Just happened to come across my old reviews and was curious if this business had gotten any better. I've now been married for almost 4 years as our anniversary is coming up in August and I see that Carefree Catering has gotten several more awful complaints that they have ruined events for people. Take these reviews seriously folks, especially if it is for such an important event as a wedding. Why take the risk of having such an important day be marred by unprofessional people who do not care about anything except ypur money? I'm so sorry for those that had to deal with the atrocious people who "run" this place. read more

AMAZING MORNING THANKS TO PAUL!!! We hired Carefree Catering for a bachelorette brunch and it was the most amazing, relaxing, delicious morning we could have ever imagined! The food was delicious!! Paul gave amazing suggestions for the omelette options! The homemade yogurt was beyond amazing!! I would say the service was beyond what we were expecting Paul set everything up and cleaned it all up!! Our bride was so surprised and enjoyed her morning so much! I would recommend anyone use their services for breakfast, lunch or dinner!!!! Thank you so much to Paul and Carefree for making our bachelorette weekend start off on the right foot!! read more

We hired Jon and his team for an airbnb bachelorette event. I requested tapas style foods and was given a mouthwatering menu to choose from. We selected about 10 options and all were delicious. They came on time to set up and heat/display the food in a professional manner. Will definitely use again if we come back to the area. Thank you! read more

We hired Carefree Catering for our Baby Shower. We had over 80 guests and they did an amazing job! The food was phenomenal as was the service. We setup a food tasting with Jon to pick the dishes we wanted to serve. I had tons of questions and Jon was very patient with me. He took his time in answering every question. We made changes (added additional sides and appetizers) up until about a week prior to the event and Jon was very accommodating. The Mike's came out to the house to go over the furniture rental and see how many tables and chairs we could fit in the house and backyard for the event a couple weeks prior to the event and this definitely provided a piece of mind because I just had so many things going on. On the the day of the event Mike Moran came in with a couple of other employees to setup the food (they had setup the rental furniture the day before). They arrived in plenty of time to setup and were very professional. Thank you Mike for being on top of everything! The guests really enjoyed all the food. Everything was delicious. We had appetizers and entrees. We had leftovers and we had friends come by the second day to continue enjoying the food! My husband and I will definitely hire Carefree Catering for future events. read more

See all

So I work for an organization and planned a retirement party for one of my employees. There was only 12 people attending and I ordered nothing but hor d'oeurves. The celebration was today. My company got an email at 8pm yesterday (3.28.19) saying they could not take care of my order. Leaving me to find a place to use when I arrived at work at 9am. This was very stressful and all I wanted to do was send an employee off to retirement in a great way. If I could I would give them less than one star. This was very unprofessional. If I would have gotten at least 24 hours i would have been fine but in the middle of the night, unacceptable. Dont use this this company. read more

Contracted with them in 2020 for a catered dinner for 350 people. They disappeared off the map with our $2000 deposit. Someone said that the chef/owner had died. I was kind of surprised to see this still active so I wanted to warn everyone. read more

I was having a tough time finding a cater for a surprise 60th birthday party for my wife. After going through several attempts, we finally came across Jon with Carefree Caterring. Within the first two communications with Jon, I felt comfortable I had the right one. They arrived and displayed a beautifully presentation of appetizers and deserts that everyone raved about at the party, all asking "Who did your catering"! Needless to say, I was very pleased with the whole experience working with Jon and Carefree Catering. What I appreciated more then anything was the communications. Great communications helping pick the menu, to scheduling timing and followup after making sure everything was satisfactory. Highly recommend! Thanks Jon!! read more

Carefree Catering recently catered a private dinner for a bachelorette party I attended. The food was superb and the service was excellent. Highly recommend. read more

If you're planning on hiring someone to cook a meal for your group, this is the guy! We hired him to cook my group of 9 a 4-course meal, Jon's food was amazing! His staff served our appetizers outside, even poured our drinks!!!! Best filet I've had in a long time! He was punctual, courteous and kind...and funny too! They cleaned the ENTIRE kitchen after they were done, even the mess they didn't make...I will definitely hire him back next time we're in AZ!!! read more

