banquets by biagio

I contacted Biagio’s catering to schedule a bridal shower for my brother and his fiancée. This was a company with whom we had previously dealt and we were enthusiastic about the party. We were told by Cheryl Salm that a room was available in their second location at 4300 W Central Ave in Chicago, the previous Harrington Banquets that had been purchased by Biagio’s and renamed C-Catering by Biago’s, for the event with a buffet of pizza, salad and pasta for 80 with unlimited soda and coffee, for the price of $1600.

We arrived at the location and were let inside of a building that had a heavy mold smell in the air. In some areas ceiling tiles were removed with rusted broken wiring hanging down and catch basins beneath the open ceiling to collect falling water. The door to the kitchen was opened and an inch thick black/green sludge was found on the floor; the smell was stronger in this area and my daughter, who has severe allergic asthma, had to exit the building. The waitress who had unlocked the doors for us, named Blanca, stated at this time that she had been warning Biagio’s staff to ‘check’ the building following recent snow and rain storms and no one had.

The ceilings that were intact in this area had water stains and remnants of hanging “Silly String”. Subsequent complaints had our party moved to a different hall in a different building at 4243 Central Ave, where our pasta selection was wrong and the food served was not enough for 80 people. Waitstaff abandoned the party two hours before it was finished, leaving guests with no way to refill their soda.

The event was not only a disaster but an embarrassment. Guests arriving at the previous location were not alerted to the move and were simply turned away. The service was not only not what was agreed upon in our contract, but absolutely terrible, on top of having been nearly forced into a building that was not only filthy but also presented a real health hazard.

Pros : Can't think of a thing

Cons : Filthy, moldy, unhealthy, bad service

Price Range : $1500 - $2500

Recommended : No

Review Date : 02/28/2009