Left Coast Catering

I didn't pay for my food--at least not directly--but I did attend an event that Left Coast Catering had prepared dinner boxes for, so I don't know anything about pricing, dealing with people, etc. I just know about the food and how the presentation was handled.Box-anything is difficult to pull off well. The best things you can eat out of a box are typically very messy, and the main reason for eating out of a box is to make it convenient and not messy to take and eat your meal anywhere, so I sympathize with the conundrum in which caters find themselves.The food was cold. That can be and was expected. It was a very rain day; there were hundreds of boxes with four or five different options; the food was not meant to be hot or even warm. But when I say it was cold, I mean noticeably cold to the touch. "Cold" food usually means room temperature food, so when I was eating my too-cold food that was meant to be served at room temperature, it was unpleasant and unappetizing, to say the least.The cookie was good. I'll give them that. But the rest of the food was rubbery and just gross.

I had to research various caterers for a wedding in SF and they all seemed professional, capable, and had good reviews, and yet I am SO GLAD I went with Left Coast Catering for a few reasons:1) Marissa - Our event coordinator was enthusiastic, beyond helpful with her knowledge on the area and overall flexibility, and such a joy to work with! I'll probably never have to work with another catering company as long as Marissa is in the business. Marissa was prompt when I had a question or change, she was available as much as we needed her for walkthroughs, and she never made us feel like we were bad clients who were demanding too much (I don't know how she does it!). Anything we weren't sure of, she had no problem guiding us through.2) The food was truly delicious! They gave us so many options to choose from and a lot of it I had never heard of - but it all came out smelling, tasting, and looking good! Even the stuff I thought I wouldn't like.3) The cocktail hour and dinner had no problems - the caterers and bartenders arrived on time, transformed the venue, were great at keeping glasses full, had great personalities - I just whole-heartedly recommend this catering service if it's within your budget.

Left Coast Catering was hired for our company holiday party and I could not be happier. From beginning to end it was all-around professional and above and beyond service. I worked with Kathryn on this event and she was GREAT...always replied immediately to emails & calls, met with me before had to see the space, took photos to show their head chef prior to the party and even came to the set up and made sure we were well on our way before she left. The food service area was beautifully decorated and plated by them and it all was delicious! We did passed and stationary appetizers and two full bars for a semi standing cocktail party. I was catering a tough to please "foodie" crowd and I heard only praise from even the toughest to please folks. The Tuscan prawns and Latin spiced flank skewers were a standout hit and the top shelf bar was actually TOP SHELF, no skimping there. The staff on site was professional at all times. Five stars! We will definitely be using them again!

Reached out a few weeks ago for a catering proposal. I have never experienced a catering manager that was rude and not wanting to help. This catering company asked what my budget was and I responded via email. Told her I wouldn't need tables being that I have a decor company and bar company as well. I asked if the price would change. She stated no it wouldn't change by much. Excuse me but I've been in the hotel/restaurant industry for 20+ years. I'm not an idiot, and my other half is the associate director of catering of a pretty big Vegas property. We are not idiots. Stay far far far away from this catering company they will try to screw you and is not willing to work with you either.

Firstly, the person I spoke with on the phone was super nice! And their business may be great for some. However!1. Upon calling, you have 2 options:A. CateringB. DeliveryA. Catering is for minimum $3000.00. Since I was throwing an engagement party for only about 22 - 25 people, $3000.00 seemed steep for an outdoor BBQ. (Most other places I'm considering quoted me $900 for 30 people, 2 servers catering). B. Deliveries are made only Monday to Friday. No weekends! It would be a good idea to include this info on the website. They may have great foods, I wouldn't know, but they are very limited time wise, and minimum amount size of the group.

Holy COW!! Not only have they adjusted our regular order to meet the needs of some VERY demanding employees, but they have stretched the boundaries of culinary goodness to provide healthy snacks twice weekly for our growing company. Happy campers all around. If you or your company has the means to implement a motivational snack program, I highly recommend you look no further than Left Coast!!

Though in the end I chose a different caterer for our wedding, only due to geographical constraints and what it meant to the bottom line of my wedding budget, I loved LCC. Marianne was the most professional and timely of all of the catering folks I talked to, and there were a lot. The sample menus they prepared were on point with what we had asked for and everything sounded delicious. Can't say enough good things about these guys, will definitely be keeping them in mind for future events.

I can't say enough about Left Coast Catering. My company is new to San Francisco and we needed a caterer for upcoming operations meeting. After I read the reviews for LCC on yelp I decided to give them a try. LCC definitely gives you bang for your buck. The delivery person arrived 10 minutes early, set-up was a prompt, the food was displayed on upscale wooden platters and everything I tried was delicious. The only downside was that LCC portions are so big I had to ask everyone to take leftovers home!!! =)

I used LCC for a corporate event on 7/31/13 and they went beyond my expectations. First of all: I booked them extremely last minute & they were able to meet all of my needs and did so with no attitude (which I did receive with many other catering companies). Secondly, their food and bar were of great quality and price - they were able to work within my budget. Thirdly (and this is what really gave them 5 stars for me), at the end of the night I had to take all of the trash out of the venue that I created from my personal catering items. I was struggling carrying these huge trashbags, but LCC's servers generously offered to take with their catering trash. They really went above and beyond.

I met Laurine Wickett at our SF NACE meeting, they provided the catering, and not only was she warm and welcoming, her food was the BOMB! For those of you who aren't use to hearing that, it means it was OFF THE HOOK! Good ok, get it now?We had a lovely risotto that had an essence of citrus and we also had a nice plate of asparagus and appetizers that were tiny in size, but gigantic with flavor. She was so sweet to talk with me a little about her experience on Top Chef, which I watch religiously, and we also got to meet her sweet and charming boyfriend who is a super duper talented photographer.I would love to see them again, and of course devour their yummy creations sometime soon! Best wishes to Left Coast and may this year be bright, and filled with prosperity. You guys did an amazing job tonite!