I would like to know who the caterer was for the dinner Saturday night. I just spoke to another classmate today who was VERY upset over the poor quality food and lack of food. They sat at the last table to go get food and some of the entrees were completely gone before they got there. She said the food was also ice cold. And their baked potatoes were black inside.

I personally was at the first table to go get dinner. I waited while they took the foil off. Yet my food was ice cold too. My baked potato was not baked. The plastic silverware could not cut the potato. I ate cold potato that I picked up with my hand, without butter as it wouldn't melt on the potato. Everyone at my table was upset with the poor quality of the food.

By the way, when we went through the line my husband joked about seconds and the woman rudely said there won't be any. I don't think there is going to be enough for everyone as it is. If they thought that why didn't they make more food?

To those who did the reunion, do not take this personally. It is not a reflection on you.

I just would like to know who the caterer was so I never hire them for anything. And so my class doesn't hire them for our next reunion.

Was not impressed either....$40.00 for that !!! Don't know who the caterer was...would not hire them.

I wasn't impressed either. The pork was dry. I skipped the baked potatoes because they were burned black on the outside. The green beans with almonds were almonds with green beens. Which would have been fine if I liked almonds. . . several of the desserts were inedible. People at my table joked about the blonde brownie like thing. The fry bread was nice, if cold.

I suspect the biggest problem is no one around here knows how to handle 700 people. That is a heck of a lot of people. And they were outside, which didn't help. So, no, not good food but I wasn't expecting it to be, not with 700 people in the Home Show building. I figure the $40 was for the fun, not the food.

I do professional catering and regularly feed hundreds and over 1,000 in remote locations and I didn't want to say anything just because I was so happy to be at the reunion, but the catering stunk.

For crying out loud... you people would bitch if you were hung with a new rope. Let's not forget that there were at least twice as many people there as what was originally expected. I don't think anyone left hungry. You ought to be thankful that there was food. If you are capable, try looking at life's glass half full rather than half empty all the time and quite bing a mopy madpants! Jeez...

"The food was terrible, and such small portions!"

"For crying out loud... you people would bitch if you were hung with a new rope. Let's not forget that there were at least twice as many people there as what was originally expected. I don't think anyone left hungry. You ought to be thankful that there was food. If you are capable, try looking at life's glass half full rather than half empty all the time and quite bing a mopy madpants! Jeez..."

Well, they are a "professional" catering service which means when you get the numbers you get your act together which was not the case in this instance.
I think folks are happy there was food but that doesn't excuse the lack of quality from the caterer.
The OP wanted to know who it was so that their event was not catered by the same organization.

So do you know who it was that serviced the reunion?

Richard,
The caterers knew how many people would be there. They simply did not plan. Also, the numbers had nothing to do with the very poor quality of food.

I enjoyed the reunion, I enjoyed the companionship, but I will NEVER again attend anything that caterer is involved in and will be sure to never hire them for anything.

Do you personally know them?

Kacey -

Do you have some sort of personal vendetta with Bonine Catering, LLC?

Is that who the caterer was??? I have no idea. Don't know who any of the people were. So I cannot possibly have anything personal against them. Their food and service were lacking in quality and quantity. I may as well add that their people skills were lacking a little too. I realize that it's no fun to stand and dish out food but when that's your job it should be done without scowling or being rude. Throwing food onto the plate in such a way that the food actually stays on the plate, not ending up on the person holding the plate would also be a plus. I personally was covered in butter from the carrots as the girl didn't even look up while she was scooping them.

All I remember is that I noticed the Friday night folks were different than the Saturday night folks. Can't remember either company name but I did notice they were different. Bill said the Friday night meatballs were pretty good.

I did not attend the supper, but I talked to people who expected a better meal. I realize it hard to feed that many people ,but if that is your business you should do it right. If you were in a restaurant and your meal was cold and not done you would tell the folks and maybe get a refund or your meal cooked. I just know when you provide a service it should be done right. Word of mouth is one of the best advertisements there is. I hope this does not hurt the outfit that provided the meal, it may have been a one time thing, but maybe the caterer needs to take a look at this and try to improve their service.

