I wish we could give 6 stars, honestly. Alan & team were an absolute dream to work with from beginning to end. If you are getting married at the Art Factory in Paterson, NJ - there's really no one else who can do it like Ultimate Caterers. Their station set-up, food design, and service all match PERFECTLY with the vibe of venue. To give an example, our cheese, cracker & crudite station were draped with giant wooden picture frames and beautiful flowers & greenery. The team worked with us to put together an endless list of hor d'oeuvres/tapas style bites that went around the entire night. Highlights were the Romanian Meatballs, Chicken Satay, Sesame Noodles, Peter Luger Sliders, & the sushi were all really great (didn't eat a ton, as we were too busy dancing)! Most important thing to note, is that we had to switch caterers less than 3 weeks before the event, due to some unforeseen circumstances. Alan & team picked things right up, improved on everything we already had planned, and executed it to perfection! What more could we possibly ask for? Nothing. Thanks again to everyone at Ultimate Caterers. read more

I have been working with Alan from Ultimate Caterers and cannot put into words how satisfied I am with their service so far! From the first meeting to the tasting to booking them - it has been an absolute pleasure! The food is simply amazing and their presentation creativity is top notch! I cannot wait to see how spectacular the event will be! Alan has answered every question I have thrown at him and responds promptly and professionally every time. Their prices are fair and for what they are willing to provide - very pleasing. Their food options are plentiful and they can accommodate any request you have whether it is for food allergies or sensitivities to cultural or simply because it is not on their menu. We all know FOOD is one of the most amazing parts of any celebration - so it was important to me to make the right choice and I chose the Ultimate Caterer. I can be reassured my guests will rave about the food well after the party is over and THAT will be exactly what I want. read more

Alan is wonderful and the food is top notch. We did the never-ending cocktail party and the food was piping hot and served on ridiculous (in a good way) platings. Alan as well was very attentive before and during the party, helping me every step of the way and making sure the bride and I ate well during the party. After the party everyone came up to me to compliment the food. Ultimate Caterer's business is well earned. read more

We just had our corporate outing (Advice Personnel) for our staff of about 20 in my backyard in Freehold. Alan Perl from Ultimate Caterers told me to kick back and enjoy the party and he will take care of the rest, and that is just what he did. We had a team of three- Joe, Tom and Pat our chef. Pat barbecued to near perfection, prepared a couple of fresh homemade salads, and followed everything up with a variety of tasty deserts. Joe and Tom set up, manned the bar, and served in an easygoing but professional way, which complemented the chill vibe that we wanted for our company party. The tiki decor, table linens, and overall attentiveness could not be better. If you are considering a similar type event, I definitely recommend Alan's ultimate caterers. It was great to kick back and enjoy my own party! read more

