I cannot say how disappointed I am in Balducci's. We had placed a considerable catering order at Balducci's (over $1,000) that was picked up on December 24th. Everything was taken straight home and refrigerated immediately until it was reheated as instructed for Christmas dinner on the 25th. As a loved one was in the hospital, we didn't have the luxury of time to spend making dinner ourselves from scratch for family and friends ON CHRISTMAS. The following morning, it was obvious that everyone who had eaten the catering was violently ill, including the small children who were constantly vomiting and in far worse condition than the adults. I reached out to Balducci's to alert them to the fact that something was wrong with the catering, with the hopes that I could spare others from the food poisoning related gastrointestinal distress that my family, friends, and I were suffering through. The general manager spoke to me about what we had ordered, tried to pinpoint what might have been the problem food, told me that he'd have the "chef" call me, and then offered to refund what we had paid to regain our faith in their catering. Over the years, we've spent tens of thousands of dollars on their catering and never before had a problem like this. In the ensuing days, here's what actually happened. I got a nasty call from the "chef" saying that most of the food was shipped in and he'd have to call corporate about it; he didn't think they'd done anything wrong. Then I've been getting calls from an insurance adjuster in NJ. During the first call, I went through everything with him, including that we had the catering because an immediate family member was in the hospital. He made a careless joke that he hoped the food hadn't landed him in the hospital and laughed at himself. I didn't think it was funny. Had that family member eaten the catering in his condition, it would have likely killed him. Said adjuster asked about a lawsuit or what we wanted. I had never once said ANYTHING about a lawsuit or asked for anything. The GM had offered a refund on his own, as I mentioned to the adjuster. He then said that was something that could be easily addressed in store, so there was no need for his involvement. That was the end of that. Or so I've thought. It has been over two weeks. Each time I try to find out why the refund was never processed, a store manager always gives some excuse. First, it should have gone through already. Then, the GM is handling it but is sick; he'll call me as soon as he gets back. Now, the GM is on vacation. I was also told that they know nothing about the insurance adjuster or why I'm being contacted by him. Naturally he was calling me again and leaving messages while I was at work. This is such a gigantic disaster. Balducci's should be ashamed of themselves-- not just because they gave us food poisoning but also for how dishonestly they have handled this situation. It has truly added insult to injury. For reference, our catering order included (among other things) the following: charcuterie platters; beef tenderloin meals; Brussels sprouts; green beans; cannoli dip; gorgonzola sauce; and more. It seems that Balducci's is full of the very thing that their catering had us producing on all of Boxing Day. read more