I called Jon a week before my son's going away party before he left to Tokyo for college. I was concerned I had waited too long but Jon got back to me right away, sent me potential menus and we had a short call to finalize details. His team was early, super polite/professional, got everything setup beautifully, there was more than enough food and our guests LOVED it. Thank you Carefree Catering for making it a memorable evening; you took a load off my mind. Choose Jon and his team, you won't be disappointed. read more

I would give negative stars if possible. I found Carefree Catering on Thumbtack and began speaking with Jon Mortimer in March to have them cater our surprise wedding on Thanksgiving and provide all the equipment. Did a tasting in June and in late June we signed a contract and paid a $650 deposit. I started reaching out via email the first part of November to finalize some of the final details and #s. I didn't get any response for over a week. Finally tried calling only to learn that all the numbers they provided had been disconnected. Researched online to find a number for Jon (voicemail doesn't indicate Carefree Catering but it is Jon 'the executive chef'). When I didn't hear back that day - 2 weeks before event; I had to find another option. Given it was on Thanksgiving, we had very limited options. A restaurant that we go to often saved us by doing all the catering even though they were not planning to be open-- highly recommend Pitch catering (or just going to their restaurant). I left several voicemails for Jon to see what was going on and then later to see about getting my deposit back-- no response. I will be pursuing this further. DO NOT HIRE CAREFREE CATERING OR JON MORTIMER! read more

I am EXTREMELY disappointed with this company. I started planning a Holiday event, back in July of this year. The event was going to be an intimate family dinner for my Vegan and Vegetarian in-laws. Since I'm not very savvy to the needs and do's and don'ts, I thought it was best to find someone that could handle this for me. After a few emails with Jon, I agreed to a great menu that would be paired with wine for each course, set-up, timing, linens, flowers, the whole ball of wax. After I made the deposit, part of the agreement was that we would follow up 1 week before the event to go over final details. That day came and went which suddenly put me on edge! I followed up 5 days to the event because changes/head counts were due and in fact, I sent an email outlining a change in the head count. NO RESPONSE! The day BEFORE the event, I called twice and left messages, NO RESPONSE. At the end, I ended up scrambling the night before to find someone else that could help me with NO NOTICE. Fortunately, I found someone else near by. In today's world, I just don't expect this kind of service and lack of professionalism. read more

Found this caterer online and couldn't be happier with the results. Planning process was simple, including a tasting and a site visit. The event was terrific, with appetizers and a buffet dinner. The cleanup was amazing. Definitely recommend them and will use them again. read more

After reading the positive reviews For Carefree Catering, I emailed Jon with the specifics of a wine tasting I was hosting at my home, any my need for appetizers, dessert and staff service. I received a quote the same day and was able to work out the details through email - very efficient and responsive. Follow up was thorough and made me fee confident in my decision. The day of the event, everything went of without a problem, Michael showed up early to set up, Michelle arrived at the contracted start time and the event began, everything went smoothly. The food - portions, quantity and taste were all on point. As part of the dessert, I had asked Jon for a specific "look" for the cake we ordered and he more than met my expectations, everyone commented on how great it looked and tasted. Thank Jon, Michael and Michelle, for helping to make it a special evening for my guests!....Looking forward to working with you again! read more

