Portland Catering Company

I hired this caterer about a month in advance for a baby shower for approximately 20 guests, with a food order totaling over $1,200. They were scheduled to arrive at 3:00 PM on Saturday. By 3:20, no one had arrived and I still hadn’t heard anything. Around 3:25, I began trying to contact someone. After finally reaching someone after 3:30, I was told the kitchen had been extremely busy that day. At that point, I began to suspect the food might not be coming. At 3:49 PM — just minutes before guests were arriving for a two-hour event — I received a call letting me know the food had not even been made yet. I was told it might be ready “in a couple hours,” and they suggested I order food elsewhere instead. We were left scrambling at the absolute last minute. We ended up ordering pizzas and salad from a local restaurant while family members rushed to the grocery store to put together charcuterie boards in the kitchen as guests arrived. It was stressful, embarrassing, and honestly hard to believe. I have worked in hospitality, events, fundraising, and vendor management since 2008 — from hotels to nonprofit development work — and I regularly hire caterers, bartenders, and vendors for professional events. In all those years, I have never experienced a caterer simply not show up and fail to communicate beforehand that they would not be delivering. To their credit, the contact person did apologize afterward and explained they were understaffed and going through staffing challenges. She also stated they would refund the order and help reimburse the replacement food costs. However, nearly a week later, I still have not received the full refund or reimbursement. I understand that difficult days happen in the service industry. What was most disappointing here was the complete lack of communication before the event and the position it put us in as hosts. Had we had been alerted prior to our drop time - even 1-hour - it would have given us time to figure something else out. Unfortunately, based on this experience, I would not feel comfortable relying on this company again for an event.

We chose Portland Catering Company for a company event, and it was the best decision ever! Katie has been helping us for the last 3 years, and she always goes above and beyond with every request we have. The food and the quality are always good! Best decision ever!

I reached out for assistance with a party I was throwing. They were initially very responsive and said they'd be happy to help with catering and needed more information. I provided the information the same day they requested it. I didn't hear back so followed up a few days later. The same day that I sent my follow up, I received a response that "the message had been sitting in their outbox" and they could no longer help me because they were fully booked up. I'm extremely disappointed with the customer service and wish they would have told me no from the beginning, instead of wasting my time.

We chose Portland Catering Company because they were one of the recommended caterers for our venue, and their pricing was reasonable compared to other full-service options in the area. We went with a buffet dinner, hors d'oeuvres during cocktail hour, and their bartending service. The food was absolutely incredible! Our guests are still raving about the bruschetta from cocktail hour, and the pesto tortellini with sun-dried tomatoes was such a standout that we actually paid extra to have it added to our menu. The food was flavorful, satisfying, and beautifully presented. It was truly one of the culinary highlights of the day. That said, our experience leading up to the wedding had some challenges. Communication was spotty from the beginning. When we booked our tasting, we were given the time but not the location, and no one followed up with an address. We had to track it down ourselves. I also observe kosher dietary laws and let them know this ahead of time, but we were served a dish at the tasting that included bacon. When I brought it up, the general manager (Katie K.) initially claimed she didn’t have that information on file. Only after some back-and-forth did she find the note confirming that it had been communicated in writing. There were also some moments that felt a little dismissive or uneven. My husband consistently received faster responses than I did, which didn’t go unnoticed. Katie scheduled a venue walk-through with us and our coordinator, and unfortunately never showed up. We never received any notice or apology. It seemed like we were simply forgotten. Despite those issues, the day-of execution was smooth. The catering staff was on time, kind, and very accommodating. They helped create a lovely atmosphere, and the dinner and drinks were a big hit. Unfortunately, one of our selected hors d’oeuvres was never served, which was a huge disappointment given how much effort we put into planning every detail of the menu. Overall, I would recommend Portland Catering Company for the food. The dishes were truly excellent, and the guests had nothing but praise. But I would also recommend that other couples go in with eyes open: follow up frequently, double-confirm everything in writing, and advocate for yourselves during the planning process. It may not be the smoothest vendor experience, but the end result on the plate really did deliver.

Todd was excellent on the day! Had everything set out timely, helped guests with their dietary restrictions, and was a pleasure to work with. We had 150 guests and all were happily fed throughout the day with the menu we worked up with Katie. The charcuterie board was brilliant!