We hired Chew Crew to cater our monthly employee appreciation luncheon for more than 300 employees. Unfortunately, the experience fell well below expectations and was one of the most disappointing catering services we've worked with.
The agreement was straightforward: serve a fresh breakfast buffet for our first shift at noon, return with freshly prepared food for our second shift at 6:30 p.m., and provide boxed meals for our third shift. Unfortunately, that is not what happened.
The caterers arrived late for our first shift, leaving us scrambling to finish setting up the buffet as employees were already arriving for their scheduled lunch breaks. Much of the food wasn't even placed on burners, and it was served cold. Throughout the meal, we received numerous complaints, including one employee finding hair in the food.
Instead of preparing fresh food for the second shift as agreed, the staff began boxing up food from the first shift for later use. We had to remind them of the original agreement to return with fresh food. Even then, the second shift experienced many of the same issues--cold food and overall poor quality. The feedback from our employees was unanimous: they asked that we never use this caterer again.
The third-shift boxed meals were equally disappointing. We were promised loaded hash browns with toppings such as cheese and bacon, but instead received a small amount of plain diced potatoes in a half-filled single serving containers with no toppings at all. In addition, only 19 potato servings and 35 desserts were provided for a crew of 47 employees, leaving many without the full meal that had been planned.
Perhaps most disappointing was the level of professionalism displayed throughout the event. The interactions with staff during our first shift were discourteous and unprofessional, which only added to an already frustrating experience. As a company providing significant business for this event, we expected a level of service that reflected both professionalism and appreciation for our partnership.
Employee appreciation events are meant to recognize and thank our team. Instead, we spent the day addressing complaints and apologizing for an event that should have been enjoyable. Based on our experience, we cannot recommend Chew Crew for large corporate catering events. read more