DO NOT HIRE THIS CATERER! Let me start by saying I received a quote from a Thumbtack inquiry I submitted in April. Jon Mortimor at Care Free Catering in PHX reached out to me right away and asked to provide me a quote. He was one of many, but his prices fit my budget the best. We hired him to cater my daughters wedding for September in Pine Top. In the coming weeks, I had to do all of the follow up. Reaching out for confirmation, reaching out to arrange a tasting, reaching out to check in constantly. They do not have good customer management skills. We finally settled on a menu, but I had a few alterations I wanted to the final contract. Before I could get those changes fully documented he already charged my card minutes after sending the final quote. He confirmed by email that the changes would be made, so I trusted him. A week or so before the wedding I had a random charge of $250 to my bank from Care Free Catering. I reached out immediately and was informed that he had made a mistake on the contract and did not charge me properly for mileage. This is not my fault, and the contract was final. You can't just charge someones card without permission. It took awhile but he gave me that refund. (Please note that I would have altered the service to meet my budget, if he would have gotten it right on the contract.) Ok so fast forward to the wedding. It was a busy day, as I did a great deal of the wedding on my own. I had a message from someone who I could barely understand stating they broke down and would be 2 hours late. At first I assumed it was a wedding guest, but unfortunately turns out to be the caterer. We are minutes from the ceremony and we have no food. I announce to my guests that there will be a 2 hour delay, and they were understanding. We went on to have the ceremony, and we are now 3 hours from when the food should have been there. People have been drinking, I had to let them eat my dessert bar. Some of my guests begin to leave. Finally he shows up. We have service experience in our family so we all jump in to help. I paid for 2 servers but only 1 person showed up. The food was cold, so the chef had to use our kitchen to warm up food. I was outside setting up the salads and appetizers etc. We are now 5 hours from dinner and still no food coming out of the kitchen, so I go in to check on him. He is standing there talking to my guests and I ask what is taking so long. He said he cut his finger. I told him dude.. my husband used to be a chef and he has literally cut his finger off, bandaged it and finished his shift, I do not care. My guests are hungry. This is when it got really crazy...He tells me nobody even wanted to take this order, because they all knew I was a cheap b$%ch! I said are you on drugs? I was so shocked I told him to get his stuff and get the hell out. My husband hearing the uproar escorted him off the property. Meanwhile he is cussing and saying it is all Jon. He always sets them up for failure, and they get complaints all of the time. We kept the cold food and my husband and some of my guests took over warming the food. We were served reheated food in less than 20 minutes. But it does not end there. We had also ordered a wedding cake from Jon. We provided a photo of the cake we wanted, and we got a tiny cake with some ugly orange roses on it. Was supposed to be a naked cake. Thank goodness most of my guests had left already or we would not have had enough cake to serve everyone. Total disappointment. I would not even take photos, as it clashed with the wedding theme. It was the size of something you get at the Safeway bakery case. I went on with the evening and spent a great deal of time bussing and cleaning since my servers I had paid for never showed. We had folks up till 3 am doing dishes, which was why I hired servers, so I could enjoy the wedding. I decide I will handle it later, and sent an email off to Jon at Carefree telling him about the evening. I told him we need to talk refund, because they ruined my daughters wedding. He replied apologetic and said I would get a 100% refund. He told me that the chef/server whoever he was, was on drugs. The other server jumped out on the ride there because he was so high....I can't believe I am reading this in the email. He then says that the person who was at my house took his own life that night. To this day it is such a crazy story, that I do not know what to believe. Jon tells me he needs 10 days to refund my money. He sent a small payment and then nothing. Having prepaid legal I threatened him with a lawsuit. He says he can get me the money over the next week. I was apprehensive, as I did not want a new agreement to impact my ability to sue. My husband supports small business so he said give him time. He was making payments until we got to the last $524. Now he has stopped all communication. So looks like we are going to court. Do not hire this company. read more

Carefree Catering really made our reception for the marriage of our son so memorable. Many guests raved about the food. The wedding cake was gorgeous. It was my first catered event put on by me. They always had answers to questions and suggestions if I needed. The whole team was very helpful throughout the process and didn't hesitate to adapt when guest numbers changed, menu changed, etc. The servers were very happy and did all their work without interfering with the many people mingling. Just great in every respect. I would use Carefee Catering again in a heartbeat. read more

