Chef By Request

Address:	5100 Academy Dr, Lisle, IL 60532, USA
Phone:	+1 630-493-4300
Site:	chefbyrequest.com
Rating:	4.3
Working:	9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM Closed Closed

Location

Photos 19

Reviews 8

Jacquelyn E

We choose Chef by Request for our wedding day after having 2 wonderful tastings with their former coordinator, Katie Merkle. We had a complex menu and Katie was pumped about it. 2 weeks before my wedding, I sat down with all of my vendors and was told by Katie that she was leaving the company, and introduced me to the person replacing her, Amanda. I was nervous, as Amanda never formally introduced herself or reached out to me via email or phone to go over our complex menu. My wedding planner had reached out to her on my behalf and assured me, things would be just fine, as this is what Amanda had told her. My husband and I had decided to do stations (NOT buffet), where staff would serve our guests. We had 3 stations--tacos, burgers and fish & chips. There were several items on our menu that were not there on our big day, or were wrong. For example, as one of our hors doeuvres, we had veggie quesadilla cones. I am vegetarian. They provided chicken quesadilla cones the day of, and luckily I caught it before eating it! The number one item that was to be MY meal-that many of my guests were excited for-as they are also vegetarian or vegan-was the lentil tacos. The steak was there and the lentils were not. I asked a staff member, where are the lentils? And was lied to several times, told "theyll be out soon!" which I relayed to my guests asking where they were. The lentils never came. Our stations were not stations-they were set up as a buffet. Guests were left confused--which burgers are bean and which are beef? Items were to be labeled and served to them--nothing was labeled, and no one was there to serve. The transition of our complex and EXPENSIVE menu was nothing short of unprofessional and unorganized. There were too many details missed or messed up. I was offered a $300 refund (what a joke! We spent well over 10K on our food!!). I wrote a lengthy email back, explaining my points, and was offered $770 total. Still completely unacceptable. Although overall the food was good-I did get feedback from several guests that the beef burgers were severely undercooked. One of my guests brought this to the attention of their staff and they said theyd take care of it-but never did. The fish and chips were not presented how they were promised to be presented per our itinerary. The chips that were served with the fish were stale by the time my guests got to them. I am still so disappointed by how this turned out. Our most expensive vendor of the night-and they were the only to totally blow it. Go figure. It looks like overall people are happy-and I believe it, as their food is great...but I do feel its important to share both sides, and unfortunately our experience was a complete let down.

Lisa Hansen

We cannot say enough fantastic things about Katie & the whole team at Chef By Request! From the beginning stages of helping us put together a menu to fit our vision, to executing a wedding that was more perfect than we could have dreamed CBR was on it the whole way!! Katie made us feel like old friends from day 1. Her attention to detail and excellent communication made sure our day went beautifully & seamlessly. Many of our guests said ours was the best food theyve ever had at a wedding. Not only did everything taste excellent, but everything from the hors doeuvres to the sweets table was visually stunning. Everyone was so easy to work with & truly did provide first class service, and always with a smile! We cant thank you enough!!

Elizabeth Hoffman

It was a natural as "Hoffmans" to want to host an Oktoberfest in October. Thats just what we did with the help of the wonderful staff at Chef by Request. We hosted a rehearsal dinner at our home for 55 people which is no small feat. With Katies expertise we came up with a wonderful table and furniture layout including seating on the deck to accommodate all the hungry folks. The German fare was outstanding as was the German craft beer and wine. Rueben and Jackie were entertaining and capable staff that left with my kitchen only needing a good floor sweeping. This is the second time Chef by Request has catered an event at my home, and I dream that I will have an occasion to engage them again.

Brigette LaPointe

I was interested in Chef by Request catering my 130 person wedding because of their vast awesome options. She gave us a quick round about quote of approximately $70 a person for a few actions stations and bar package. She said she would email me the the exact offer and menu presentation, but she never did. I sent her a couple of emails afterwards waiting for information, but I did not hear anything back. After waiting almost 3 weeks and sending emails, I hired another caterer. At this point, I dont think I would WANT to hire them because I am afraid of their lack of reliability and communication skills. Disappointed to say the least.

Nancy Hamilton

Chef by Request was wonderful with which to work. Our daughter used them to cater her Danada House wedding and the food was delicious. All the guests raved about the meal and many proclaimed it to be the best wedding food theyve ever had. Their service was impeccable - polite, efficient and so helpful! Their chefs were wonderfully creative and Katie, the catering manager, was an absolute joy. Also, they worked with her budget, which is hard to find in a catering company. I would highly recommend them to anyone who asks!

[email protected] Konnor2138

So much more than we were expecting. The staff were so friendly and professional. The food prepared by our carving chef left us all speechless. They brought a certain element of fun and class to our party. Drinks were spot-on and the server was so fast. Couldnt have been happier with how organized and well thought out our event was. Will absolutely use them in the future, well worth the money spent. Thank you!

Neil White

Great place for catering have used them multiple times and the food, service, and price are all outstanding.

Timothy Slager

My wife and I cant recommend CBR highly enough and especially loved working with Katie. Pay her more!