I wish I had a great review for Ultimate Caterer. Prior to my wedding, everything seemed effortless and Alan reassured me that everything will be taken care of and that my wedding will be beautiful and the guests will enjoy themselves. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. First with the set up, we noticed that the sweetheart table had the seats facing the wall so our backs would be turned to the guests. I have never been to a wedding where the bride and groom were facing at a wall. Not sure where the confusion was there. Prior to the ceremony, my husband's uncle went to the bar and ordered a beer and the bartender denied him service. We paid for the alcohol so if someone wants a drink, we expect them to be served. When lining up to walk down the aisle Alan gathered us all in a line and my husband asked "where do I go?" to which Alan nastily replied "are you the groom?" Not only did he give my husband attitude, Alan then directed him to walk down the aisle after the groomsmen and before the best man. So the best man, not the GROOM, was the last to walk down the aisle before the bridesmaids. Then when guests were directed to the reception area, my mom noticed that one table was missing chairs. We drew up the whole floor plan 2 weeks before the wedding (which my husband and I reviewed 3 times before sending) so I don't understand why there were missing chairs. I also found out that not everyone got their dinner served. Some guests had to share a meal since they weren't provided one. My mom had to beg the servers to get them food and all she was told was that they weren't at their seat at the time so they didn't get food. What kind of a response is that?? If you clearly know someone is sitting there, you make sure you get them a plate. Also we ordered a cake with hints of yellow and grey on it since those were our colors. However, the cake we received was yellow and blue. And when we were cutting the cake, no one from the caterer was around to give my husband and I a plate or fork. It was quite embarrassing standing there for so long just waiting while everyone watched us. Eventually a family member handed a small coffee plate for us to use. And I also thought it was customary for the couple to keep the top of the cake to share for their first anniversary. I guess not with Ultimate. And the desserts were a separate issue. My mom also brought donuts as an extra dessert to serve guests and repeatedly asked Alan to place the donuts on all tables. He simply refused and my mom had to take matters into her own hands on her own daughter's wedding day. I felt like my mom was busy correcting Ultimate's mistakes rather than enjoying her own daughter's wedding. Thanks Alan.... A guest repeatedly asked for coffee and when Alan finally came with coffee he gave her an attitude and yelled at her for requesting coffee when she didn't have a cup for him to pour it in. How would she have a cup if one was never provided?? My husband also tried to order our signature cocktail 20 minutes prior to the end and the bartender gave him an attitude when he ordered it as he already began packing up the bar. There is still 20 minutes left for the wedding. If we paid for service for 5 hours, we expect that service all the way through. When we got back from our honeymoon, we noticed we only received 2 small boxes of all liquor we brought in ourselves but none of the liquor we bought on consignment. We find rather odd that not one bottle of liquor was returned partially used. They were either completely "finished" or not used at all. After receiving the invoice for the liquor, we knew there was no way our wedding guests drank as much liquor as we were charged for. We have a gut feeling that liquor was stolen. A little bit of proof, as then night was coming near and end, my husband and best man went to the bar for a shot. He noticed no one had drank one of the high end bottles of whiskey, so they decided to do a shot of that. That bottle was not returned to us after the wedding. So in the next 30 minutes the entire bottle was drank (and a second one after that) when no one had opened them in the previous 4 hours? Not to mention we bought in our own large cooler the day before the wedding with some lemonade for our signature cocktail and we never got the cooler back. One thing Alan was good at though, was making sure my husband and I had a drink in our hands at all times. Maybe in hopes we'd be too inebriated to realize his shortcomings. I'm extremely appalled by Ultimate Caterer and would not recommend them to anyone. read more

Alan and Ultimate Caterer made my bridal shower a huge hit! I cannot thank them enough! Everyone was literally raving about the food, including my future mother-in-laws friends and some of my friends who have a particular palate! Everyone was asking for his contact info! Antonio was the one to set up our buffet and it looked spectacular. I used to run weddings for a living so am very particular about presentation and I was truly blown away. It looked better than I even could have imagined (people were taking videos of it for their social media stories lol!) He was also super kind and accommodating. I highly recommend Ultimate Caterer for any event! Thank you again Alan & team! read more

I had the pleasure of attending the Asbury Park Mayor's Ball in October 2010 as a guest, and after enjoying the endless parade of culinary delights offered at the event, I just had to get the name of the caterer. I was told by one of the servers to keep one of the cocktail napkins, since the company's name is printed on them and says it all: "Ultimate Caterer." The service is based in Marlboro, NJ, and is owned by Alan Perl. It turns out their specialty is offsite events, such as the Mayor's Ball, and they transformed the Grand Arcade between the Paramount Theater and Convention Hall into a fantasy party space. Our server told me they do weddings as well, frequently at the Berkeley Hotel just across the street from Convention Hall. But she said they will set up and serve a party anywhere at all: outside or inside. The food options were delectable. First, we had a cocktail hour with passed appetizers out on the south veranda (which is usually The Beach Bar). I am a particular fan of sushi, and the seared tuna served on cucumber rounds was an inventive presentation. While there were a number of standard offerings (coconut shrimp, spanokopita), there were also really unique creations that were huge hits, like mini monte cristo sandwiches with a maple dipping sauce! Clever! Dinner was served at various stations around the room, and included hot pasta (with sauces that were clearly homemade), a Mexican station, and (yes!) more sushi. There was even a barbecue station. I had no idea there would be so much food at this event; glad I went with a ravenous appetite! Desserts included hot (yes, hot!) homebaked cookies in chocolate chip, oatmeal, and white chocolate macadamia nut, passed by servers. They also passed little bites of cheesecake on a long wooden skewer ("cheesecake lollipops" is what Ultimate Caterer calls them). More like little bites of heaven on a stick. My favorite dessert item was actual miniature root beer floats, served in tiny blue cups with little bitty straws. Fun! I think what really differentiated this caterer was the attention paid to the presentation of everything from the food stations to the lovely orchid and palm garnishes on the passed appetizer trays. By the way, these were no ordinary trays...the servers presented the appetizers and desserts in and on every conceivable type of vessel...the seared tuna, for example, was offered on what appeared to be a wooden clock face that had been salvaged from a vintage store, the beef satay arrived inside a large box that might have formerly carried an exquisite bottle of scotch, and the French onion soup "to go" was delivered on what honestly looked like a miniature surf board! If I had to say anything negative, it's that barbecue ribs were probably not the best food choice for this particular party, as it was a lavish gala, and the guests were all dressed up in evening gowns and tuxedos. Ribs are sloppy! However, this menu choice was probably made by the party client and not the caterer. As for me, I just skipped them and stuck with food I could consume with silverware. In short, I was really impressed with the food offerings provided by Ultimate Caterer, which really enhanced the Mayor's Ball. I understand they do parties of all sizes, so I wrote their number on the back of my cocktail napkin for my next party! read more

