Address: | 216 E 49th St, New York, NY 10017, USA |
Phone: | +1 212-207-3220 |
Site: | espritevents.com |
Rating: | 4.2 |
Working: | 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–2PM Closed 9AM–5PM |
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Alex Strongwater
Beware!!! We used Esprit Events for our daughters wedding. After months of planning, I cannot even begin to describe what a disappointment this caterer was. There was no food ready for the cocktail hour. My guests waited half an hour before the food started to flow, and only after I ran down to the kitchen to see what was going on. They only planned for 2 bartenders for 150 people, so the lines for drinks were unacceptable. They ran out of white wine and champagne and did not refill any water glasses. My husband and I did not get any champagne at our own daughters wedding! We had decided on a buffet style luncheon with 4 different stations. I was shocked to see tiny appetizer plates set up for the buffets, so guests were only able to take small amounts of food. When they went back for more, the trays were empty because there was not enough help to refill them. I saw the general manager of the company was running back and forth to the kitchen with his suit and tie on! The dessert "extravaganza" looked nothing like pictures they had shown me. There was one buffet table set up for 150 people. The containers of ice cream and whipped cream were never refilled, nor were any of the desserts, in particular the brownies we specifically requested for the groom. And such long lines! I chose this caterer based on reviews by other people and seeing pictures of their presentation. I was greatly misled. For the money I spent, I could have used one of the top caterers in NYC. My guests left hungry and thirsty! What an embarrassment! Do not use them!
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Farra Strongwater
Esprit Events was the kosher caterer at a wedding I was invited to. For a party of 150 guests, this caterer was grossly understaffed, and a wedding that does not have enough staff does not run smoothly. Hors doeuvres were not set up on time for the cocktail hour. We waited at least 20 minutes for food to start coming out. At lunch, there was no one to orchestrate the flow of guests going to the food stations which resulted in very,very long lines. There was no one behind the stations to serve. When the guests FINALLY reached the stations, they were faced with trying to fit their dinners onto appetizer plates. There were NO dinner plates!! . On top of that, there was not enough staff to refill the food at the stations, refill water glasses for the guests, and only 2 bartenders. They could not handle the long lines of people waiting for drinks, plus they ran out of champagne, wine, tequila, and seltzer. Dessert is usually everyones favorite part, but this dessert buffet was not impressive. Once again, there was not enough staff to refill the platters of cookies and sweets, so most of us did not get a chance to even sample everything. Really disappointing!! Had the caterer planned for the right amount of help, there would have been no problem, but it was obvious they were more focused on presentation than service. Everything else about this wedding was beautiful, but the poor service ruined what should have been a perfect day for the family. I would be very cautious about hiring them for an event.
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Gail S
I made a big mistake hiring Esprit Events for my daughters wedding. I needed a kosher caterer to accommodate some family members and had heard positive reviews about them. Unfortunately, something went terribly wrong. When I complained to the owner, Ellen Vaknine, about the multiple problems, mostly related to under staffing and running out of food and drinks, I was offered aninsignificant refund and this response: "...I reviewed the quantities of food and beverage that were sent to your event - and they were in line with what we typically send. The level of staffing we assigned was correct. .." I have worked with several caterers in the past, always relying on their expertise to determine what was required for a successful party. I did the same with Esprit. paying exactly what they asked for staff and food per person. I did so assuming they had the experience to tell me what was needed. I was wrong. I did not accept their refund, as I felt it was insultingto be offered such a small amount. I would not recommend them.
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Sharon Borst
I normally dont write critical reviews, but Esprit Events recently catered my friends daughters wedding, and what a disappointment! I have worked in the customer service business for over 30 years. My focus has always been to deliver a superior experience by understanding our clients needs. Unfortunately, Esprit did not provide that experience. The quality of food was satisfactory. However, they understaffed the event and underestimated the food and beverage requirements. The appetizers were not served in an efficient manner, since there were not enough servers or appetizers. I have never been to an affair where the bar ran out of beer and cold white wine. Since good customer service hinges on teamwork, it is unfortunate that this caterer did not adequately provide enough team players. Once again a disappointing experience.
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Robin Matza
I have never posted a bad review on line, but my personal experience with Esprit Events Kosher Catering was so disturbing, I felt compelled to write something even though several months have passed. My friends daughter was married a few months ago. It was a beautiful wedding except for this caterer. They were severely understaffed which caused unacceptable delays during the cocktail hour and inadequate service during the main meal. My husband was a professional fundraiser and ran many events and dealt with a multitude of caterers. Together we attended countless affairs, but I have never experienced such a poor level of service. In addition, Esprit Events failed to provide sufficient food and drink, and the dessert display looked like a PTA bake sale. Anyone looking for a kosher caterer should look elsewhere.
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Milana Sobol
Esprit catered my wedding last weekend and everything was superb. The food was not only delicious but beautiful. I met 6 caterers before I made my choice and I definitely made the right decision. Whats even more important is that from the moment we got in touch to the day of the wedding, two months later, I felt like I was in good hands. All of my emails and calls were answered immediately, they worked with some very specific requests and tried to customize their offering for me. A big thank you to Melanie who was my main contact there. I literally can’t wait to have another party soon so I can hire Esprit again. If you are looking for a caterer, don’t waste your time looking, just go with them. Classy, good service, amazing food.
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Ruby Noren
I went to a wedding where Esprit was the caterer and I was not impressed. Everyone was starving during the cocktail hour because there was not enough food or servers. Also, there werent enough bartenders and everyone was waiting around for a drink. And then they ran out of white wine, champagne, and patron---ALL the makings of a good party. The bartenders also put out tip jars! So not ok. When you went to the buffet stations, there was no one to serve you. Serving trays would be sitting there empty and no one replaced them. The dessert was nothing but some italian cookies. I would not recommend them. Only good thing was the sushi.