The Chef's Table By All-Ways Catering — Restaurant in Knoxville

On May 16, 2022, I filled out the online form requesting All-Ways Catering for my daughter’s baby shower, which will be on June 25, 2022. I spoke to Jacob the next day and we agreed on the food, the location, and the date. He sent two invoices. I picked one and emailed my final selection on the same day. I hadn’t heard anything back from him, so I called last week to confirm, and I asked how they wanted me to pay. Someone there told me to mail a check, and that it was all confirmed.

Today, sixteen days before the event, I get an email stating: “Billy, I'm very sorry, but we will not be available for the event on 6/25. We have had a staffing issue arise, and will not have the people available to perform the order. I'm sorry for the situation.”

While my daughter’s first baby shower might not mean anything to Jacob, it sure means something to me, and an email cancellation is less than professional or personal. I called him and asked what was going on. He said he wouldn’t have the staff available to cover our event. I told him we had already agreed on the date and that it was two weeks away. He said that’s why he was contacting me now, to give me as much advanced notice as possible. I asked if there was anything we could do, like maybe cutting back on the amount of food. He said no, that his people were busy with other things and wouldn’t be able to do it.

The idea that his people were “busy with other things” left me to believe that it wasn’t a staffing shortage, but, rather, a shift in priority. So, I asked if he had picked up another job that paid more than mine, and if that was why he couldn’t do the shower. His response was, “I don’t have to justify myself to you.”

I told him that he gave me his word he would be there, and that he absolutely owed me an explanation. He threatened to hang up on me, I asked if that was how he treated all of his customers, we went back and forth, and we got nowhere. He’s the owner, which means he certainly doesn’t care if he’s rude to customers, so I’m forced to leave this review.

His rude and defensive response, along with the fact that he isn’t reliable, tells me all I need to know about him and his business. Thankfully, I found a local caterer who agreed to take us on at the...

Unfortunately, we did not have a good experience here from start to finish. We were very excited about trying a new caterer for an event. The menu was very misleading. It painted an elaborate picture that did not live up to the description. The chicken breasts were burnt. The rice looked like it came out of a bag and the Caesar salad was iceberg lettuce with dressing on the side. The caterer was late to the event and we had to help set up for him. Prior to the event, I called multiple times to get the deposit to run and it was never run through after receiving a snipping email about using a credit card for payment. We called to update the credit card on file with specific instructions of who should be charged with new information and it was charged incorrectly when it was finally run through. Every single time I called I was advised the manager was not there and they would leave a note, no matter the time. My colleague was also advised the same thing regarding the manager when she called. They did not charge the card until 9 days after the event and they charged the incorrect card even after we called to update. When called to address the issue. Never once was there an apology issued, but rather, he (apparently the owner) proceeded to insist that was the only information on file and had done everything correctly. I suggested a better tracking method so issues do not reoccur in this manner since we never got to speak to the correct person when calling for any updates and he proceeded to argue, as the owner, that they handled everything correctly and nothing was missed. I will not be taking my business here again and typically I never write reviews being that I was in the restaurant business for a long time and understand the woes of the job, however, I am hoping this transaction will be reviewed in the future and maybe a better experience for others. Perhaps their restaurant is a better experience than...

It's nice to find a place that has an eclectic menu, Knoxville seems to be a desert of inventive breakfast places. I loved my food, I loved my server, and I loved the menu. Rarely do I have such a hard decision choosing breakfast. The Chef waffle was sweet, savory, spicy, with a nice fresh snap from the green onion. I felt like I was in an upscale dive diner. I was in pure joy. 70's-80's rock playing, good hot food, I can't wait to come back. But everything was not perfect, there were 3 things I did not enjoy. 1st I didn't find the chairs comfortable ( I am a very large man) personal preference, not them me. 2nd I prefer a light roast coffee their coffee seems to be a darker roast, I drank the whole pot with some cream ( pretty sure it was heavy cream so silky) just not my cup of tea. Finally my sunny side up eggs had a crisp edge on them, not my prefer way. Again my personal preference in no way should take away anyone's inclination to eat here, as eating out is a special occasion for me I will be back to spend my little free money...