We hired Naan N Curry to cater food for a wedding and the food was good. In the months leading up to the wedding, we liked and trusted the owner, and paid him to provide water dispensers for all our guests, because the venue did not have any. Naan N Curry also stated they would make a plan to get leftover food to our guests.
The day of the wedding, less guests arrived than were anticipated. Despite having paid for food in anticipation of 240 people, perhaps closer to 160 showed up. Around 9pm, the caterers left without communicating with us; no food nor water remained, and the plates, silverware, and cups that we had purchased and brought to the venue ourselves, were no where to be found. That Naan N Curry took the water when they left created a near-crisis situation, because it left us with with only a water fountain to hydrate 160 thirsty guests. While we understand they were required to work within contracted hours, we cannot grasp why they took our 300 cups which we could have used to mitigate the water problem. Their failure to communicate their departure prevented us from addressing the water issue proactively. Additionally, we did not understand why there was no food left if we had ordered food estimated for 240 people, and only 160 showed up.
After the wedding, we followed up with the owner of Naan N Curry and visited the restaurant to recover the plateware, napkins, cups, and utensils which were intended for our wedding. When asked about the missing food and water, he provided a several explanations: 1) that he had not taken any food back and there was none left; 2) that he had communicated with our families about leftover food when leaving; 3) that guests took 3-4 plates and ate all the food, despite the lesser guest count; 4) that a worker hired by me had thrown food out; and 5) that guests had taken food home, despite the fact that no takeout containers were provided to take food home in. While we are trusting in nature, I am an investigator by profession, so I followed up for testimonies from our guests. My inquiries with more than a dozen guests and workers found that:
1. Workers and guests deny eating or seeing any others eat 3-4 plates; some state that they were turned away from having seconds.
2. Workers and guests became aware that Naan N Curry had leftover food, including "in the back," close to their time of departure
3. Workers and guests attest to Naan N Curry packaging up leftover food and bringing it back to their van
4. Workers and guests deny throwing out any trays of the food at any time.
5. Workers and guests deny taking or seeing others take food home
6. Workers and guests deny that Naan n Curry informed anyone of their departure, and that they only became aware of the water situation after they had left us with no water and no cups.
The issue here is one of principle: We paid for food for 240 people, and offered the Owner the opportunity to explain how there could possibly be no leftovers, when merely 160 people showed up. However, he could not articulate a credible reason. As a caterer of 20+ years, his assertion that the food purchased was only sufficient for merely two thirds of the anticipated guests, cannot be believed, unless he were inept. I don't believe he is inept, and I believe his explanations are disingenuous.
At best, the water issue is an enormous oversight, and at worse, negligence. We never were given an explanation why Naan N Curry took our plateware, cups, and utensils. We are aware that his crew also took another vendor's table clothes. We have been allowed to recover our goods post-wedding, though the question remains why did he take these items in the first place?
When we confronted the owner about the above issues, he blamed our friends, our workers, and us. We had liked him quite a bit, and found him to be paternal and kind, so this was all upsetting. Perhaps even an apology or honest discussion would have sufficed to settle the score. However, after all this, we can only conclude that we've been ripped off for thousands of dollars. read more