Mermaid Catering

Mermaid Catering did not show up Mermaid Catering did not cater my husband’s surprise birthday party despite being fully paid, and the experience was heartbreaking. My husband planned a once-in-a-lifetime surprise birthday for me with over 60 guests, family traveling in, and multiple vendors including a bartender, photographer, live band, violinist, and photo booth. We had successfully used Mermaid Catering at least three times before, so trusting them again felt easy. Unfortunately, there was no food, water, or lemonade at the event and no communication letting us know there was an issue. My husband had to scramble during the party to place an emergency Olive Garden order so our guests could eat. After reviewing everything, I do believe there was a date discrepancy made by Mermaid Catering on the proposal that my husband did not catch. Mistakes happen, especially during a busy holiday season. What was difficult to accept was how the situation was handled afterward and the lack of empathy or accountability. No services were provided for the event that actually took place, yet over $2,300 was retained. The only resolution offered required us to label the situation as a “cancellation” to receive a credit, pay nearly $500 more to use it, and accept menu restrictions. Watching my husband — who put so much thought and care into creating this memory — feel embarrassed and dismissed afterward was devastating. This was never about getting something for free. It was about fairness, accountability, and being treated with respect as returning customers. EDIT AFTER OWNER RESPONSE: To clarify, we never asked for a full refund. We were open to compromise and had actually planned to use Mermaid Catering again for Thanksgiving. What made this situation difficult was the lack of flexibility after a very costly mistake. The proposed “goodwill credit” still required us to spend several hundred dollars more out of pocket and accept menu limitations in order to use money that had already been paid. A more reasonable compromise would have been waiving additional fees and allowing flexibility with the menu. Also, the owner refers to a “contract,” but there was nothing signed. The document provided was a proposal with a short expiration window, and much of the planning occurred verbally over the phone. Based on prior successful experiences with Mermaid Catering, my husband trusted the process in good faith and did not realize there was a date discrepancy. To be clear: my husband did not book the wrong date. We genuinely believe an administrative mistake occurred that was unfortunately not caught. Mistakes happen — especially during a busy holiday season. The disappointment came from how the situation was handled afterward. We were returning customers, over $2,300 was paid, no services were ultimately provided for the event we hosted, and the resolution offered still required additional spending. That is why this experience felt unfair. At the end of the day, this was never about trying to get something for free. It was about accountability, empathy, and finding a reasonable middle ground. I also want to acknowledge that responding to this four months later has unexpectedly reopened old wounds. We had already tried to move forward from losing over $2,300, and in a time when everything is so expensive, revisiting that loss still hurts. I only felt the need to respond so people could better understand what actually happened from our perspective.

Can’t express how thankful I am that Mermaid Catering stepped up for our squadron thanksgiving feast. I was on a tight timeline, and budget, and they were more than willing to meet us where we were at, delivering some incredible sides for the function that got rave reviews. We’ve found our go to for any and all catering needs for follow events. Every tray we had ordered was cleaned out within the hour. The service and quality provided was way more than I could have hoped for. Needless to say, highly recommended for anyone looking for stellar catering.

Such an easy website for online ordering. Then great subsequent communication after I placed my order. I could have served the food using the packaging she provided because they were presented so nicely. However, I used my own serving dishes. The food was delicious! I will be using them again for all of my future events.

We are so happy with Mermaid Catering. Delivered a gorgeous hot and ready to eat special dinner to our mum in VB. Went out of their way to add a note from the kids. The meal and presentation were perfectly top notch. Delicious!

The owner of Mermaid Catering, Julie Aubrey, was easy to work with when I was planning my husband's "Celebration of Life". Her staff was phenomenal the day of the event. They made sure that everything was perfectly set up and cleaned up. It was such a relief for me, since I was able to focus on the program itself. Best of all the food was delicious and many of my guests came to me to let me know how much they enjoyed the luncheon. They were worth every penny!