My husband and I live in Georgia, so when our daughter’s wedding was set in Birmingham, we scoured reviews for catering companies to handle the wedding reception. We decided on Happy Catering and all the arrangements were made for them to serv...e our 270 guests dinner and drinks from the bar. I wish I could give a glowing review but unfortunately, that is NOT the case.
The caterers ran out of one of the (2) main course items on the buffet (roast beef sliders), an hour after the reception began. The catering “captain” did not inform the wedding planner about this and there was no additional food made until we asked they bring in some sort of substitution.
As for the bar, well here goes: We were told that (2) bars and (3) bartenders would be enough to keep things flowing smoothly. We had beer, wine, champagne, Margaritas (pre-mixed in decanters by the bar staff) and a REALLY NICE bourbon. The catering staff did not bring enough coolers and ice to chill the beer and we had to ask two of our guests (good friends) to go get two more coolers. The bartenders were told the bourbon was for a select few and could only be served neat or on the rocks to make sure it was enjoyed by our more MATURE guests and not poured too heavily. They ignored this and OVER SERVED several of the TWENTY-SOMETHINGS at the party. We provided the tequila and margarita mixer for the bar and gave mixing instructions to the bar staff. When one of our guests wanted a margarita, the bartender said she didn’t know how to make them and asked our guest if SHE knew. Then, a bartender proceeded to take a USED glass, did not empty it or get a NEW one, and rimmed it on the salt rimmers that were used for all the guests! A VERY UNSANITARY PRACTICE! Additionally, we had a bartender attempt to shut down his bar early when we ran low on beer, even though we still had wine, champagne, margaritas and bourbon at that bar. There was no attempt to proactively communicate any of these issues to the wedding planner or the hosts.
The leftover food was not boxed up and given to us as promised. We did not get any of the bourbon back even though we know there were AT LEAST 2 bottles left.
When we contacted them about the disappointing service, we were met with a total unwillingness to accept any responsibility whatsoever, and even hostility.
As I said before, I had hoped to give Happy Catering a stellar review, but I cannot. My husband and I were expecting a flawless, issue-free celebration of our daughter’s marriage and that is not what we received. We only wanted to post this review to better inform potential consumers. In other words, buyer beware!