I contracted with Carefree Catering for our wedding of about 90 people. We had a contract for two hours of "all you care to eat" from 4:30-6:30 PM. The food was not served until after 5 PM and ended at 6:15 PM. Additionally, the taco chicken ran out and the fryer was broken so the fries were baked, not fried. Because of this not everyone was able to eat what they wanted or get tacos. Finally, we were supposed to get Bratwurst ("Johnsonville Natural Hot- Brats with Buns" per the contract), but were served hot dogs instead. Later Jon mentioned the delay was because they could not find somewhere to park (we left a driveway open but I guess that did not work). While I conceded this may have delayed the start of service, it does not explain why they stopped serving less than two hours after they started and ran out of food. I gave two stars because they issued us a partial refund. read more

Amazing amazing amazing! Food and service were top notch- and they even helped us come up with a custom menu featuring Vietnamese bani mi sliders! Highly recommend for an event of any size:) thank you Jon! read more

The first party that I could visit with my guests. Jon's crew took care of everything. Many of my guests commented it was the best steak they ever had. Everything tasted great. read more

I used Carefree Catering for my girlfriends 40th surprise birthday party. I rented tables from them as well as had catering via their food truck. The food was amazing and it was so nice to have it catered. It made the party much more enjoyable for me and the price was very reasonable. I would definitely recommend using Carefree Catering for your catering/party needs. read more

Jonathan was amazing! Not only was the food delicious but he was prompt and professional. We hired him for brunch on a bachelorette party. He arrived on time, brought all supplies and even fresh squeezed OJ to make us mimosas. He left our space cleaner than he found it. I would 100% hire him again. He also provided great conversation when we were in and out of the kitchen! Could not recommend more. read more

We stayed in Arizona for a Golf/Bachelor trip and we booked Carefree for all of our meals. The staff was very friendly and always showed up on time and make excellent food for us. Chef Jon was great to communicate with and worked with me on everything I needed. We will definitely be using their service again when we visit Arizona next time. read more

We needed a caterer for our sip and paint holiday party. I have you admit this was my first time using a caterer. After searching and speaking to numerous catering companies we decided to go with Carefree. Jon did not disappoint! He was exceptional. His food was delicious and he was very attentive to everyone's needs. No one ever had an empty glass or stomach. His food was so good we want him back to teach private lessons (which he does). He prices are very affordable and he has a variety of food options. All in all, I will be using him again and I recommend him to anyone looking for a caterer. Thank you Jon for your incredible work! read more

We used Carefree Catering for a private dinner at our vacation rental during my sister's bachelorette weekend in Scottsdale, AZ and it was wonderful! Food was delicious and served wonderfully and it was so much fun to have a fancy dinner without the hassle of wrangling 20 girls to a restaurant! Highly recommend! read more

I would highly recommend Carefree Catering. Incredibly professional and personable. The dinner table was set beautifully and the food was delicious. From our original quote, to customized menu, to the event, and follow-up after the event... it was all a breeze. We will be using them again. Thank you for helping us in creating an unforgettable evening. read more

We were greatly disappointed by the lack of professionalism. We have emailed twice and called 4 times with the response "I'll call you back" and have never heard from them. Have to give a star just to post, but none are deserved. read more

The introduction to the experience was wonderful including the food taste tested. The food delivered was not what was taste tested or described in the contract. Not the same chef, taste or experience. The set up did not include being there when tables were delivered or putting the linens and decor in place. Read and clarify contract content very carefully. read more

We hired John and team for a bachelorette dinner. The food was delicious and service was great. They took care of absolutely everything and did such a great job. The whole experience was fun and relaxing for myself and guests. If I am ever back in the area and in need of any type of catering I would definitely reach out to Carefree Catering. read more

I have nothing but positive things to say about our experience with Jonathan and Michael. We had their Mexican plated dinner and everything from the appetizers to the dessert was fantastic. The flavors in each dish were the perfect mix and just enough heat. We will definitely be using their services again! read more

I reached out to this company for a price quote for a catered brunch. I wanted to surprise my fiancé and his guys with something special before they went to one of their activities during his bachelor party. Jonathan gave me a menu and price that I couldn't pass up! He was also very efficient via email especially being that it was a surprise and I was reaching out from the opposite side of the country. The guys were blown away by the breakfast and service provided! I would definitely recommend! read more

