The SAPPHIRE Grand — Attraction in Woodbridge Township

Absolutely Disappointing and Unprofessional Experience - Avoid at All Costs! As a seasoned event organizer and community leader -Our recent experience at this banquet hall was nothing short of a disaster, and frankly, an insult given the high per-person rate we paid. This establishment, owned by Nitin (who also owns Spice Rack in North Brunswick), consistently delivers a shockingly poor level of service and hospitality. This is our third unfortunate encounter with him, and it solidifies our decision to never return.

Let's start with the food. It was dry and unappetizing, a far cry from what one expects at a catered event. The serving staff behaved as if they were rationing portions, doling out food with the same stingy hand you might encounter at a religious soup kitchen, not a professional banquet.

The "Pani Puri station," for which we paid an additional $10 per person, was an absolute travesty. The puris were pre-filled with aloo and chana, rendering them soft and devoid of any crispiness. The entire point of fresh pani puri was lost, leaving us with a soggy, disappointing mess.

The bar selection was equally dismal. The "highest" scotch available was Black Label. We were forced to bring our own scotch to be served, which is utterly unacceptable for a paid event.

The most egregious offense, however, was the early removal of the dinner food. By 10:30 PM, the entire dinner spread was gone, leaving several of our close family members, who had planned to eat later, completely without food. When we approached a staff member about this, she was incredibly rude and dismissive. Despite our polite request to keep the music going until 11 PM so our family could have a quick dinner before leaving, our pleas were ignored. After multiple requests, they grudgingly brought out a few plates of pre-filled, unheated leftovers. This is not service; it's an insult.

The hospitality industry thrives on smiles and good service, but this place felt more like a prison, and the staff were ridiculously rude. It's clear that the unprofessionalism stems directly from the top, as the owner, Nitin, sets a terrible example.

Our past experiences with Nitin have been equally appalling:

In May 2024, after our wedding reception, he called the police on us despite us paying extra for extended time.

More recently, we called ahead to Spice Rack and booked a table for 12 people. Upon arrival, we were told they "forgot" and gave our table to other diners, forcing us to sit at two separate tables. We promptly left.

This consistent pattern of disrespect, unprofessionalism, and outright rudeness makes it clear that Nitin and his establishments are unfit to be in the hospitality business. Save your money and your sanity; look elsewhere for your...

I hosted a baby shower for my best friend at Ariana’s on 11/15 and everything was beautiful but we had an issue after the event was over. Our event was from 1pm to 5pm. We had a vendor who came and dropped off some items that we used for the party and it was understood that the items needed to be picked up after the party which was no problem. After the event was over we were told by multiple staff members that they needed to clean up and that the vendor wouldn’t have enough time to come pick up their items because they were closing. It was stated in the contract that the items needed to be picked up the same day but because their staff wanted to leave they told us that the vendor had to come back on Wednesday when they opened again. So I called the vendor and let them know so they scheduled a pick up for Wednesday 11/17. On Tuesday 11/16 I get a phone call from the woman that helped me make arrangements for the baby shower (she was never really friendly but whatever) saying that the stuff needed to be picked up that day if not they were going to put everything outside. I contacted the vendor and advised that their items needed to be picked up but since they were over an hour away they couldn’t make it since they had already arranged for a pick up on Wednesday. The vendor called Ariana’s themselves to explain and spoke to the same lady and she told them that their stuff was already outside. I immediately called her after the vendor let me know of this and she had a terrible attitude and claimed that no one ever told us to pick up our stuff on Wednesday. She repeated that their stuff was outside and that it would stay there because “it wasn’t her problem”. I contacted the vendor and had to apologize for how rude and unprofessional this woman who runs Ariana’s was being. I tried calling her back several times to ask if she could please put their stuff inside so that it doesn’t get ruined because it was starting to rain and she never answered. My cousin who helped plan the baby shower called her several times and no answer. We left voicemails and no answer.

She should have spoken to her staff about why they told us to pick up our stuff on Wednesday instead of blaming us for it. We would have had the vendors come pick up everything the night of the party but they were in a rush to leave.

Ariana’s is a beautiful venue and the food was amazing but whoever this woman is who’s voice is on the answering machine is extremely unprofessional and I would never have another event there or recommend this place...

My sister was just married here this weekend and it was a beautiful venue. Loved the decor inside and lighting too. Outside ceremony was absolutely gorgeous and the food was honestly really so delicious especially the cocktail hour. My only issues with this place are as follows....The bridal suite was about 4 long flights up and a wrap around from where the reception was. No elevator. How is a bridal party suppose to walk up and down all those stairs until the reception starts? When we first got there we had to walk up before the outside ceremony, then back down to the outside ceremony, then back up until the cocktail hour, then back down for the cocktail hour then back up before getting introduced at the reception then back down to get introduced, then back up during the night when we needed to get our belongings. I have a bad knee and today my entire leg and foot is swollen, this is not accommodating to a disabled person. Also no bathroom in the bridal suite or on that floor so if you needed to use the restroom you had to walk up and down again. When you are in high heels covered in hair sprayed big hair, makeup and a hot material heavy dress this is not ideal at all. Also one of the steps is bigger than the rest of the steps so I fell down going up the stairs as did a few other people in the bridal party. Also the venue messed up my sisters seating arrangements. They forgot some chairs and certain tables so some guests had no where to sit until they asked for a chair and place setting. Then there was a family argument because my moms side of the family thought my sister put them in the back when in actuality the venue messed up the seating chart and their table was suppose to be in the front. My last issue is the Venetian hour. It is called a Venetian HOUR for a reason. They had the dessert out for about 25 minutes and also did not serve the wedding cake. They left cut pieces of cake at the Venetian table but people barely got to enjoy it because they removed the desserts so quickly and did not know the wedding cake was there. Why? I do not know. All in all though I enjoyed the wedding very much. I suggest Arianas grand fix the bridal suite issue immediately. Those steps are a lawsuit waiting to happen. Fix all these issues and this will be a 5 star...