We chose Upstairs Downstairs Catering after interacting with a few caterers around town. I wish we had kept looking, because my interactions with the director of sales were the most stressful part of my event day.
I have worked as a caterer... in the past and currently organize events at my job. I preface this only to indicate that this catered dinner was not my first rodeo.
My husband and I were married in January, and we met with U/D to plan a dinner for an October reception. Over the course of the planning process, the director of sales, Megan, referred to my husband as my fiancé; this was a small but important indication that we were just another wedding dinner on her list.
I felt routinely railroaded by Megan. For instance, we requested a coffee station for a set amount of coffee. The day of the event, Megan argued with my husband, insisting that we would need to purchase more coffee if we wanted it available for the entirety of the night. Apparently, she had been under the impression that we wanted coffee service offered to all our tables throughout dinner--this was not the case. The plan was always self-service. That interaction left me feeling like she was making a high pressure sale (on coffee, of all things) on an already stressful day, and that she had not noted our original intent for coffee.
Another instance: servers did not serve my guests until my husband and I began eating, despite my explicit instructions that the two of us were not to hold up the dinner service. It was important to me that people leaving work early and traveling on a Friday to join us for dinner wouldn't have to wait longer than necessary for a meal. But wait, they did.
I realize I have an off-beat approach to our reception dinner, but our caterer should have been able to come through on these small but important requests.
I found Upstairs Downstairs to be inflexible; our requests seemed to take a backseat to “the way they do things.” I was also frustrated by the lack of attention to details we had previously discussed. Personally, I found Megan, our main contact with this caterer, to be dismissive, rude, and passive aggressive.
If you are looking for a very run-of-the-mill caterer, this may be your place. The food, admittedly, was excellent at both the tasting and our dinner event. The salads were beautifully garnished with flowers, and we received lots of compliments on both the chicken dinner and the vegetarian wellington. For this, I am happy to report that Upstairs Downstairs can satisfy a diverse and picky crowd.
However, if you desire accommodations beyond a cookie cutter wedding-style service, you may find yourself frustrated.