Well, my premonition on the caterer last night lived up to my expectations.

The food was fine, but the service was absolutely terrible. (Elizabeth and Marci - don't ever use Macklin's Catering!) If myself and two other girls from my dept. hadn't been there, I don't know how it would have played itself out. We set up the chairs and tables beforehand (as it would have never happened on time if we'd waited for them), had to ride the butts of the serving staff while they were around for everything from letting us know the food was ready for serving to busing plates, and then they had the audacity to basically sneak out the door without telling anyone they were leaving, when there were tables all still up, dirty drink glasses everywhere, etc. - the party was still going on! So, myself and my two assts. (with the assitance of our bartender, which was nice of him) had to tear everything down, get the rentals ready for pick-up, etc. Needless to say, I left a very stern message on the caterer's answering machine to call me on Monday to discuss a discount, and to give them the reasons we won't be using their services ever again. From now on, it's back to my favorite caterers (my asst. picked these caterers, and I thought I would just see if they had changed). With my favorite caterers, I never have to lift a finger, and if I have to work on the weekend, that's the way I prefer it!