Terri Piper-Johnson

We initially had a great experience with PJC through the initial consult and tasting. However, it went off the rails once our first check (inital good faith deposit) was cashed. We were given the bait and switch about 3 times, talking to different coordinators at PJC each time I called. This made communication and management of the event difficult. Also, Terri is very very difficult to deal with in the sense that she does not hear you out regarding your concerns or questions -- she was obstinate in several conversations I had with her. For those brides-to-be out there - when you are choosing a caterer, it's not just about the quality of the food, the service in the run up to the event and onsite is critical. In our experience, Piper-Johnson succeeded in delivering excellent food and service the day of, however the experience managing them up to that point was a nightmare.

Pros:
Affordable relative to competition -- keep in mind you will need to add about $2000 to your initial estimate (I don't think this is a problem specific to PJC, I think this is simply the nature of catering)
Delicious food -- our guests raved about the food
Shannyn N. -- she is the best staffer there and great to work with. On the ball and experienced -- will listen to your issues and your perspective before recommending a change.

Cons:
No Single Point of Contact -- this was a major issue because you don't know if the person you talked to last put the changes down you requested.
Communication -- getting calls and emails returned from Terri is difficult, unless you're dealing with Shannyn, she is good about closing the loop.
Customer Service -- generally lacking, even the minute the wedding was over, my mom had to go in there and get the left over wine and food -- they weren't actively working to make sure we got all of our left overs.

Their food is wonderful, but Terri, the owner, is not easy to work with always. I would recommend using this vendor if you have a wedding planner that will work with her. My guests loved their food and said it was the best wedding food. I, however, had to deal with the stress of working with a difficult person.

They started off great: totally willing to work with me on price and menu. I was very excited about them. But then, after I starting making my payments to them, a couple months before the wedding, they stopped returning my calls and email. It was very frustrating and gave me much worry. Finally they got in touch so we were able to firm up our plan. We had planned a very special dinner, for which I provided them with the exact recipe we desired as well as photos of how it looks on the plate. At the reception, I stood up and gave a long, heart-felt speech about how this particular meal has special meaning for my husband and me. Then it was served, only the chef decided to change the recipe in major ways, giving it an Asian influence and sauce, which I totally hate. I refused to eat the meal. I really felt my reception was ruined by the caterer. In addition, one of the servers they hired spilled an entire tray on one of my bridesmaids, and not only did not apologize, but also did not attempt to help her clean off. Additionally, the salad and desert were not as we had agreed on. Finally, I had two vegetarians with special meals, so I provided a seating chart indicating the two seats to get the meatless meal (we only had 24 guests, so it was not that difficult.) Of course, both were served meat. In the beginning I thought they were so great, for working with me on price and menu, and having good communication. That turned sour by the end. While the coordinator on site tried very hard to please me and right the wrongs, it was too much to forgive, particularly since they never followed up with me on it afterwards. Also, they decided to tell me that they never received my final check...at the end of my reception--as if I was hiding my checkbook or Visa card in my garter! They could have been great...but they just were not.

Yum Yum Yum!!! They listened to everything we wanted, worked with our budget and were beyond professional.

food great, service ruined our wedding.. she is a total joke,I have no idea how she can run a biz..

DON'T USE HER