AVOID THIS COMPANY
Columbus Brides: Avoid Event Thyme Catering. Hoping to warn future brides in Columbus.
My best friend (29f) is getting married soon and had to fire Event Thyme Catering based in Powell.
Their sales manager (and owner) was overly friendly and promising during the booking process and after obtaining a signed contract and deposit, became more and more difficult to reach. Their emails were rude and would often not have a personalized signature so you could never pinpoint who you were talking to. After my friend summarized a lengthy list of items that were still pending, the first line of the response read similar to "You don't have to type so much in every email." When she expressed frustrations over various points (tasting scheduling inconsistencies, dietary restriction inconsistencies, half answered questions), they claimed they perform over 175 weddings per year and she is the only person that has complained. When they went back on promises for dietary restriction options, they would state "that doesn't sound like something ____ would say" or "are you sure you talked to me?"
If a question is asked about food, they direct the couple to schedule a meeting with the chef. If a question is asked about setup, they direct the couple to contact the office manager. What is the point of a sales manager if you do not know what you are selling?
The final straw was when less than 2 weeks from their wedding, they received their final invoice (that had been requested for weeks) and it was over $7k higher than their contract. This included a "Surcharge-Chef Final" general line item for $8 that was not previously discussed, service charges and fees that were not disclosed in their initial proposal, and items that they never requested. Their contract states "estimated total" which I'm sure is purposeful along with no updated invoices until it feels like it is too late to pivot.
Ultimately, my friend decided to fire them after they stated they would only discuss solutions with their General Manager if the couple ZELLEd the owner $1.2k. It is currently unknown if they will get any of their money back.
It has now become apparent that this is a trend for this company, as numerous brides have spoken up and begun to leave reviews (see for yourself). The worst part? For nearly ever bride that has left a 1 star review, the owner has found their place of work and left a false 1 star review in return.
You can find the 5 star review he left for his own business under the very sneaky name "Sales Manager," where a very handy paper trail leads you to all the retaliatory reviews that have been posted. On a Facebook thread, he even has his poor new daughter in law sticking up for him.
Previously performed business under PC Catering and the reviews there speak for themselves.
TLDR: Don't hire Event Thyme Catering unless you want to pay $$$ more than your proposal.