked professional and beautiful. After the ceremony, they manned the food stations and bar and there was staff that looked after the bride and groom and our special guests. They were so courteous and made sure to bring food to the bride and groom, the parents, and the grandparents. It really made us feel well-taken-care-of. At the end of the evening, they packed up leftover food for us and helped us move everything out to the car. Catering Connections provided professional, friendly service and we would highly recommend them to cater your wedding. We would definitely use them again for another event.

We planned an Oahu destination wedding from San Francisco. Catering Connection was a one-stop-shop, providing both food and rentals which helped streamline coordination efforts. In the end, our guests raved about the food, the rental were set up on time and on plan and we were happy with the overall service. Our chosen menu: APPETIZERS “Parfaitini” Layers of Spicy Tuna, Blue Crab, Smashed Avocado, Sushi Rice, Tobiko and Kaiware Sprouts Thai Inspired Chilled Lobster Bisque with Coconut Cream Truffleyaki Beef Skewers on Pineapple Stand Petite Crab Cakes with Hawaiian Chili Pepper Remoulade BUFFET Furikake Tofu Salad with Cucumber, Tomato, and Sweet Soy Sauce Chop Chop Salad with Bacon Bits, Hardboiled Eggs, Cucumber, and Honey Mustard Dressing Poached Asparagus With Vinaigrette Oven Roasted Duck with Gingered Orange Sauce Thick Cut Bone-In Short Ribs with Miso Ko Chu Jun Sauce Fried Saimin Noodles with Fishcake and Eggs Steamed White Rice DESSERT Provided by us **cost per head details listed are for FOOD ONLY; rentals not included.** Service hiccups: While in the end we were happy overall, it helped that the day of the event, the owner Bruce, the manager Lei and Vanessa all had been onsite. Our first meeting at their location near Sand Island on Oahu was also welcoming, warm and informative. However, between that initial meeting and our final day I was occasionally frustrated by the delay in response. Planning from afar meant trusting all the details to them and being communicated to early and often - which I felt - was somewhat lacking. Example, I had to ask several times over several weeks for a site plan layout and previously for revisions to our contract. Also, the week prior to the wedding I asked to be met onsite with my contact and the response initially was to ask me to take photos and then email whatever questions I had after since she was not able to make it. The manager ended up meeting us as this was the only opportunity we had to work out final details of site layout, etc and the immediate response while onsite together was invaluable. I just don't see how it would have been as productive or possible to accomplish what we did via email and photos. These incidents were somewhat minor however frustrating during the experience. As I said, in the end, they came through, delivered a beautiful service and I am so grateful... it just was a bit of a bumpy road getting there!

I worked with Vanessa in Catering Connection. She was fantastic. She helped plan many of the details and was open to suggestions about different aspects of the event. The staff was professional and on the day of event, they showed up on time and all knew what to do (making my stress level decrease significantly). The food was GREAT and all my guests loved it. They were able to take care of all my needs including table rentals, food and bar tending. This was so valuable to me as I was planning a destination wedding. They performed a site visit for me and gave advice regarding lighting for the event. I would strongly recommend using them for your event. LOVED THEM!

Much love goes out to everyone of Catering Connection who helped with ALL of our wedding celebrations last month in Honolulu!!! :D From proposals all the way through to partying hard at the end of the wedding night, CC and their amazing staff brought their 'A game' and made our entire wedding experience pure bliss!!! Lei is the best!!! She was so attentive to my every need and want during the planning stages. She would respond to my emails and phone calls with the utmost promptness, and always had answers for all my questions (as ridiculous as some of them may have been!) She helped me pinpoint what I was envisioning, and in the end, delivered exactly that, and then some!!! She made sure all the details were taken care of. Things I would have never even thought of!! She also really helped me budget my expenses too, which my husband and I (and our bank account) cannot thank her enough for. All her recommendations were solid and we completely trust her opinion. The gal knows what she is talking about!!!! I honestly didn't have to worry about a thing, just get on my makeup, do my hair, get into my dress, and walk down the aisle... without fainting!!!! Hahaha, they took care of the rest!!! The whole night, they were so accommodating to my husband and I, always making sure I had a drink in my hand (that's what I'm talkin' about!! hehe), appetizers in my mouth, dinner servings on my plate, and seconds and thirds of our wedding cake. :P They made it SO EASY for us to simply enjoy ourselves, and enjoy our time with our friends and family. Set up to break down, everyone was so professional, so nice, accommodating, friendly, attentive, and PERFECT!! We love you guys!! I also really appreciated that the company owner Bruce took the time out of his busy schedule to be at our ceremony to greet me!! Your customer service is one of a kind ;) Thank you. Our family also inadvertently hired Catering Connection for a family get together at our Uncle's house in Diamond Head a few days before the wedding. So funny to come over and see the same folks that were going to be helping us at the wedding!! I was EXTRA excited for our big day, because we got to 'sample' their goods at the party, and everything was soooooo yummy!! They offer such a wide selection of different types of food, that we didn't have any duplicate items at the party or the wedding! We couldn't have done it without the help, professionalism and experience of Catering Connection. Thank you guys soo, sooo much. My husband and I give them the highest accolades for their work, and we can't thank them enough for all they did for us!!!!

Catering Connection was a pleasure to work with! Their entire staff went above and beyond the basics and made my wedding reception seamless. They were flexible and helpful both in the planning stages and also the day of my wedding. I put trust in them to take care of any issues that may arise and they did! I did not have to worry about them at all. Their professionalism and Aloha really made my guests feel well taken care of. I would recommend them to anyone!

As the groom, I was very involved in the wedding process since my bride is from Japan. The planning stages with Lei went really well. Despite being in Japan, it was very easy to communicate with her. The equipment we rented looked great: blue table cloths with white napkins. I was really impressed with the team and how things worked out so efficiently on the day of the wedding. People worked hard. The workers who moved chairs and things from one place to another were invisible, or at least I didn't notice anything. The servers were very friendly and helpful and dressed professionally. I was also able to observe the clean up after the wedding and now better understand the manpower and hardwork that goes into weddings. Thank you so much Bruce and his team at the Catering Connection for keeping things easy and hassle free.

The staff at Catering Connection were very pleasant and professional. I enjoyed working with them, and was so thankful they were patient with me as I went through iterations of changes. I loved every moment with them - from the tastings to table and linen selections. The day of the wedding was amazing! The waitstaff were dressed so well, and the food was incredible. It was one of those events where no one even thought about where their plate went or their drink being empty. CC was there and took care of it before they were ever asked to. Thanks to everyone at CC for helping to make our wedding day perfect!