My brother just got married and used this catering company. They were terrible. I witnessed Alan, the owner of this company, argue with my brother and his new bride when they approached him with concerns. Which there were plenty of concerns. Every time my sister-in-law asked Alan a question, he would bring her a drink as if he was trying to get her drunk to forget the horrible service. The valet was a mess. My brother had discussed with Alan weeks before the wedding his concern with only having a couple of valets for the cars and Alan told them not to worry about it. Well, they didn't and all of the guests were waiting in their cars for a half hour just to be parked. Alan was especially rude to the whole bridal party, offering them food and then closing lids on their fingers when the went to reach for the appetizers. The planning for the day was also horrible. They showed up late, which created issues for the florist who was trying to set up the decorations. The intermezzo was never served even though it was paid for, the desserts were served for only a couple of minutes and hardly any of the guests got to have dessert because they were up dancing. When guests were asking for water, which was no where to be found other than at the bar (only once was my water glass filled, which was at the end of the night after the glass was sitting upside down on the table for the whole reception), Alan openly yelled at the guests. The only good things about this company are the serving staff who were doing the best they could do with what they were working with and the cook. The food was excellent. But it doesn't make up for the horrible customer service from the owner. Save yourself the trouble and find another caterer! read more

Alan, this is Rich Anderson. Ten years ago tonight we held our wedding reception in Asbury Park at the Berkeley Hotel. Who knew Asbury would become what it is today. But, to this day, we are constantly reminded of perhaps the best wedding any of our guests attended. Credit goes to you and your team at the time, and you will always be an important person in our lives. Ten years later Peggy and I couldn't be happier, and you kicked it all off with a bang (complete with warm cookies and cold milk to close out the reception, and an after party that remains the gold standard of after parties!). Our friends and family regularly remind us of the great time they had on that October day. You run a unbelievable business and we appreciated your attention to detail and for making us a priority despite the high demand for your services. So thank you, we hope you are well, and wish you continued success. read more

We chose Ultimate Caterer for our Wedding in August. We had been shopping around for a Caterer and were really not to impressed with anyone. Then we called Alan Perl the owner of Ultimate Caterers. From the minute we met, we new this was the Catering Company for us. Alans Ideas were so Fresh and unique. The day of our Wedding the Maitre D' and staff arrived and took over our home. They told us to relax and they would set up every thing. Well they were true to their word. Our house and backyard was beautifully transformed into a wedding venue. The Ceremony was set up in the back yard. The reception was our dream come true. The Station Buffets and Tables were all in the tent elegantly set. The food was deliciously prepared and artistically presented. From Appetizers, to the Strolling Desserts everything was perfect. The Staff was professional and saw to our every need. Thank you Alan Perl and your amazing Catering Company for truly making our Wedding a memory that will last forever read more

