The Wilshire Caterers — Hotel in West Orange

As a current business owner, I understand the value and impact of a customer review. The purpose of this detailed review is to provide the venue with constructive feedback and the opportunity to make adjustments that could greatly improve their customer service.

On Saturday, September 20, I visited this venue for the second time. My sole purpose was to leave a deposit for an event I am planning in early 2026. The day prior, I was informed that the manager I had originally been in contact with was no longer employed there and that I would instead be meeting with his partner.

Upon arrival, I was immediately taken aback by the condition of the entryway. It had rained heavily in the days prior, and it appeared that water had soaked into the carpets, leaving a strong, unpleasant odor of moisture. After greeting me, the manager escorted us to his office and asked us to sit. We waited for some time as he completed work at his desk before joining us at the table.

From the beginning of our conversation, his tone was unprofessional and passive-aggressive. He made multiple comments about how my information had been entered incorrectly in the system, placing full blame on the previous manager. While I initially tried to make light of the situation and emphasized that I was still interested in booking because of how much I liked the space, he continued to criticize the former manager, even sharing inappropriate internal company details about that person’s termination.

The most concerning part of our interaction was when he implied that the original agreement I had made back in April 2025 might not be honored due to “cleaning up” the previous manager’s mistakes. When I expressed that I expected to rebuild trust and discuss the details of my upcoming event, he dismissed my concerns with, “I thought you’re here for a deposit—why is that necessary?” His dismissive and condescending tone made the interaction increasingly uncomfortable.

Ultimately, the manager’s lack of professionalism, his unwillingness to build rapport, and his suggestion to “get over it and leave the deposit” led me to end the meeting. I thanked him for his time and left the venue. My decision not to proceed with this location was based entirely on this interaction—if the initial meeting with management felt this hostile and dismissive, I could only imagine the frustrations that might arise during event planning or on the actual event day.

Thankfully, I was able to secure a much better venue nearby, one that provided a professional, welcoming, and respectful experience.

The purpose of this review is not to disparage the venue but to highlight an avoidable experience. I hope this feedback helps management recognize the importance of professionalism, customer rapport, and respect in ensuring future clients do not encounter the same...

I had my wedding at the Wilshire in August of 2021. It was originially scheduled for May, but with Covid we decided to move it to August with hopes that things would get better. My now husband and I had viewed quite a few wedding venues before signing with the Wilshire. We felt like we were at a car dealership with every venue besides the Wilshire. When we entered the Wilshire we were greeted by Joe'l and in awe of how beautiful the venue was. She made us feel like we were old friends and she is a huge reason we signed at the Wilshire. Joe'l answered so many emails beyond promptly and reassured me constantly that everything would be perfect. The Wilshire was very reasonable and made our dream wedding a reality. When we had to change our date it was seamless. Joe'l couldn't have been more helpful every step of the way. The week of our wedding was a nightmare with people cancelling because of covid and Joe'l was so accomodating. Our wedding was the best day of my life and I thank the Wilshire for that. All of the staff including my bridal attendant were so attentive. My hair jewelry had fallen out and broke prior to arriving at the Wilshire and Joe'l and my bridal attendant were glueing it back together and putting pins in my hair. The food and space was beyond amazing. Our family and friends couldn't stop raving about the cocktail hour, dinner and venetian hour. We had an entire room dedicated to just desserts. It was truly amazing and everything was delicious. The drinks were always flowing and the bartenders were great as well. I thank everyone at the Wilshire, but most importantly Joe'l for giving us everything we asked for and more. You are truly incredible!......Completely not connected to the Wilshire we did have our after party at Grill 350. You rent the space by paying a nice amount for two hours of cash bar for your guests after the wedding. All I will say is that if Gina is the one you are dealing with do not spend the money. We contacted the manager Travis after the situation who made things right, but what a not so nice way to end the night. She saw me in my wedding dress and did not once come up to say hello (we had been dealing with her for quite sometime) or congratulations. Instead she sat outside the open room and rolled her eyes at our guests who were nothing, but respectful of the space. She was rude and should not be in an industry like this. If it's anyone else, but her I would highly suggest a two-hour get together for your guests after...

I don't even know where to start. One of the top two best decisions that my husband and I made throughout all of our wedding planning, was booking The Wilshire for our reception. Joe'l, Kirby, and the rest of the staff and professionals at The Wilshire were outstanding. The food was amazing! We worked closely with Joe'l, who's one of the Director of Events. She made sure that we had plenty of food from cocktail hour brought to us in a private dining area near the bridal salon. There was so much food for us, we hardly got through a quarter of it, and everything we tasted was delicious. They were also kind enough to bring our dinner to us early and again in a private dining area so that we could actually eat and enjoy our meal. Many of our guests reached out to let us know how much they enjoyed the food at The Wilshire during both the cocktail hour and dinner reception, which seemed to be a pleasant surprise for them as most people expect good food during cocktail hour and mediocre food during the main course. However, at The Wilshire, you will get exceptional food during both! We had a bridal attendant, Mikayla, who took care of us and made sure we had drinks when we wanted. They checked in with us often to make sure that we were happy with everything. After the reception, we stayed at The Wilshire Grand Hotel, and Joe'l made sure that we had an extra meal each, packed and stored in our hotel room fridge for us to enjoy after the party. All of our guests seemed extremely satisfied with the bartenders as well, who were making mixed drinks and did an excellent job making our signature cocktails—they were delicious. I'm trying to think of something that the team at The Wilshire could do to make the service better, but I can't think of anything because we thought they were absolutely perfect. We are so happy with how beautifully our wedding...