Feast Imbibe - Evanston

Feast and Imbibe was our incredible caterer for our wedding in May. They navigated all of the COVID Wedding Struggles beautifully, were always quick to answer our questions, helped us make decisions, and most importantly- the food was amazing!!! All of our guests commented on how great it was and thanked us for not having chicken and green beans (ha Every guest had a different favorite food- it was all so incredible. Thank you to the chefs, staff, and Sarah for making our day beautiful and delicious! Here are a few food photos from our photographer, Lisa Kathan.

Great Ribs and Brisket, the slaw is Slawtasic, ask for extra pickles

Of 17 september 2021 we have set feast imbibe for the high time of my daughter. they were recommended by the venue. sarah informed us by e-mail on 3 september 2021, at 5:30 a.m. on a weekend (just 14 days before the high season) that they increase our food and personal costs by 25% and the rental by 20%. we have a sophisticated contract for this event daten 12/19/2020, i.e., no provision for a PREIS-INCREASE. they had us at duress last hour and they knew it. after several talks with my lawyer, we decided to negotiate the increase due to the timing. we have negotiated the increase somewhat, but they insisted on reducing some of the services they have agreed to the contract. sarah wanted to turn it into an eating, hors d’oeuvre high time to reduce their cost. we negotiated with a buffet service, instead of a manned station service, again cost to reduce at the end. that was the worst BUSINESS practice I've always had. sarah handed the debt to the owner, but I couldn't run a discussion with the owner as he was protected by sarah. they do not make themselves into a contractual relationship with this thing, as they are a breach of the contract in order to leave them! I apologise for the cook and wait the staff for the reduced bliss. they can talk to their employer about sharing some of the increased gains from this event.

We hired Feast Imbibe for my daughter's wedding on September 17, 2021. They were recommended by the venue. Sarah informed us via email on September 3, 2021, at 5:30 on a holiday weekend (exactly 14 days before the wedding), that they were increasing our food and staffing charges by 25% and rentals by 20%. WE HAD A SIGNED CONTRACT FOR THIS EVENT DATED 12/19/2020, THAT HAD NO PROVISION FOR A PRICE INCREASE. They had us in duress in the final hour and they knew it. After several discussions with my attorney, we chose to try to negotiate the increase, due to timing. We did negotiate the increase down a bit, but they insisted on cutting some of the services they agreed to on the contract. Sarah wanted to turn it into a passed food, hors d'oeuvre wedding, to cut her costs. We negotiated to a buffet service, instead of a manned station service, again to cut costs on their end. THIS WAS THE WORST BUSINESS PRACTICE I HAVE EVER SEEN. Sarah kept passing the blame to the owner but I was unable to have a discussion with the owner, as he/she was protected by Sarah. DO NOT EVER GET INTO A CONTRACT WITH THIS COMPANY, AS THERE WILL BE A BREACH OF CONTRACT TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO YOUR EVENT! My apologies to the cook and wait staff for the decreased gratuities...you may want to talk to your employer about sharing some of the increased profits from this event.

Two weeks before our high season, we received an email on a Friday night notifying us of a price increase of several thousand dollars. I will include the email below. Just a week before that, we attended our tasting, which was one of the main reasons we chose them as our caterer. However, they served me an appetizer with gluten, despite our clear discussions and email exchanges noting that I am celiac. I even confirmed this before the tasting. I was understanding about the mistake, even after it made me extremely ill and caused me to take time off work. So when I received the email a week later, I felt trapped with less than two weeks to respond. I wanted to share my experience so other couples are aware of what they are agreeing to, especially those with serious allergies who need to be cautious. I did add a star to my review because our service on the day of our event was exceptional, and I genuinely hope that the extra funds we paid are being used to support their employees. Here is the email we received: --- "We hope this message finds you and your family happy and healthy. We look forward to the exciting celebrations coming up next year! We regret to inform you that, due to the steady rise in food and personal costs, we can no longer honor the pricing from 2019, 2020, and even early/mid 2021. It's extremely important to us to maintain the level of service and quality we promised when we started working together, and we believe this additional investment will ensure your event's success. We understand this has been an incredibly difficult time for everyone as they adapt their celebrations. We have made every effort to remain flexible in changing dates and accommodating requests, absorbing additional costs to ensure your event is not affected. Unfortunately, it has now become unsustainable for our company to continue absorbing these costs. Since the beginning of 2021, our service pricing has increased nearly 60%. To be fair, we must now implement a 25% increase in food and personal costs and a 20% increase in rental fees. These additional funds are directly allocated to cover the expenses related to your event. We are very grateful for your trust in us to execute your celebration and appreciate your understanding as we navigate these evolving changes in the industry. Please feel free to reach out with any questions regarding this updated pricing. We would be happy to discuss what these changes mean for your event in detail or help you get closer to your original budget. We will be back in the office on Monday and are ready to work with you to find the best solution for everyone. We look forward to hearing from you and thank you once again for your understanding. Best, The Feast Imbibe/Soul Smoke Team" --- I hope this helps other couples make an informed decision.