Alan Perl, in a word, is phenomenal! Being the family who lives in a different state from the location of the wedding we were hosting, it was imperative for us to have incredibly smart, dedicated, talented, and professional vendors. I had never met Alan Perl nor heard of Ultimate Caterer except online, yet from the first moment I met him, I knew I had the right caterer. Not only did Alan provide thorough answers to all of our questions, he made sure no stone went unturned when determining what we wanted and provided valuable and reassuring expertise in those many areas where we were unsure or unaware of needs. Our planning meetings were amazingly efficient and short, though we never felt rushed. As we approached the deadline for the wedding (one week out), our numbers increased significantly from what we had expected; Alan didn't even blink! On the day of the wedding, Alan and the amazing Ultimate Caterer staff handled perfectly absolutely every imaginable aspect of catering an event. They were very timely, organized, un-intrusive, and professional to the nth degree. The food was so beautifully and artistically presented; the guests commented on how delicious it was; there were no "traffic jams" in the food lines. It is the Ultimate understatement to say that we truly didn't lift a finger; after our consultation meetings, Alan and the Ultimate Caterer staff handled absolutely everything from top to bottom. There is nothing we would change if we could do it over again twenty times. I unequivocally recommend Alan Perl's Ultimate Caterer for any event you plan on hosting! read more

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Alan you're the best. From one day you made my special day really great. I wish i had a better word than great because thats how it was. The food, the displays, the service, everything, spectatular. Everything you promised me came true. You helped start my new life on the right foot. I hope every new bride uses your company so they get to feel like the princess you made me feel like. Thanks read more

I recently attended an event catered by this company and the food was airplane grade. Seriously, don't use this company. I don't ever post reviews because this experience was not even worth one star. It's not his staff's fault. I blame management. Mr. Alan Perl needs to close shop. read more

This review is an bit delayed. Our wedding was in November 2016. The planning process went well with Alan, although he came off a bit arrogant and pushy, but when it came to the day of we were not quite happy. The week before the event, after our rental company had already invoiced us, Alan added on a $1000 cook tent for the event. He did not call and inform us he was doing this, just called and added it on. We found out because the rental company called to inform us. When we called to ask him why he just replied he had forgotten and it was needed for the event. As for the day of it started out small, one of our appetizers was subbed out for something else because they forgot it. We asked for mac and cheese and they served penne and vodka( which was one of the side dishes for the meal but the way). Then when it came time for the toast we had purchased our own liquor for the wedding so we had cases of champagne in the back. Glasses were not filled and when we went to toast no one had champagne including my husband and I. Then, even after 15 less people then we paid for attended, we ran out of food. At the end of the night the matre d said there was no food to wrap up for us and multiple guest commented on how when they went to get food there were nothing left except for one protein. After the wedding when I expressed my concerns and disappointment to Alan he commented that it wasn't true and he had seen multiple pans of food come back from the event. So what was it? We ran out or your matre de lied and didn't want to give me the food I was owed and paid for. He apologized non the less and offer a free pan on mac and cheese then next time we hire him for an event. What a slap in the face. After this conversation to add icing to the cake we had bought our liquor on consignment through a local liquor store that Alan works with. At the end of the night the bar tender showed us all that was left and going back via the catering company. Well needless to say they left a full case at the venue, which we had to go and drop off ourselves and what the bartender showed us that was left at the end of the night never made it back to the liquor store and we had to pay for the missing bottles. Thankfully the liquor store was great to work with and they didn't make us. Food was delicious and the bartender was great as well as the wait staff. Over all I felt like I was getting swindled. Not a great feeling on your wedding day. read more

Alan and team are amazing. Ultimate catered our at home wedding this year, they are truly a one stop shop. They have relationships with vendors for anything you might need. They are a very professional group and execute very well. They are very attentive to all the guests and truly set up a spectacular venue. AND the food is awesome. There have many choices for you to create your menu and it is all very good. I highly recommend Ultimate Caterers. read more

Alan and Ultimate catered our recent wedding. From the start Alan was very helpful and created a package that worked with our budget. His staff arrived promptly and had everything ready to go on time. The room looked fantastic and Alan organized the timing of the day perfectly. Our guests are still raving about the food...the hors d'oeuvres were so delicious and the displays were beautifully decorated. The unique strolling desserts were a huge hit, especially the cheesecake lollipops!! The staff was very professional and did a great job. I'm so happy we decided to go with Ultimate Caterers!! I highly recommend them!! read more