Jon and Mark were great to work with in selecting appetizers for our event. The food turned out great! Mike and Vanessa did a great job setting up, managing the food throughout the event, and cleaning up. They even helped with a few food items we provided and our drink table [soft drinks, wine, and beer.] Carefree Catering made for a great evening for us - we didn't have to worry about a thing. The most telling reference might be the requests we got from a number of our friends for contact info for Carefree Catering. We definitely highly recommend them and would certainly use them again. read more

I wish I had the option to give this "Pro" zero stars. Unfortunately, that isn't an option. Do not, I repeat....DO NOT hire this vendor. - On May 4th, 2019 we reached out to Jon@carefreecateringaz.com requesting a no obligation custom proposal for - On May 18th, 2019 we hired Carefree Catering Concepts - On May 19th, 2019 we paid our first deposit in the amount of $1,600 - On June 13th, 2019 we met with Jon Mortimer & Joei Silveira for our tasting of the Italian Buffet discussed. At the tasting we were not particularly thrilled about the meatballs so I had asked Joei if we could swap them out with something else , preferably chicken skewers listed on another menu....she stated "it wouldn't be a challenge." Yet upon final review of our contract on October 9th, 2019 we were told this wasn't an option. At the tasting we discussed linen preferences and how we wanted our silverware to be packaged. We were shown Carefree Catering Concepts food truck that had a patio off the back and a smoker located on the back of the truck. Jon even stated how excited he was to go to our wedding venue as he went to college in Tucson & frequented Mt. Lemmon often. Stating he was very familiar with the drive and would leave from Phoenix with ample time with himself as our chef and 5 other staff members to assist him. We were happy when we left the tasting. - Per contract we were to receive: - On the day of our event October 19, 2019 this is the series of events that have prompted me to request FULL refund o Arrival and set up to begin @ 10:30 AM o 13 - 60" round tables o 2 - 96" rectangular tables o 13 - 108" round linen in Ivory o 1 - 156" rectangular linen in Ivory o 90 padded folding chairs o 1 - mobile kitchen fee o 15 burlap runners o Chair portage to move the chairs from the ceremony to the reception. o Delivery, set up, disposable dining wares, all needed service wares, lead, (5) attendants, clean up & garbage removal. - On the day of our event October 19, 2019 this is the series of events that have prompted me to request FULL refund o Arrival @ 12:45 PM (2 hours & 15 minutes late) Forcing my wedding to begin 1 hour & 15 minutes late (@1:15PM VS 12PM) o 13 - 60" round tables that were set up 25 minutes after my wedding was originally to begin, by my wedding guests...no the 2 staff members that arrived. o 2 - 96" rectangular tables that were set up 25 minutes after my wedding was originally to begin, by my wedding guests...no the 2 staff members that arrived. o 13 - 108" round linen in Ivory didn't arrive at all we set up with napkin like tablecloths that my venue had. o 90 padded folding chairs also arrived late resulting in us having to use chairs that the venue had as it was too late to swap out as ceremony was about to begin & my entire guest list was busy setting up tables. o 1 - mobile kitchen fee no mobile kitchen at all. 2 staff members arrived with a truck loaded and food to be reheated in chaffers they didn't have. o 15 burlap runners client initially said they didn't have them until my aunt found them as SHE was unloading their truck. o Chair portage to move the chairs from the ceremony to the reception my wedding guests moved their own chairs, the staff didn't even attempt to assist. o Delivery arrived 2 hours & 15 minutes late, set up my guests at my wedding set up tables, linen & chairs , disposable dining wares, all needed service wares client arrived with 2 chaffers needing 5, without toothpicks for meatballs being served, without salad dressing, without gloves, without utensils to cook with, lead did not show up at all, (5) attendants only (2) attendants showed up one was under the influence and was admitted into rehab the next day on 10/20/19 (as advised by Jon Mortimer owner of Carefree Catering), clean up & garbage removal All clean up and reloading was completed again by my wedding party. Garbage was disposed of by the owner of Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley (my venue.) ****Other points of contention - ****For all future references Joshua is staff member (the one that went into rehab the next day)*** o Joshua called Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley and spoke with their employee, Nick, upon opening @ 9AM stating he was still looking for staff for my event ( the venue is approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes from their departure place in Phoenix, AZ) o Joshua called my husband around 10:45 AM stating that the chairs had fallen out of the back of the truck and all but one of his staff ended up Ubering home after the debacle ( the chairs were inspected by the owner of my venue upon arrival and had not one scratch on them.) o Joshua arrived asking for a beer, under the influence and lying about reasons behind o Joshua didn't have items necessary to re-heat food and had to ask my venue for them. o My bridesmaids husband who is a caterer had to jump on the line as they had no idea what they were doing, ended up re-heating and serving food for a wedding he was attending. read more

