Ken Black (the awesome owner) was super enthusiastic and friendly, served up the drinks (and those…read morebutter mints you never get but always love), and he even offered "table service" to the folks who had to stay up front in registration. He checked on folks, circulated when no one was at the bar, and he seemed genuinely interested in the guests and what we were all doing. He was part of the event instead of "just" a bartender. He was so great. I'd totally bring him in for any event I was planning in the future. He and Toi (also behind the bar) were a delight. Oh, and Ken found out this event maybe a day or two before. And he still got all the prep done and cleared out his schedule for that--it was kind of amazing. 150+ people for an open bar is no small feat to get that all together. He did it, got there early, and the drinks kept flowing--as did the smiles. 10/10 would drink with again!

Unfortunately, I have to give Portland Bartening Express a bad review. After calling the owner, Ken…read moreBlack, 8 different times and sending two emails with hopes of rectifying the situation, without a single response, people need to know they should not waste their money with this sleazy company. Read this entire review before booking! Don't make our mistake. Do not hire Ken Black with Portland Bartending Express, or prepare to be entirely ripped off. I first hired Ken in April of 2021 after contacting him in hopes of finding a bartender for my July wedding. He responded with two different packages available. I ultimately chose the "all-inclusive" package that included everything; all the alcohol, ice, cups, napkins, mixers, sodas, water, etc. When talking to Ken, I told him it was very important to me that the signature cocktails would also be made into mocktails, as many of our guests do not drink alcohol. He assured me they would do that. He told me he would purchase 4 types of wine, 3 signature cocktails and mocktails, 2 kinds of beer (one IPA and Bud Light), champagne and sparkling cider for the toast, and would have other types of liquor for those who do not like the signature drinks. I signed a contract that stated he would have licensed bartenders from 4 PM until 10 PM (with an hour set up before and an hour clean up after) and would provide everything else we needed for the bar on the day of the wedding. On my wedding day, he didn't show up, but sent three girls to bartend instead. They arrived with NO ice, only 2 kinds of wine, no extra liquors, only Bud Light, and NO champagne. They were unable to make any mocktails. My dad had to leave the wedding to get ice, even though we paid Ken to provide that. By 7:30, ALL of the wine, beer, and liquor was gone, so when the DJ invited everyone to go to the bar to get a drink for the toast, not only was there no champagne, since Ken hadn't purchased any and nobody even told us, there was NOTHING to toast with. Everyone had to toast us with their water glass from dinner. SO embarrassing!!!!

We had an unconventional marriage ceremony, and as a result, extended our festivities into a few…read moresmall, regional parties with friends and family. To celebrate with local friends, we wanted to have a casual, outdoor party at a local venue with some pizzaz. We crunched the numbers (alcohol, serving supplies, time, etc.), and decided that spending time with our guests was our #1 priority, so enlisting the help of bartenders would make the most sense. There were a number of reasons we were drawn to Public Provisions: local, lady-led team (yay, small businesses!), sample menus were aligned with our taste in beverages, genuine communication (flexibility, and desire to hear what we were looking for), and overall professionalism. Melaney was responsive from day 1, and had contracts, services, etc. already outlined in an easy to understand format. They went above and beyond to make things easy on us for the celebration day (including allowing us to taste/choose some wines) -- we did not regret hiring them, and would gladly do so again!

Amazing - I almost don't want to review because I want to make sure they are available for our next…read moregathering! Melaney and Malia were amazing - so much better than expected, and we had high expectations after doing a lot of due diligence and asking around. They MADE our company gathering a total success. The drinks were perfection, great ingredients, very unique. The setup couldn't have been more perfect, cute drink cart, friendly/fun/knowledgable staff. Reminded me of my experience going to Multnomah Whiskey Library - everyone there is so passionate about their craft and are happy to share what they know - these ladies were the same way. Can't recommend them enough. Top notch.

