Olivia's Catering — Local services in Kinston

Hired Olivia's to do our daughter's wedding. Like someone else said, there were many, many promises made that weren't kept. By far the most unprofessional business that I have ever experienced. The entire staff is compromised of high school students. We were not given the food that was agreed upon and they had it in Igloo coolers and scooped it out with beer pitchers to replenish the buffet, all in front of the guests in line. We were supposed to have a mashed potato and sweet potato bar and instead they served yams and had a bowl of sour cream, butter and cheese at the end of the line by the meat carving. They served crab dip with no crackers or anything to eat it with and it was on the buffet along with meatballs that were all supposed to be appetizers. The staff was supposed to pass the trays of appetizers and instead they were sitting on tables in the corner by the bar where no one could see them or knew they were there. There were no stuffed mushrooms, bacon wrapped cocktail wieners or caprese skewers that were agreed upon for appetizers. Instead, they had small cups of ranch dressing with two carrot sticks and two cucumber slices, shrimp cocktail and bruschetta. We were supposed to have salad and there was none. Susan went up to our daughter (the bride) during pictures to tell her that the cake was falling due to the humidity. When I confronted her about telling my daughter and that I was not happy she said something to her, she LIED and blamed it on one of my best friends. The icing in the cake began to melt and Susan (owner of Olivia's Catering) took her BARE hands and attempted to smear the icing around to distribute the icing. YEP, you read that correctly. Many of the chargers on the tables were cracked and all were supposed to be gold but there were some silver ones. The silverware was all mismatched with some place settings having large utensils like servings spoons. Susan told us that she had wedding doors to use for outside and they were literally falling apart and our DJ had to go fix them so we could walk down the aisle. Did not have promised alcohol for the bride and groom. Was supposed to have paid bartenders and she only had one (who was wonderful) but then Susan pulled her after happy hour to go carve meat and Susan bartended. When dinner was over, the young lady went back to bartending and Susan took the tip jar with her. We asked for an itemized invoice for weeks and never received it. Sparklers were still in boxes not ready to go when time for the send off. Bridesmaids had to go find them and then find someone with a lighter. Then there was no bucket for guests to put their burned out sparklers. Susan order flowers that we did not ask for and her response was, "well I guess you will have a lot of flowers." She tried to tell us that $4k was not enough for beer and wine. We do not believe that we drank $4k in alcohol but she will not give us an itemized receipt. We had to pay for everything up front so she took our money and then bought and used the cheapest things she could find. Susan was telling guests that the bride's family members were mad at her. Guests overheard Susan on the phone during the reception saying that the wedding was "a nightmare." She interrupted the bride and groom's private dance at the end of the night to ask them if they were mad at her. Susan would not call or text the bride's mom the last two weeks prior to the wedding and would instead communicate with the bride or mother of the groom. I could go on and on but I think you get the picture - caterer from hell. My dog would have done a better job. If a health inspector had walked into our wedding reception, they would have probably shut it down. Please do not give this company your business unless you are prepared for disappointment and...

We hired Olivia's to cater our daughters wedding. Susan was very helpful to begin with and made many promises. We came in to a tasting that was wonderful. There was roast beef with horseradish sauce, shrimp cocktail, and stuffed chicken breast and mushrooms. On the day of the wedding however, we were given salad with only one vinegar dressing, pasta with a choice of Alfredo or red sauce. We were expecting the stuffed chicken but got what I believe was a take shrimp and grits, (which was never even mentioned) the shrimp was scarce in the watery tomato sauce . The grits, and the pasta were both cold, the grits were plain white grits the consistency of play dough the carving station was a pan of beef and pork they were cutting up and piling together, the only condiment was a plastic bottle of brown mustard. I did ask about the chicken but was told it was left by mistake. There was a large pan of cold mashed potatoes with bowls of sour cream and cheese on the side. The appetizers were supposed to be pastry puff, stuffed mushrooms and shrimp cocktail, what we got was a plate of pre made cheese balls and logs we had to cut, chicken salad, crackers, a plate of shrimp and a bowl of cocktail sauce. Also silver ware was supposed to be gold, it was gold on some table and plastic, rose gold on others..I would not recommend for a wedding. The is too special. I will say the staff that...

All I can say is WOW. Susan made the rehearsal dinner perfect for my son and his fiance. After all the let down's they experienced over the past year with the wedding plans, Susan put great efforts into making sure the event was memorable. Her staff members were very polite and helpful through out the night with our guests. The food was outstanding and we had such a great variety to choose from. I would recommend Olivia's Catering to anyone looking to have their event hosted at their facility or just for catering services. Susan also became the day of coordinator for our daughter-in-law. The wedding day itself went smooth and my son and daughter-in-law didn't have to worry about the little hiccups that could have cropped up. Susan had it all under control. Thank you! You...