We used Jaclyn at Made With Love Catering to cater a Friday night reception (with heavy hors d'oeurves) for 45 people for our annual family reunion weekend. I give the experience a solid 3.5 stars.
Positive highlights of the experience include:
1. Responsiveness -- Jaclyn was super professional and responsive throughout the contract negotiation phase. She answered our questions promptly (even late at night) and patiently worked with us to tailor a menu that fit our specific dietary needs and budget.
2. Price -- Jaclyn's food prices are fair and competitive, and you get a great value for what you pay. (But we decided to provide our own plates, napkins, and cutlery though to cut costs there.)
3. Portion size -- Jaclyn provided a generous amount of food for our estimated attendance. People were able to get seconds and eat until they were satisfied.
4. Taste -- For the most part, reunion attendees enjoyed the food and wanted to give their compliments to the chef. On our anonymous survey results, the Friday reception food rated an average of 4 out of 5.
Constructive feedback about the experience include:
1. Tastings -- I had to book Jaclyn/Made With Love sight unseen/taste unknown and solely off the strength of the Yelp reviews. Jaclyn does not currently offer a tasting option, which I find is pretty standard with most professional caterers. (That is, there is usually a small fee of like $30-$50 charged for you to get a sample of the menu items you select. If you book the caterer, that tasting fee is deducted from your bill.) In this case, there was no option to do a tasting but I was invited to buy a ticket to a Caribbean event in another part of town and try the food being catered there (which was not the menu I was contemplating).
2. Arrival time -- Jaclyn was supposed to arrive at 5 pm for our 6 pm Friday reception. I proactively reached out to her about a week in advance to confirm the exact arrival time. Unfortunately, Jaclyn did not arrive until about 5:25 pm on the day of our event -- with the result that by the time the food was unloaded from her car and being set up on our buffet, guests were already beginning to arrive for our event. I did not like being in a situation where guests are starting to file in and we are still sitting out food, still lighting burners, etc. Now to be fair, traffic was ATROCIOUS at that time and day, so I understand how one would be late. But when it was clear that she wouldn't arrive at 5 pm, I think we should have received a call to let us know that she was on the way. (Again, this was a booking I made sight and taste unseen. So when it got to be 5:15 pm or so and I hadn't heard from Jaclyn, I got nervous and called her. She answered her cell and said that she was like 8 minutes away or something to that effect. I was relieved to hear from her and know that the food was still coming. But I think the onus to communicate about a change in plans is on the caterer, and not on me.)
3. Insufficient Sterno burners -- We paid to have Sterno burners provided for the food. But I didn't think I'd actually have to specify that all of the hot dishes would require their own burner. So I was disappointed to learn upon arrival that Jaclyn only brought burners for some, but not all, of the hot dishes. As shown in my photos, the roasted veggie pasta salad and the green beans did not have any warmers, and so they quickly got cold while sitting on the buffet. I'm not sure why burners weren't provided for these items, but they should have been. (Indeed, if you look at pictures of the green beans in other people's pictures -- these items have their own burner and are not simply sitting on the table.) So in addition to the fact that the correct number of burners wasn't provided, there was also the issue that due to the late arrival, we really didn't have time to let the food heat long enough before serving was to begin.
4. Checking In -- As the lead reunion planner, I was busy making sure that everything ran smoothly. But I thought it would have been appropriate for Jaclyn to check in with me before she left to make sure that everything was ok and ready to go. I remember seeing her as she was setting up the buffet, but the next time I looked up, she was gone. I thought it would have been appropriate for her to check in with or say good-bye to the organizer before leaving. (I would, for example, have asked about the Sternos if I'd had a chance to do that.)
5. Taxes and Fees -- The original invoice contained unexplained fees and taxes that exceeded the current DC catering tax rate. The fee for use of Paypal or a credit card also was a function of the bill, rather than a flat rate as would otherwise be expected.
All in all though, we had a solid initial experience with Jaclyn/Made with Love Catering. But I share such thorough feedback above so that others, like us, can make informed decisions about their catering options. read more