Great experience with spirited times at my event I got many compliments and the drinks we amazing…read more Thanks again

Michelle and her team at Portland Party People are amazing! When my (now) wife and I were scouring…read morethe internet, looking for help at our wedding, we were shocked at how few companies there are offering general assistance to party-throwers. Most organizations offer help only paired with a catering service, and are extremely limited in what services they will provide. Fortunately Portland Party People were available - jack-and-jills-of-all-trades, and genial, to boot. Michelle was kind, gracious, and a complete joy to work with as we planned our event. When they showed up to the venue, right on time, dressed in black pants and black shirts (they looked great!), we were blown away by how friendly, and willing to help they were - with anything and everything. Michelle and her crew showed up about an hour before our ceremony, and because of all the craziness I ended up walking them around the property with our brief, and admittedly incomplete "To-Do" list. I think Michelle could sense I was in a bit of a crazed state, so after a few "Um's" and "... I think there might be something I'm missing..." she smiled, said "Honey, go get ready for your wedding, we'll take care of it," and sent me on my way. Not only did they take care of all the items on our list (and executed them with speed and professionalism), they went above and beyond by serving our guests wine as they sat at dinner, skillfully excusing tables to get their food when it was ready (seriously, I've seen people do this and it can turn into an all out Hunger Games situation!), and making sure everything was running smoothly by taking initiative in all the right ways. At one point it started to rain (thanks Pacific Northwest summer!) and Michelle's staff, without being asked, grabbed a portable tent from the other side of the property to cover our desserts before I could even blink. This kind of initiative was not only impressive, it saved us from stress and worry on our wedding day. Seriously people, these folks are great! When they left the event, all the dishes were rinsed, stored, bagged, cleaned, etc. Again they went above and beyond and made sure the candles were out, and everything was tidy. As if the professionalism of the services weren't enough, Michelle and her staff are a genuinely good people, and truly a delight to work with. Having a party or event and need some extra hands or a bartender? Call up Portland Party People - you won't regret it. THANK YOU, MICHELLE!

Michelle and her team were life savers, life changing and overall an absolute pleasure to work…read morewith! We worked alongside each other at a large wedding (around 170 guests) and her team made set up, dinner services and breakdown a total breeze. They were polite, organized and hard working. I'm so thrilled to discover this team and recommend this company to anybody throwing a party!

If you're looking for work and you are qualified, DO NOT APPLY to work here. I have a culinary…read moredegree (AA Culinary Arts with an Emphasis on Business Management) and have the experience to work in the catering aspect. They decided not to hire me for whatever reason and I wasted my time being interviewed over the phone. In hindsight, I'm glad that I won't be working for this place. I recommend applying elsewhere, seriously.

I am a little embarrassed that it has taken me so long to write a review for this team! I've worked…read morewith The WaitStaff Team on a number of different occasions over the past 5 years, and the service professionals Daniel has put me in touch with have always been top notch. The events that I plan are not the easiest, and I feel other staffing agencies would be daunted by the complex logistics and timelines that my unique and high-level events often require. Not the WaitStaff team, they show up on time and often before, they're ready to go, are pleasant and professional, and do all the scheduled tasks and more. They are the definition of over and above, and they will make you look good. Hire them!

Garret and Bunny did me and my husband's wedding of over 100 people and I couldn't have asked for…read morebetter bartenders! They were super easy and very fast with communicating, it was my easiest people to coordinate out of all the vendors. They made our signature drinks sign that was adorable and better than I could have made. Everyone at the event agreed that the drinks were amazing and so were them themselves! I would %100 recommend them. They even offered to bring their own table clothes when I was worried I had messed up and brought drink stirs to make a drink dedicated to our dog come together even better, the quality and detail the put into everything was so much more than I expected. We will definitely be using them again in the future.

We had our wedding reception here in August and everything went really smooth. The venue is very…read moreunique with a really nice outdoor patio in the back. The air conditioning was working well. The sound system also was very good. Rahel and her husband were very helpful. She helped us get a bartender who we really liked as well. The reception went really well and everyone had a blast. The outside was also very nice with plenty of space for guests to relax and children to play. Compared to the other venues we looked at it was above and beyond. Also, there are virtually no neighbors so there's no need to worry about loud music and there's a ton of parking. It's only 20 minutes from downtown Portland and Vancouver so quite convenient as far as location goes as well.

This venue was amazing ! What a beautiful space to bring people together for any occasion. The…read morehosts are very attentive and so willing to help with anything. They were thorough with their process of set up and reachable via phone or text at any given time. They provided us with everything we requested. No complaints what so ever. Every single person commented on how amazing the venue was. We have already rebooked for another event! Thank you Rahel for such a great experience

This is a by request only catering company. They hosted a resident appreciation event at my…read moreapartment complex. We just had the coffee cart which comes with different coffee and non-coffee beverages and one lovely staff person to make the drinks. They also food options too if desired but my apartment just reserved the coffee cart portion.

Smoothie was really good, not going to lie it tasted like there was lots of sugar in it. I liked it…read morethough. Girls were really nice.