Friends Upscale Catering

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Date of Wedding: 12/13/2025 Location: The McCormick Estate (Apex, NC) Food Highlights: honey buffalo wings (bridal party tray), mini chicken and waffles (cocktail hour) smothered chicken over rice and collard greens risotto (main meal) , honey cornbread and chicken bites (bridal party tray) Friends Catering did an amazing job at a December 2025 wedding I planned for 200 guests. The butler-passed cocktail hour felt very upscale, and guests kept complimenting the smothered chicken entrée during dinner. Meals came out hot, presentation was beautiful, and service staff were attentive and kind. Would happily work with them. PHOTO BY PHOTOGRAPHER @joeschniderphotography

We used Friends Catering for our corporate training sessions and the boxed lunches were a hit. The meals were fresh, perfectly portioned, and arrived right on time. Our team especially loved the Flame-Grilled sweet heat chicken and saffron rice ; something for everyone, even vegetarian options. Professional and reliable service! Yes, we recommend Friends Catering to our family and friends.

Johnson-Reyes Wedding, Sanford, NC June 15, Guest Count: 150 Photography: Bella Bora Photography I had the pleasure of serving as planner and day of coordinator for the Johnson-Reyes wedding reception. We enlisted Friends Upscale Catering as our food and beverage vendor for the wedding rehearsal dinner, bridal shower brunch, and wedding reception catering. From the consultation, tasting, and event, the team was very friendly and down to earth. The team was reliable and the food was amazing. We were able to stay within budget with Friends Catering comprehensive and all inclusive packaging, having the service equipment, beverages, bar, and even being available to cater the rehearsal dinner and bridal shower leading up to the event made everything smooth for other logistics. Rehearsal Dinner Menu: “Cajun Cookout”, chicken kabobs, shrimp kabobs, dirty rice, collard greens, jalepeno cornbread Guests Served: 40 Bridal Shower: “Brunch in Bleu”, challah French toast, turkey sausage, chicken sausage, breakfast potatoes, shrimp and grits, graze and grab boxes Guest Served: 25 Wedding Reception Dinner: “Something Country”, appetizers: fried catfish bites, fried alligator bites, tequila shot/tacos, cajun chicken skewers, entrees/sides: fried chicken, glazed Cajun salmon, mashed potatoes, green beans, vegetarian meal: spinach and cheese tortellini, yeast rolls Guest Served: 150 The team accommodated last minute dietary restrictions and fed the vendors! It was a pleasure working with Portia and the team!

Friends Catering was instrumental in the success of our charity dinner September 25. Their plated service for 200 guests ran flawlessly. The chicken and salmon entrées were perfectly cooked, and their attention to timing and presentation was spot-on. They even helped coordinate with our event planner to ensure a smooth flow of service. Highly recommend for any formal event. Menu: roasted chicken, glazed salmon, mashed potatoes, green beans, yeast rolls, sweet tea, lemonade, added bottled waters SIDENOTE: The company provided the plate ware, drink-ware, service-ware. Our team appreciated their attention to detail during our consultation, we mentioned some guests were elderly and may not have been able to walk the buffet line and our service staff was limited, Friends Catering went above and beyond to walk the meals and drinks to our disabled veterans so we could all dine together timely. *I could only find one photo from the evening and will update when I have access to the professional photographer gallery. Thank you

I rarely leave negative reviews, but I feel it’s important to share my experience to warn others of the issues I just recently faced Unfortunately, the food provided was far below expectations for a catering service. The service was supposed to follow a criteria provided and did no such thing. They showed up one day with basically uncooked eggs , which was both unappetizing and concerning from a food safety standpoint. The overall quality of the meal was disappointing, and it did not reflect the level of professionalism or care anyone had hoped for. One morning the meal was simply sausage and boxes of pop tarts. We were feeding for soldiers who were training and that’s all they provided. I truly hope the company takes this feedback seriously and improves both food preparation and quality control moving forward.