I will never use The Ultimate Caterer ever again! Caterer The Ultimate Caterer Marlboro, NJ US www.ultimatecaterer.com A friend of mine used The Ultimate Caterer against my advice (I was their wedding planner), and they turned out to be even more of a disaster than I thought they would be. During the tasting, I was not impressed by the food. There were few items that were passable, but I thought the rest were subpar. However, as they were the preferred caterer by the venue the couple wanted, they decided to go ahead with them. While the sales rep, Jennifer Channing, was professional and lovely, I found the owner, Alan Perl, to be completely unprofessional. He was rude and up to the last minute, was constantly trying to deliver less than what the contract stated. Fortunately, I refused to used their standard contract and drafted my own, which set forth in detail everything the wedding couple had a right to expect. That didn't stop him, though, from trying to not provide certain products and overcharging them. He quoted a lower price for linens, which he was supposedly renting, but shortly before the wedding, they became exorbitantly more. Supposedly, the price he quoted was for a smaller size. Okay, if he was providing the tables, he should know what size he needed. He claimed it was too late to go back on the order, but they could change it to bigger sizes (although the price difference was significant). When I asked for the website of the rental company, he claimed they didn't have a website. He also failed to provide me their contact info. Also, when we asked if they had cupcake stands, they quoted a price of approximately $60 each to rent them. We opted against it as we can buy them for $20 each. Alan also kept trying to go around me, the party planner, and would directly contact the bride, though he was explicitly directed by her to deal with me. I think this is because he was relying on the fact that she was too busy to deal with details to catch on to incorrect information. What he didn't realize is that the bride and I are close friends and she called me after every conversation with him. Alan was increasingly difficult to deal with and tried to pretend that certain items were not on the contract until I insisted on going through the contract line by line with him. He was also insulting and arrogant. The day of the wedding, he kept bothering the bride during her photo session. At one point, he interrupted to tell her that they were low on an item. Seriously?!! The photographer complained that he was inappropriate with her. The way they set the room was horrible and he kept hounding the bride and groom to hurry up the photo session because they needed to set up (they were late). They also failed to provide the lunch for the bridal party, as set forth by the contract. They then tried to put a partition that the bride had expressly forbidden. She had to yell at them to remove them, and they had the gall to charge her for the item! I had set up the flowers in he ceremony room before getting ready (I was a bridesmaid), but when I walked into the room, I found that they had moved the branches from where they were supposed to be and hid them behind a curtain. I was furious! During the reception, the chef served an item with nuts, when it was set forth in the contract that nuts cannot be served and we expressed several times that one bridesmaid was severely allergic to nuts. Also, I didn't see most of the items they were suppose to serve (I was parked by the kitchen most of the night). To top it off, they served cold milk (they were supposed to be milkshakes) on cheap, plastic shot glasses. The only good part about this company is their serving staff, who were very eager to please and very professional. They were lovely and deserve to work for a better employer. Fortunately, the wedding was saved by a superb dj and fun crowd. I will never use The Ultimate Caterer again. Of all the caterers I've ever worked with, they were by far the worst. From: Message Author (click here to email author) Date: Sunday, 25-Apr-10 23:43:50 CDT read more

So where do you begin when reviewing a Wedding Caterer service that cannot be described on how horrible they were... Find as many blogs and complaints possible from other people who might have used them and then some. I was deployed to Iraq when my Wife was planning our wedding. She went to Caterer after Caterer to try and find the perfect one for our reniassance themed wedding. She happened upon Alan Perl's Ultimate Caterers and decided to go with them due to the show of experience they laid out in front of her. Boy could we not have been more fooled by a bunch of ...'es. You can not describe how horrible this company is. During the whole planning service he the owner Alan Perl seemed to want to help us out as much as he can to make our day as memorable as possible... well he made it more memorable with the slue of complaints we got from EVERY SINGLE ONE of our guests in regards to their service. People remember our wedding due to the fact that it was a Rennaisance Theme and not the food. read more

