Kayla H.
1/5
We used Rosa's Catering for our 10/25 wedding in Gatlinburg at the recommendation of our venue and it is the only thing I regret about my wedding day. Before I say anything else, I do want to say the actual servers were amazing - I didn't catch any names but they were so sweet and on top of it. There was a girl with curly hair who was so kind and brought me things all night during dinner without even needing to ask and she was wonderful. I'm certain they only did was directed of them by the instructions they were giving prior to arriving so I do not fault them for anything personally.
The catering itself though was not good. First of all, it is not made obvious anywhere on the website that for the pasta bar they mix the tortellini and bowtie pasta together instead of having an option of either/or. We found this out a couple weeks prior to the wedding when it was too late to change caterers, and they acted like we were in the wrong for thinking that was extremely strange. I chose the pasta bar because it seemed like the best option for multiple dietary concerns, so to mix an allergen with a non-allergen and make no mention of it anywhere seems very odd to me.
We communicated this to our guests and went with it anyway, but the pasta all ended up overcooked and gummy so it was a mistake after all. I checked the time stamps of our photos and we started dinner right on time, so I know it was not gummy from sitting due to a delay. The garlic bread was hard as a rock, and the chicken appeared to be boiled chicken that was seasoned with salt and pepper, like maybe something you'd give to a dog with an upset tummy. I will say the bruschetta was delicious and that's maybe the only good thing I have to say.
I confirmed prior to the wedding that we would be able to take leftovers and was prepared to bring my own to go containers, I was assured that we would get to take anything leftover and they would package it up for us - great! The day of, my dad asked about packing up the cheese cubes from the appetizers and was told that we are not able to take appetizers with us and they go back with Rosa's. I don't know if they are reusing old cheese or what that's about but if we were not able to take them with us, despite paying for it, I'd think that should be communicated at the time I asked about leftovers on the phone prior to the wedding.
Finally, and my biggest, most heartbreaking complaint, is that my wedding cake was cut and served despite verbal instructions that there was to be no cake cutting. Our cake was very expensive, and I intended to bring it home with me. We had cupcakes and cake shooters for guests, but right after our cake cutting we were rushed out for photos and unbeknownst to me my cake was cut and served. I do have the top tier saved, but the whole thing was supposed to come home with me. Evidently there was "no note" to not cut the cake, and that the venue told them to cut it - I am absolutely certain I stated verbally that it was not to be cut so if there was "no note" it is because they neglected to write it down and it should have been confirmed with me. Now no matter what I will never get my wedding cake back even if I am somehow able to be compensated financially for the loss.
My mom paid for the catering, so she did email Rosa's to address these concerns a few days ago, but the response she received was "We're sorry you were disappointed, there was no note to not cut the cake. Sorry you are not happy."
There are so many good reviews for this company that I am truly shocked this was our experience, but I'm so disappointed with nearly every aspect of the service we received aside from the wonderful and attentive staff who were present that day, especially the response my mom received when she tried to address things after the fact. It very much feels like they were happy to take our money and not worry about anything else. I'm sure this negative review will get a response so I did want to make it clear that we attempted to resolve this prior to posting a review.