[This message has been edited by D Elwood (edited 6/23/2008).]

http://i175.photobucket.c...ion057.jpg

Notice the warmers were not even plugged in.

Sort of sounds like they bit off more than they could chew. Those roasters and crock pots and such seem kind of underpowered to feed 700 people.

"Kacey,
Do you have some sort of personal vendetta with Bonine Catering, LLC?

Is that who the caterer was??? I have no idea"



Kacey - there is no such company as Bonine Catering, LLC. Gunnar is just being Gunnar.

[This message has been edited by Barb Holcomb (edited 6/23/2008).]

That is a funny picture of the cords hanging down from the warmers. I liked looking at that picture of the reunion. Is there anyway or place people can download photos they took so we can all look at them?

I heard that the caterer rented the roasters from Steadmans, and they did not work...that is why the potatoes were not cooked all the way, they had to rush them to their houses to try and cook them when they discovered they were still raw...

So this was something new for the caterers? They don't even have their own equipment? It sounds like they were totally out of their league in trying to do this catering job. I would have started with something smaller if I were going into the catering business.

I don't know who the caterer was. I assume they were selected becasue they 1. were available to do the job, and 2. the price per plate was in line with what the reunion committee had to spend. I am sure that for another $20-30 per person we could have had Gold's Buffett from Kansas City. But then you would complain about the price.

While the food wasn't perhaps "the best", I have been thankful for a lot worse. I am tired of people whining about what was a really enjoyable event. There has been nothing but negativity since this event ended; i.e. who was or wasn't thanked for helpong to organize the event, and now the food. Where will it end? What other complants will arise? I say enough already. To say that you will never attend an event where that group is serving the food is IMHO pretty arrogant. The food at the reunion was not THAT bad.

Maybe the "sunshine band" can cheer you up.

You just don't get it. Apparently never will.

The question is still unanswered. Who did the catering? It is a legitimate question about a business. If the food was great, it should be answered so others can use them. And, as it was, avoid them. I don't remember and I suspect the people who hired them will remain mum to avoid upsetting folks.

Otherwise, it was a great time!

As I am looking forward to attending and hopefully helping with other reunions in Miles City I think it was a legitimate question to ask. No personal vendetta. Just simple concern. Perhaps someone will recognize the caterers from the photos. There are obviously some here who know them and are being very protective. My suggestion....let the catering firm write something on here. An apology, an explanation, whatever it takes. Then they can show they're trying to be a reputable business and we can all move on.

The question as to who catered the event is ligitimate. The diatribe followed is what was/is frustrating to me. If you look at the photo Steve posted the company name is on the trailer on the far right. It is Sm... somthing. Maybe he has another picture that is to the right of the one he posted

If the food left a bad taste in your mouth go enjoy some hagus (two words that should neve be in the same sentence enjoy and hagus) this weekend. The reunion meal will seem great by comparision.

[This message has been edited by Richard Bonine, Jr (edited 6/24/2008).]

I have forgotten the food. I came to see my classmates. I want to thank everyone who came, especially those from Miles City. I moved away years ago, but you are all still part of my past and my heart.
Thanks to all who helped in any way to make this event so fantastic! I loved every minute of it.
Next reunion barbequed hot dogs are fine with me. I just love seeing you all!
Gail Shipek

Richard Bonine said:
"I am tired of people whining about what was a really enjoyable event. There has been nothing but negativity since this event ended; i.e. who was or wasn't thanked for helpong to organize the event, and now the food. Where will it end? What other complants will arise? I say enough already."

It's not always about you sir. It is a legitimate gripe. I routinely feed that many people at field events so I'm aware of what it takes to pull this off. Those folks were simply not prepared to pull it off and they did a poor job. Simple fact.