I feel compelled to offer my comments; The Ultimate Caterer is the best and they put on amazing parties that have guests raving for weeks following any event! Alan Perl & the Ultimate Caterers have catered my wedding, my son's bris, my nieces Bat Mitzvah, my nephews Bar Mitzvah and my sons Bar Mitzvah and they were all marvelous parties that always surpassed our expectations. Alan is a true professional and produces fabulous events, he always asks us a million questions while we are planning the party and his reason for doing so is to "cover all the bases" ahead of time so on the day of the party he has a well designed plan to execute and I must say we covered everything before any event, there are NO surprises and Alan as the General with his army always deliver everything we had discussed & more. Most recently The Ultimate Caterer produced our son's Bar Mitzvah in NYC and it was a marvelous event that had the most jaded Manhattanites shocked and amazed with the party they were privy to. It wasn't easy, we had a penthouse venue in NYC and Alan & his crew coordinated everything perfectly, we had a Surfing theme and the room was festooned with surf boards, boogie boards, flowers, palm trees, lifeguard stands, tiki huts, surf themed cake, great lighting, candles and twinkle lights...it was gorgeous. The room was elegantly and flawlessly set up ahead of schedule, the tables looked beautiful, the glassware & silverware glistened in the candlelight and the way the tables were arranged maximized the room for my guests to enjoy their meals. The food was awesome, not only delicious but creative, plentiful & served beautifully and professionally; the hot food was hot & the cold food was cold. The staff was just great, they treated our guests truly as their guests, each & every request, and there were a lot, were handled promptly and pleasantly, the staff went above & beyond the call of duty to make our guests (and they are a picky group to deal with) happy and ready to party. The bartenders & servers were stupendous, attending to our guests every want & need when it came to beverages and as my Uncle Bob said "they never let an empty glass remain empty for long" (I've never heard of a cash bar at any catered party no less a wedding?)! My Mom & Dad are handicapped and I must say I was concerned with them being able to get in & out of the cocktail hour and then change floors for the reception but Alan & his staff were right there to transport them discreetly when it was called for, the way they were taken care of was especially touching to my entire family. Even during the candle-lighting ceremony whenever some of the "seniors" needed assistance Alan or a member of his team were there to provide a helping hand or a shoulder to hold onto to, that is the sign of a crew that truly cares for their guests! Alan is the owner/operator of The Ultimate Caterer and at no time did he say or would I expect him to be cooking the food for our party; his crew of kitchen pros are astute and well trained and provided our event with remarkable food that won raves from our group of "jaded New Yorkers". Any request that was made of Alan and his staff was taken care of instantly and intelligently his group was prepared for anything and at no time was any request ignored, denied or delayed. Our guests partied and were treated like "rock stars" and they all said if not THE best it was definitely in the top 5 Bar Mitzvahs they ever attended! When dinner service began the staff were ready, willing & able to help all our guests whether it was to carry a plate to a table, get food for my wife & family, provide new silverware, a napkin or get a cocktail for a guest or even refill the water glasses, these servers were "locked & loaded" to provide top notch service whatever it took. Alan Perl & the Ultimate Caterers are the best caterers ever, any event they produced for us has always garnered new customers from the guests they served and I've recommended them to many friends & relatives over the years who were all grateful to me for letting them know about them and thrilled with the events Alan & his team of experts created for them. I will always be grateful to Alan Perl & The Ultimate Caterer for being there for us when we needed them most and for making the most important times of our lives unforgettable read more

My husband and I cannot thank Alan Perl and Ultimate Caterers enough for their excellent service, planning and professionalism throughout the entire wedding planning process. From the beginning Alan was there to answer all of my questions and work around any specials needs that we had. He was immensely helpful during the whole planning process for the reception and even worked around my busy work schedule to meet and discuss the event. Ultimate Caterers handled all of the logistics and set-up for the event seamlessly, these are people you want in your corner on your big day! My guests have gone out of their way to mention how delicious the food was and how exceptional the service was during the event, people are still raving about the brisket and salmon! Our Maitre D, Joe, was excellent and handled any requests we had with grace. Ultimate Caterers handled the bar for our reception, and there was hardly ever a line! Their service was efficient even when many of my guests were drinking mixed drinks. In short, I could not be happier with my choice to go with Ultimate Caterers for our wedding, the pricing was right (affordable), the food was EXCELLENT, and the service was above and beyond what we could have expected. Thank you Alan and Ultimate Caterers! read more