They are far from professional. The owner was kind at first, but after I sent her the money she was requesting she became very rude. After sending the money I asked if she could send me the Liability insurance so that I could email it to the venue where I would be holding my daughter's baptism. Per the venue's request. She said no and then later I asked if I could get the bartenders email address so that I can communicate with her. As I wanted to figure out what alcohol to purchase. I wanted to purchase alcohol that the bartender best works with. The owner Angela said no again and then went on saying I was requesting additional stuff. She wanted the payment to be the end of our conversation. She wanted me to pay her and not ask further questions. I then asked if I could get my money back, as I didn't want to do business with her anymore. She then went on and said she could care less and if I wanted my money back my husband would have to contact her. After that she blocked me. I then began to panic and I worried that she wouldn't refund me my money back. Keep in mind that I am already dealing with all the stress that comes from planning an event. I am also pregnant so this was definitely a terrible thing to have experienced. I then asked my husband to reach out to her. Only then did she decide to refund me my money back. Moral of the story, don't book with them. Its better to book with someone who actually cares about their clients. read more

If there were negative stars for a business, I'd apply them here. They do not have any license to actually perform their stated livelyhood (or at the very least are unable to produce paperwork), are slow to respond to requests for basic insurance information, and also charge greater than their stated rates. In short, I nearly had to cancel a high profile event due to their negligence. DO NOT USE. Better to hire the homeless man at the corner; he'd be more apt to perform the tasks at hand. read more

I received a phone call from Angela asking me if I was interested in working a party on pretty short notice. I happened to have that night free and there was a carpool to the location, so I figured at least it would be some extra holiday money. Angela repeatedly asked why there was an echo on our conversation. I couldn't hear it, but I chalked it up to the fact that I was calling her from my cell. I offered to call her right back, which she accepted. Connection fine, no echo. Angela still persists on asking what could have possibly caused our echo-y connection from the previous call. I indicate beyond it being a cell call, I wasn't sure. She went on at great length to intimate how odd she thought the call quality was. I told her I'd be happy to come and meet in person and we set up a time. Angela seemed personable upon meeting, but it was clear she had not read my resume, or did not understand it. Figuring she was probably just slammed with holiday parties, I went over my resume again. Midway through, she interrupted to ask me if I smoked. I said "sure, I did on the one and a half block walk here. Why?" "Oh, well that's not good. I mean I smoke sometimes too, but the client can never know about any kind of smoking. Do you have breath mints?" I told her I would make sure to have some handy for the event. She then asks to see my chef uniform and then indicates only white jackets are allowed. I tell her I have a white jacket. She says she'll need to see it before the event. I am now seeing all red flags and wondering if only idiots and micromanagement devotees have ever worked there. Who cares what color the jacket is? This is turning into a pain in the ass. The silver lining is Angela indicates, unprompted from me, that I will be paid that night after the SEVEN hour event. I figure that's fair and agree. A few days later I receive an email from Angela asking me to "come back and show me your white chef jacket. Please wear entire uniform and make sure it's pressed." OK, YOU ARE JOKING, RIGHT? I reply it will NOT be possible for me to return WEARING IT as I am coming from a meeting and that would not be appropriate. I then trek there again a few days later and she approves of the jacket. She then tells me the event is now only THREE hours. I know for a fact I made a gesture of disappointment. Sensing this, Angela promised to pay me for a minimum of five hours and at night's end. At night's end there was no check, but speaking briefly on the phone Angela promised that since she lived right by me, she would meet me and pay me at 2pm the next day. The next day I am totally blown off and of course my voice mail and email were not returned. This is becoming a circus. Also, it's December 23rd. Later that night, at around 1am she emails telling me "I am just getting back into the city and charging my phone. Can pay you tomorrow around 2pm. Thanks." The next day I get a voicemail from her instructing me to go pick my check up from Chase bank at Irving and Milwaukee. This is at 1:30, on XMAS EVE and they close at 3. I call Chase and let them know I am coming. They confirm she is there and will tell her, and make it there just before they close. The manager tells me Angela was just there, but left me no check. REAL SURPRISE/WTF?/XMAS EVE NIGHTMARE, etc. He calls her repeatedly until she decides to answer her phone. She says: "Oh, guess I forgot, oh well." He tells her I am there and then puts me on the phone, which of course she wasn't expecting. She seems startled and throws volleys of the most pedantic and lame excuses I have ever had to listen to from a grown person. In the end, although Angela was within BLOCKS of the branch I was at, she would not meet me to pay me because: "It's Christmas and I'm home now with my husband and so yeah, I am not leaving. The good news is, the client was very happy with your work! Are you on the bank phone? I don't know if I feel comfortable with you using their phone. I used to be banker (not making this up)-you should get off that phone. I didn't know, they didn't tell me, the dog ate it, I was sick, I forgot, I didn't wanna trouble them by leaving your check with them-INSIDE A BANK." This was seriously the rankest, most horrendous garbage I'd ever heard, and I've worked for some real sketchy people before, but they never pulled this. I ended up going a few days after my xmas eve got destroyed by this self involved, unprofessional charlatan. Check reflected no extra money for my waste of time and Angela would not even look at me when I picked it up. I expected that. In fact that was the only time this heartless business owner ever did live up to my expectations. Of course I couldn't pick up said check until AFTER the Chase branch by them closed. This made sense because the lady at the Irving and Milwaukee Currency exchange told me her checks bounce. Altogether a classless, stone cold experience. read more

I would definitely advise AGAINST hiring anyone from this company. I hired a bartender for my husband's 40th bday party, which I threw in my home in Chicago. The owner, Angela Cuadrado-Torres, also owns Elitte Bartending School. While her response was prompt and friendly upon booking and taking your money, that was where it ended. One hour before the event, I was notified by a lost bartender that she was a "replacement" bartender for the night and was looking for directions. She arrived and was told what we expected of her- I had rented a bar, as well as 150 martini glasses, had every kind of alcohol a bar needed, along with mixers and 3 cocktail shakers and garnishes. I wanted a martini bar. What did I get instead?...A joke. I don't think this girl had ever tended bar, opened wine, or poured a mixed drink in her life. Instead, after telling her not to touch the wine, we could pour it ourselves, I had 2 bottles of wine with corks dropped in them (the wine bottle opener she brought with her broke), she "married" 2 bottles of wine when one was almost empty (they were different kinds of reds), a guest asked for a Maker's Mark on ice, and her reply was "I don't know how to make that drink". Let's not forget,also, the several bottles of alcohol that my lovely bartender opened, threw out the caps, and put "pourers" in. So I was left with several very expensive bottles and no caps to close them b/c they weren't empty. My guests ended up behind the bar making their own drinks b/c she was deemed incompetent at tending bar within the first 30 min. she was there. I actually sent her home 3 hours early, and was glad I did. As for Angela, the owner.... I spoke with her the next day and she kindly agreed to reimburse me half my money (after she also "kindly" suggested I had a "personal problem" with the bartender.) This was April 17th. I have not received a check yet. I have written and left v.m. messages for her weekly, and she has yet to respond back to me. Hmmmm......makes you wonder?!?! In conclusion- if this is the type of business she is running and bartenders she's training- I don't think I'd jump off my couch and hurry to enroll in her "Elitte" Bartending School either. read more