Sure the event overall was great but you haven't focused on that either. Rather you complain about how tired you are of people complaining. Did you add to my post thanking and listing all that were involved in organizing and running the event? Nope. Has there really been "nothing but negativity?" I think you generalize.

So before you chastise us all for voicing our opinions how about stepping away from the computer for a while and think about whether or not you really need to post a reply if you yourself don't intend to be positive.

I had the time of my life in spite of dinner.

For any upcoming events I agree that hot dogs will be just fine. I know many people who did not go because of the expense. Add the cost of travelling, a place to stay and food and it got pretty pricey for a Friday and Saturday night get together. So I vote for the cheapest food...hot dogs, chips, pop, whatever and good company.

the fact that they were able to get everyone through as fast as they did was impressive to me... I have had better, and worse, food at events like this... a tempest in a teapot if you ask me!

"Sure the event overall was great but you haven't focused on that either. Rather you complain about how tired you are of people complaining. Did you add to my post thanking and listing all that were involved in organizing and running the event? Nope. Has there really been "nothing but negativity?" I think you generalize."

What the heck are you babbling about? I had a great time and have publicly stated as much. My picture was in the paper. Cool! I have written a number of posts thanking those who organized the event, far more than you have written. I have never said nor do I think that any of this is "about me". It's not.

I fail to understand what is to be gained by excoriating me for comments I made three weeks ago. Give it up, already.

http://milescity.com/foru...fpid=49783

[This message has been edited by Richard Bonine, Jr (edited 7/2/2008).]

The question still was never answered and will not be. Miles City people always accept less than wonderful work and never complain. No body wants to bitch. Miles City spineless city of the world.
I wasn't at the reunion, graduated from Glendive, we would have thrown it back at them. If you don't bitch they never improve.
Half of Miles City reads these posts but notice you won't see one business owner or professional post here. They don't have opinions publicly anyway.

Bob Thomas

"Miles City people always accept less than wonderful work and never complain. No body wants to bitch. Miles City spineless city of the world."

This forum started as a complaint. I thought if you graduated from school in Glendive you should be able to read.

Why are you even posting on here since it is of no concern to you? If it's just to bitch, go down to the bar in Glendive and have at it with someone there who gives a damn.

Spineless? I DO NOT THINK SO!

Oh-ho-ho! So, the all-70s reunion boils down to us vs. Glendive....yet again!

Kacey, although you and I have had some disagreements in the past here at mc.com....I wholeheartedly agree with everything you have posted in this thread and applaud you.

In my opinion the Sons of Glendive should attend to their annual albino children poker run/pLutefisk* festival, and keep their myopic little noses out of Miles City's business!

As for the core content of this thread....yes, it is a very legitimate question. I am in the position to recommend that a professional society I belong to hold their annual meeting in Miles City....probably 100-200 in attendance....but with this uproar about caterors, and NOBODY offering any rationale why the all 70s reunion dinner went bad, there is NO WAY I would place my reputation on the line to recommend Miles City.

Face it, people....it is the 21st century. People who wonder about hosting large events in MC, will Google it first. Right now, all you will see are negative comments on mc.com. Better service, obviously, is needed to rectify this.

Who is catering the State Democrat's Dinner, as an aside? Just curious.

____________________________________________________________________
* The asterik signifies that Glendive Lutefisk, or pLutefisk, is not really Lutefisk, but pseudo-Lutefisk, made out of soaking paddlefish chunks in a lye brine.

It is a shame when you can't support MC by recommending it for your gathering. Perhaps someone out there knows a qualified caterer and can recommend them for you. I know that before when we met in the park we had excellent food from Gloria at the 600.

Lots of folks do catering besides whoever screwed up Saturday night. The Airport Inn is always dependable. I suspect we were victims of the notorious low bid syndrome. If you take quality as well as price into account, I'm sure you can get better food.