**Disclaimer**
Besides our incident with the owner, the venue was nice and the party turned out great - after the owner left.
My mom recently celebrated her 50th birthday this past Saturday night. We rented the space in Fairburn, GA with SugahPlum Events. When signing the contract and taking the tour of the event space, everything was explicitly stated. We were told that the kitchen could not be used to cook food at all. We told Khaleema (the owner) that there would be absolutely no cooking because we had a caterer. On the night of the party at approximately 7:20pm (just a short 40 minutes before the party) Khaleema calls my mother stating that the caterer was using the kitchen to prepare the food and that he was not allowed to do so. She then told my mother that she would have to pay $150 because our caterer was "using the microwave to warm food." Now, if the food is already cooked, and one simply needs it to be warmed, that is not considered cooking. At 7:20pm my mom is getting dressed and ready for her party, and Khaleema calls my mother multiple times stating she would need to bring the money with her - no exceptions. Now, even had this been a charge we agreed to, it was not appropriate or professional on any level to call someone within minutes of their party, harassing them for money immediately. I then told my mother to finish getting ready and not waste any valuable time getting upset with this con artist. I spoke with Khaleema, who was very short and nasty in explaining her reasoning as to why we would need to pay an additional $150. My mother then spoke with our caterer who said that Khaleema was unbelievably rude, nasty and just plain unprofessional. She told our caterer that she would "shut the party down" if we didn't give her the money as soon as we arrived. No one wants to be minutes away from their party being harassed for a charge that isn't even valid. And to make matters worse, she was confronting the guests of the party asking many of them if they were the birthday girl. Which obviously means she was planning on confronting my mother at the party, which just confirms her severe lack of professionalism. She obviously doesn't understand that referral business is the best business you can receive. We have already had people ask about using the facility and we told them there is no way in good conscience could we refer someone to possibly incur the same thing. In conclusion, if the rule was that we couldn't use the kitchen at all, then it should have been stated verbally and well as written in the contract. Her overall approach was tacky and uncalled for.
If this is the type of event coordinator you'd like to plan your special event, then by all means book SugahPlum Events. But if you'd like someone who isn't trying to intimidate, bully, and con you into paying additional money RIGHT before your event, then please steer clear of this unprofessional, lack luster, and frankly inappropriate "business." read more