My wife and I doing our first dance, and Irish reel!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Why complain about Biagio?
Actually, I don't have too many reasons to complain about Biagio. The wedding went great, everyone had a great time, the food was good, the place looked fabulous, especially the sweets table. So, I would normally HIGHLY recommend Biagio if you're looking to have your wedding reception in the city of Chicago. But..
Something went wrong on the night of the wedding that was not known to me until a few days after. We faxed in our list of 270 people a few days before the wedding. After a few additions, including the Greek band we had, Biagio charged us for 14 additional meals. Mind you it's 11:30 pm the night of the reception, and I get pulled into the flourecent lit office half-drunk to pay the balance. If there were only 270, there would have been no charges to settle, since we paid 100% in advance.
Once the wedding weekend was over, I realized 3 people did not show up to the wedding reception at all. So then I asked my wife who the extra people were, and she said there was just one family of 4 that showed up with out RSVP. So, 4 minus 3 is 1. Our count was 271. Then there was the Greek band. 5 more people. 271 + 5 = 276, not 284.
I called the event manager, and she said that the cocktail hour jazz band, DJ, photographer, and greek band all ate, so that was 10 right there. Hold on a second!! I didn't say all those people were eating. I expressly made sure we were not on the hook to provide a meal when signing a contract with those vendors. She said that when she asked the vendors if they were eating, they said "yes". Also, our server did come up to ask if they were included (during the meal). Yes, the server did ask me, but she asked "are you providing dinner for the band?" I was sure she was only asking about the Greek band, since I was immediately informed by my new bride that its tradition you provide a meal for them.
Now to top things off, I spoke with the cocktail hour jazz band to get their perspective on the situation. The singer said when her band was asked if they were eating, she said two of them were leaving soon, and they would not be eating. So, at least two of the meals I paid for were not eaten, because those two musicians were not there to eat them. So, the final Biagio count was inaccurate. This is what really upset me. Anyone that is paying $75/person would only want to pay for meals served and eaten, right?
I finally brought up the whole situation and my discontent with Biagio the following week, and the event planner gave us a partial refund. The Biagio owner supposedly made the final decision on how to handle our overcharge. I think Biagio was purposefully trying to run up the bill by asking the vendors behind my back if they were going to be eating on our dime. If they really wanted to feed the vendors, and also save us some money, they would have sent them to the restaurant next door and just charged us for their meal there which would have been less than $30/person.
So, my recommendation to anyone thinking of having their wedding or other event at the Biagio, or any other banquet hall:
Make it clear to all vendors and the event planner which vendors are going to eat in the banquet hall before the wedding reception night! Miscommunication and lack of communication leads to a bill you might not expect.
Something went wrong on the night of the wedding that was not known to me until a few days after. We faxed in our list of 270 people a few days before the wedding. After a few additions, including the Greek band we had, Biagio charged us for 14 additional meals. Mind you it's 11:30 pm the night of the reception, and I get pulled into the flourecent lit office half-drunk to pay the balance. If there were only 270, there would have been no charges to settle, since we paid 100% in advance.
Once the wedding weekend was over, I realized 3 people did not show up to the wedding reception at all. So then I asked my wife who the extra people were, and she said there was just one family of 4 that showed up with out RSVP. So, 4 minus 3 is 1. Our count was 271. Then there was the Greek band. 5 more people. 271 + 5 = 276, not 284.
I called the event manager, and she said that the cocktail hour jazz band, DJ, photographer, and greek band all ate, so that was 10 right there. Hold on a second!! I didn't say all those people were eating. I expressly made sure we were not on the hook to provide a meal when signing a contract with those vendors. She said that when she asked the vendors if they were eating, they said "yes". Also, our server did come up to ask if they were included (during the meal). Yes, the server did ask me, but she asked "are you providing dinner for the band?" I was sure she was only asking about the Greek band, since I was immediately informed by my new bride that its tradition you provide a meal for them.
Now to top things off, I spoke with the cocktail hour jazz band to get their perspective on the situation. The singer said when her band was asked if they were eating, she said two of them were leaving soon, and they would not be eating. So, at least two of the meals I paid for were not eaten, because those two musicians were not there to eat them. So, the final Biagio count was inaccurate. This is what really upset me. Anyone that is paying $75/person would only want to pay for meals served and eaten, right?
I finally brought up the whole situation and my discontent with Biagio the following week, and the event planner gave us a partial refund. The Biagio owner supposedly made the final decision on how to handle our overcharge. I think Biagio was purposefully trying to run up the bill by asking the vendors behind my back if they were going to be eating on our dime. If they really wanted to feed the vendors, and also save us some money, they would have sent them to the restaurant next door and just charged us for their meal there which would have been less than $30/person.
So, my recommendation to anyone thinking of having their wedding or other event at the Biagio, or any other banquet hall:
Make it clear to all vendors and the event planner which vendors are going to eat in the banquet hall before the wedding reception night! Miscommunication and lack of communication leads to a bill you might not expect.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
basic information about Biagio
Who are we talking about here?
Biagio Catering and Events
4242 N Central Ave
Chicago, IL 60634
(773) 736-9009
Biagio Catering and Events
4242 N Central Ave
Chicago, IL 60634
(773) 736-9009
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