Fantastic, professional, and budget friendly! Can't say enough good things about this company. They did a reception for me for about 125 people, just desserts and appetizers.. every last bit of it was delicious! read more

Jon was very professional and took the time to sit down and talk with us to help us figure out how to plan out the meals for our wedding. We didn't necessarily have dinner foods picked out for the big day but we knew we needed to stay in our budget and he was quick to help us find the right dishes and stay within our budget! They were able to provide all the documentation the venue needed and follow all necessary guidelines for food safety so we were assured the food would not only be delicious but also handled safely and professionally. Everyone at the wedding stopped us to tell us how much they loved the food and it was one of the highlights of the night. Jon also worked diligently with us to include a wedding cake with desserts as well and saved us a ton of money! He has a large selection of rentals that are reasonably priced, much cheaper than other vendors! Overall impressed with the service we received. Only thing we would have like a little bit more of was a faster response/reply. Everyone was still very professional, all was delivered, ready, and set up on time. I would use their services again and definitely recommend them to friends and family. read more

Love love love! Jon and his team worked tirelessly to make sure our wedding day went smoothly and that the food and tables were set up and perfect- they nailed it. The food was fantastic and the way the decorated and set everything up was beyond our expectations. If you're looking for great service and wonderful staff, Carefree Catering is the way to go. read more

Carefree Catering catered a family Sunday morning brunch for about 30 people at our house, and could not have been easier to work with! Great prices, great food, wonderful staff. read more

I primarily worked with Jon (owner) and Mike to cater a casual, 20-guest gathering of friends and neighbors at our house. Not only were they able to accommodate our last-minute request, they were incredibly professional, used our small space creatively during setup and were very attentive to my needs as a host. On top of all of that, the food was incredible and my guests were so impressed! I would highly recommend them to friends and will 100% use Carefree for another catering event. Thank you! read more

Great experience. Food was excellent, servers were on time & went above & beyond. Company stayed in excellent communication before the event & even followed up after to ensure everything went well. read more

Jon and team were absolutely amazing! We chose Carefree Catering to cater our wedding and I'm so glad we did! We worked mostly with Alicia Valente, their Director of Operations, and she was outstanding! From the moment we met with Alicia to do our first tasting, we knew we wanted to go with Carefree Catering. Alicia and team were extremely responsive, professional, and made our wedding day 100% stress free. I even contacted Alicia the day before the wedding and asked her to pick up a box from our hotel and deliver it to the reception venue and she happily agreed to do it for me. She went above and beyond to make our wedding day one of the happiest and most amazing days of our lives. We chose to do a buffet style meal with some items tabled for people to get themselves as well as having staff members walk around with other items. Every person complimented us on our food told us how delicious everything was and how there was more than enough to go around. And my friends would have told me if they thought it was bad because that's just how we roll, we keep it real lol. Also, after we chose them for our wedding, we decided to have a small get together for our families who hadn't met yet after we got engaged. To make that day less stressful, we called Jon to see what he could do for us in terms of catering it. He put together a brunch menu within our budget, which was way more food than we needed so it made us look pretty impressive to our families. No matter what kind of event you are planning, I would highly recommend Carefree Catering! read more

Excellent service and set-up. Fabulous food. A number of my guests wanted to know my catering company's name because they were so impressed. read more