We had a wonderful experience working with Applause. From the start Stephanie McIntyre was incredible to work with and went above and beyond in helping us with every detail of my daughter's baby shower. Which was helpful since we were states away and could not meet in person before the event. Applause didn't jut provide catering, they were a huge help in choosing the perfect linen colors and arranging the room layout to make everything feel special and welcoming. Their professionalism and attention to detail really stood out, and it made the day feel effortless for us. Allowing us to truly enjoy the people, the games and the delicious food ! We highly recommend them for any event where you want great service and a personal touch. read more

This is the last caterer that I would hire! Wait staff stood around at a wedding, playing on their phones all night. Food was cold and small portions. Looked like kids meal sizing. Tasted awful. read more

DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME. Very uncommunicative company. My wife and I waited a week and a half for an updated quote and answers to our numerous questions from Tyler, who finally emailed us out of the blue and stated that he had been "out of the office for events." Evidently, no one in this company understands how to set up an email account for these instances. It should also be stated that I called Applause numerous times over weeks, leaving my information in a voicemail each time, and not once did I receive a call back, ever. Tyler eventually decided to email after ten days of radio silence to remind us that he needed our final guest count by "tomorrow." Too little, too late. We had already moved on to a different caterer. Avoid Applause (there's some real irony in that name). read more

What great people you have. Stephanie McIntyre and her team are so easy to work with and wonderful with responding to all of my email questions. Everything was consistently excellent, and I won't hesitate to call on them again! read more

They have great food here and the staff is friendly. While they have a huge selection and most items tast great, they do have a few hit or miss for my taste buds. The chicken dishes tend to be dry than their other meats. My favorite things here are the dessert and breakfast options. I highly recommend breakfast catering. Location can be easy to miss as it is on the beltline and in an industrial section. read more

Applause Catering + Events - Raspberry pudding and espresso chocolate cake - Caterers Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Everyone at applause is wonderful. However, the beta by far is Tyler. He made every effort to make our wedding work smoothly. He was attentive and accommodating. He even went above and beyond to ensure that we could have the day we dreamed of. The only thing that could be improved is the knifes to cut steak a little more easily. Still tastes great and was served quickly so it was hot. The food is fabulous and service is second to none. read more

The only nice thing I will say about them is their food was pretty darn good. Everything else they couldn't/wouldn't/didn't get right. From communication, price, responsiveness - nothing ran smoothly. The person we worked with was Stephanie. Stephanie does not return emails/calls promptly EVER. We would wait DAYS for her to get back to us. Only when asking for our deposit and payment was she prompt with communication, which really tells you something about what they care about. On the day of our wedding the chef on duty instead of congratulate us on just getting married he instead said "you need to have your guest inside, you're behind schedule." Not any bit of a congratulations, smile, etc. - nothing but a command...not to me the groom, but the bride. I was furious, but didn't let it phase me the day of our wedding, I just made a mental note. My wife wasn't very happy either. In reality they had an INCORRECT schedule. Also, don't expect to get a plate of hors d'oeuvres brought to you as a bride and groom like most catering companies do. We didn't get a single piece!! We paid almost $400 for pass-house hors d'oeuvres and didn't. Get. A. SINGLE. Piece. Let me repeat that... We paid almost $400 for pass-house hors d'oeuvres and didn't. get. a. SINGLE. piece. Yes, we were taking pictures, BUT we were taking pictures right outside the venue within 20 steps of where the catering was located. I've been to weddings where they walk over a plate for the happy couple. We didn't get any food and the only communication we received was the rudeness about the timeline. I've been to many wedding where the couple gets a special plate made up for them with hors d'oeuvres, but Applause doesn't think that's important and doesn't do it. They also cleared the food the SECOND the last guest was served so no one could go get food from a different station. This was so the servers could hurry up and eat the food themselves for their own dinner. One server even tried to steal one of our desert pies, which wasn't supplied by them!! The initial quote we received was reasonable but when we came into sign the contract, which took two weeks because the coordinator can't communicate and doesn't know how to return an email, the price jumped up roughly $2,000!!!! The sales person did this so nonchalantly I was almost speechless. We ended up paying almost $5,000 for 85 guests (this doesn't include alcohol). The kicker was the travel fee - which she low-balled us in the beginning, but when we came in for the tasting the fee skyrocketed AND we were not able to go with another caterer because we were so close to the date of our wedding. Great trick right?? BEWARE if you're considering them for a wedding. If you get Stephanie as your person there, because you have to use them, request someone else. I waited to write this review because I didn't want my anger to cloud my judgement. This is my experience and hope others do not have a similar one. read more

If I were to review Applause for the food itself and the day OF, I would give them 5 out of 5. Everything, everything, everything looked and tasted great. The flowers they got for the food stations were all great, the food was tasty, the room looked SPECTACULAR and everyone from the staff was on point that evening. I never had a empty glass in my hand and every one of my guests seemed very happy. However, we did have some issues with communication in the months and weeks leading up to the wedding and we even had to switch consulatants from Stephanie to Melissa because it was too hard to get ahold of her. In the end these issues did not matter because everything was GREAT, but at the time it was very, very frustrating trying to get organzied and get answers, especially as out of town planners. read more

