Swanky Catering and Events

Four star food meets one star service. My company hired Swanky to provide the catering for a day-​long workshop we were hosting in Berkeley. Swanky was one of the preferred vendors listed for our venue. We opted to go with Swanky because of their more extensive menu options, undaunted by the fact that their prices were significantly higher than the competition.
Once our contract was signed, communication with Swanky became negligible. Simple emails took days to be responded to. Special needs became large issues. Timelines became unreasonable. This was just in the lead-​up. The day of our event, lots of things went wrong.
On the day of the event, the delivery person was over half an hour late to the venue. He also spilled half of our coffee in his van, but did not tell us. We ran out of coffee immediately, and had to send someone to a nearby Starbuck’s to buy a to-​go box. Two hours later, he brought back a replacement coffee. When we pointed this out to Swanky post-​event, we were told we wouldn’t be charged for the replacement coffee. How kind.
Lots of little things got lost the day of our event. Water was supposed to be changed over at lunch, but wasn’t. Our venue had a policy of all-​compostable packaging: our lunches weren’t. Multiple calls made to Swanky the day-​of our event went unreturned.
After the event, our concerns were deflected with excuses and a lack of ownership of responsibility. When asked to make it right, Swanky was obtuse. When I finally said, «A discount would go a long ways to smoothing ruffled feathers,» Swanky deducted 5% off of our bill — but charged us an extra $ 120 for paying with a credit card, even though we paid by check.
I run a small business. I understand how tough it can be. I also know that clear communication, responsibility for our mistakes, and meaningful action in the wake of mistakes are the hallmarks of good service. Swanky’s food is good, but their customer service needs to catch up to how much business they are signing.
We won’t be using them again.

I cannot express how incredible Amy and her team are!
Swanky catered our nonprofit org’s annual fundraising gala last night and it was absolutely perfect! I selected Swanky purely based on their customer service. I had another proposal for slightly lower cost, but Amy was on top of it from the get go, and I knew we were in good hands.
After months of emails and phone calls to negotiate food options, guest count, number of staff, additional table covers, and of course price (we ARE a nonprofit) the event finally arrived. The food was INCREDIBLE (so I hear, I was too busy to try anything, sadly) and the service was stellar. When our (wine and beer bottle heavy) raffle prizes display went crashing to the floor, Amy was there in an instant and had it cleaned up before 90% of the guests knew it happened. Guests complimented the food, service, and elegance all evening. It truly was «swanky.»
I will call Swanky for every company event we ever host and I’m keeping them in my back pocket for my wedding. They are a customer service dream with the culinary skills to match.

Amy and her team were outstanding. We were in a bind because our contract with the Lake Temescal Beach House required caterers be on the premises for an evening event, so we were unable to cajole friends and family into serving drinks and cake. Amy was the only caterer from the mandated list who would work with me to provide staff-​only, and her fees and prices were perfect for our budget.
But what really got me was how incredibly diligent and helpful the staff were. They jumped in wherever we needed them, doing things professionally, quickly, and with enthusiasm. The drinks were flowing, the cake was cut well, and when the evening was winding down, they straight up did EVERYTHING to get the place clean and ready to go. I was so impressed I literally took all the cash in my wallet to provide an extra tip to the staff because they were so on point.
Leading up to the event, Amy was responsive and flexible as our needs changed (we must have changed our minds about wine glasses at least 17 times). Great experience working with Swanky, and would recommend for anyone who needs quality staff for an event.

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!
My expectations were exceeded!
Amy and Susan went into great deal to help us plan a wonderful June wedding at the Brazilian Room. Our style was simple, elegant, cocktail party. We did not want a formal sit down dinner. We wanted to party, dance and laugh with our friends and family. I had a vision, like most brides, of what I wanted. Amy helped turn it into a reality. We met with Amy multiple times to discuss menu planning and decorations. Not only does Swanky provided you with a long list of yummy items to tempt your palate, they are eloquently presented. Both Amy and Susan took time with us to go over all the details in detail! From barware, tables and chairs to linens, lighting and decorations; Swanky can do it all. If you want something they don’t have, they can get it or give recommendations. Highly recommended for your next event. Thank you Swanky for every perfect detail and making our evening an event to remember!

We had a business event on the rooftop terrace of a building in downtown Oakland last Friday. It was a gorgeous sunny day and unfortunately very little shade. The wait staff Swanky sent were so good about having to carry everything up to the roof and were very helpful about figuring out ways to keep the food fresh while sitting in the sun. I was so impressed with the professionalism and friendliness of the staff. Despite having to stand in the sun, they maintained an excellent and caring manner.
The food was really good, people were very impressed. Swanky is definitely my go to business for catering.

Wow. Swanky catered for a mixer that was a large corporate networking event.
It was really cool because it was a Speakeasy theme and they really did it up. They brought in a truck load of big liquor barrels, had classic B&W movies projected on the wall, boas hanging from street signs, a themed photo booth and the wait staff wore awesome 20’s duds. The staff was also really nice.
THEN there was the FOOD! The food was really awesome!
What struck me most was the presentation. This company is clearly made up of artists with a deep sense of aesthetic composition on all levels.
It was as though they were reinventing the medium by making subtle avant garde choices that added up to an emersion experience. For example they served delicacies on small triangular shell-​shaped bowls the size of your palm and other very inventive serving trays. They even had a sweets table with the old candy cigarettes they used to sell. Remember those?
If you’re looking for a fresh approach to presentation and an exquisite culinary experience, I recommend Swanky Catering.

I got married a few months ago and had Amy cater my wedding. The food was PHENOMENAL! My friends and family are STILL talking about how great the food was and the wedding was 4 months ago. How many weddings have you been to where you even think about the food the next day? Everything was fabulous and the presentation was beautiful. We used Amy for complete wedding services — our space was a big, empty barn. Amy took care of every detail from the rentals (we needed EVERYTHING — tables/​chairs, dance floor, dishes/​utensils/​glasses), to the linens, to creating a menu that was made from local, seasonal ingredients (which was very important to us).
Amy is very detail-​oriented and organized. I would have mini
pre-​wedding freak outs and then I’d call Amy to make sure everything was going according to plan and she’d always have everything under control and would make me feel so much better.
I can’t say enough about Amy & Swanky! If I could give her 300 stars I would!

I’ve had a lot of experience with Amy’s superb quality of food and service ever since her Banyan 14 days. Everyone in my office was very relieved when she created Swanky since it means we still get to eat her unique and very fresh cuisine. I order from her whenever we have a special board meeting or a group of clients to impress — not only is the food fantastic, but her presentation is always spectacular. I have tried a lot of caterers for our various corporate events, and Swanky is always the most delicious and special. I tell Amy that she makes me very popular in the office. :)