Food was good but just a bit too cool, wasn't really warm and surely wasn't served hot. Service was a little lacking at the wedding we attended, no coffee was offered although we all had coffee cups! The servers dropped glasses of water near the dance floor/bathroom hallway and probably 10 minutes later the floor had puddles still. The flower girls ran to use the potty and slipped in the puddles and had to go home covered in water with aches from falling. Then an hour later (still water on the floor!) the ring bearer stepped on glass by the dance floor! They didn't do a good job cleaning up the mess. We swept up probably 20 chards of the glass the following morning at clean-up... meanwhile one staff member was sitting on kitchen table playing with her phone. Wouldn't really recommend them. read more

Not too thrilled. I used them for my wedding- and I wouldn't do it again. The 'coordinator' was almost impossible to get ahold of and wasn't upfront about travel costs until the tasting which was less than a month before our wedding. Getting a multi station h'orderve style buffet was like pulling teeth. It's a fairly normal thing in Chicago- but it was unheard of in Grand Rapids. On my wedding day, instead of saying anything nice, the on-site manager came up to me telling me i'm behind schedule... when his schedule was actually 30 minutes off. Cocktail hour lasts an HOUR generally. I had quite a few guests complain that all of the food was taken away before they were finished eating and there was no bread served with the salad. Ugh, come on... when you're paying over $50pp i expect more in Michigan. Not sloppy service.... and servers taking food from my desert bar. Their info packets are quite pretty- but it all seems to go downhill from there. I wish that there were more catering companies with better service. The only reason that they got 2 stars instead of one is because their stations tasted the same as at the tasting, so that was at least consistent. If I had to do it again, I would use the BOB for catering next time, or a smaller caterer. read more

To be clear, I DID NOT use Applause Catering for my wedding, but think it is very important for prospective brides and grooms to know my experience with them and why I will not ever use them or recommend them for an event. I am planning my fall 2015 wedding and found Applause Catering on the list of approved vendors for my venue. After reviewing their website, my fiance and I decided to schedule an appointment and a tasting at their facilities. Following the instructions on their website, I submitted a request for a tasting, along with the information that was requested...and waited... Having not received a response after 2 days, I submitted a new request...and waited... After 2 more days of waiting and not getting any responses, I called the number found on the website. Unfortunately, it is a fully automated system with no general contact to speak with, so I selected the extension of the first person listed as a sales and catering specialist and left a detailed message...and waited... That evening, I received an email in response to my first two requests telling me that "he thought the chef would be out (on my requested date) with his children and would get back with me" but would like to schedule an appointment anyway. He also stated in the email that he would get back with me right away to let me know if the chef was or was not going to be available. As both my fiance and I are from out of town, it's imperative that we are very efficient with our appointments and would not schedule one to hear his sales pitch without having a tasting as well. I called the number on his email immediately- literally, in the time it took for the email to come in, for me to read it, and subsequently dial the number, 5 minutes may have elapsed- and had no answer. I then responded to his email with very detailed information about my travel plans and the requirements for my appointment....and waited... The next morning, I received a call from a different person, but unfortunately was away from my phone and missed the call. I called back right away (perhaps 15 minutes had elapsed since the message was left), but again, no answer. I left a message requesting a call back right away...and waited...in fact, I have not heard back from either people whatsoever. If this company values new business, they certainly don't show it. The communication-or rather, lack thereof- is simply appalling. If it is this difficult to so something that should be so simple as to schedule appointment, how is it going to be to work with them to ensure my needs are met for my wedding? If they can't handle a simple task of returning a phone call or email in a timely manner, then how can I trust that they are going to properly do their jobs? I can't, and they have lost my business as a result. So disappointing. read more

If 6 stars was an option that's what they would have received. I had my reception at Bridgewater Place and with the help of Applause and there amazing staff my big day was absolutely breath taking. The food, that they worked with me on to plan the perfect menu, was AMAZING. In fact, I still have people complimenting me on how great everything tasted. Melissa, our event planner, was amazing as well. She brought fabulous ideas, and was extremely was knowledgeable on everything leading up to the big day. My day was magical, beautiful, and everything I'd ever hoped it to be with the help from Applause! read more

I was thrilled with the service that we received from Applause Catering. My son and daughter in law's reception was held at the GOEI Center and Applause was their Caterer. A perfect venue and caterer. Our Event Planner was Melissa and she was a total asset to our planning process. Melissa was easy to work with and offered many great ideas. The Executive Chef, Mark, personally spent time with us to customize the perfect menu. The food was amazing!!! The portions were generous and our meals were hot! I received so many compliments from our guests. It was very clear that the entire staff was dedicated to making sure that my son and daughter in-law truly had a night to remember. Thank you Applause for making this special occasion absolutely perfect! read more