Crunch Catering

I do not know where to begin — This was my first time using a catering service, and I’m so happy that I used Crunch Catering. Really happy. I had my daughters wedding reception in my backyard, and had not done something on this scale, ever. David’s assistant, Carolyn was excellent. She kept everything together. EVERYTHING. She convinced me that all was well, and to not worry. She helped with the tables, linen, set up of the center pieces, etc; When I walked into the back, she handed me a glass of wine, and said «okay, now go enjoy». Amazing. When David arrived with the servers, they went into action. David was in the kitchen, working his butt off, and making it seem effortless. The food… omg. Salmon, Chicken Marsala, Vegetarian pasta, and a wonderful green salad. The appetizers were to die for. Everyone RAVED about the food. I can not wait to have another party catered by Crunch!!! Thank You David and Carolyn!!!

I used Crunch Catering for an event at my workplace, and I had a pleasant experience with both working with David and the food. So many of our attendees LOVED the food and commented it numerous of occasions on our evaluation sheet.
David was very responsive to my emails and requests, and I had many requests as our attendee list kept changing, so he was very accommodating to all of our requests.
We had a breakfast and lunch spread for the day, and it is a bit pricey, but i feel like it was worth every penny, especially for our attendees.

My fiancée and I hired Crunch to do our small wedding on Aug 20^th. We could not have been happier with the food and the service.
Pre-​wedding: David and Carolyn were both really on top of it during our planning process. They were really able to flush out our ideas, even when we didn’t quite know what we wanted. And the really stepped up to the plate when we threw them some curve balls… like asking for a batch of Sangria a week before the wedding :)
Wedding Day: David and his team came in a couple hours before the ceremony and setup everything. I barely even noticed they were there, they were so quiet and on task. We had our meal served family style and it was FANTASTIC. I got so many compliments about how great the food was. David even saved us a plate of the appetizers because we missed them during our photo session. YUM! The staff was brilliant. Friendly, and super helpful. Got lots of compliments about them as well.
I would hire them again in a second!
Thanks Crunch !!! You really made our day special !!

When it came to a last minute crunch time venue change due to weather, Crunch Catering truly lived up to its name! Crunch Catering did a phenomenal job at my son’s baptism and my niece’s birthday party. Dave worked with us on a last minute venue change due to the rainy weather conditions, and the event went through without a hitch. Carolyn worked with the party rentals we already have and the room layout was perfect. They added more staff last minute when we switch to full service catering. They catered to all our requests. The staff were courteous, friendly, and professional. Our guests raved about the food. Even the kids keep saying what a great party it was. I highly recommend Crunch Catering and will definitely use them for future events.

Let me start off by saying that the food was excellent. I didn’t have a chance to taste much, but my guests were complimenting the dishes so it had to be good. My dissatisfaction with Crunch Catering is not the food but the service.
My fiancé and I threw an engagement party for 65 guests, and we had communicated with Andrew for about 2 months in advance. He sent us various menus to see which one we liked, and then we settled on one. He asked us for a deposit, but I wasn’t going to send over a check without reviewing and signing a contract first. He sent one over and we gladly sent out the check. One week before the event, we also sent a check from the remaining balance.
When it came time for Andrew and David to pack up and leave, they asked us to settle the remaining balance (we had added an additional 5 persons). He told us that we owed an amount that was obscenely higher than the amount for an additional 5p. Seeing as how we both were enjoying ourselves and enjoying libations, that did not make us very happy. We spent about 30 minutes talking it over with Andrew, who told us that the total amount on the contract wasn’t the correct amount. What the??? I have always thought that what you signed, is what you’re going to receive and give. He then asked us if we a copy of the contract; shouldn’t you, the vendor, have the paperwork ready? We asked him to take us step by step through the pricing, and my partner figured out the sums in that math whizz head of his and realized that the sums on the contract wasn’t even correct (we’ve learned that he will be taking care of the contracts from now on).
Needless to say, this was an incredible buzz kill. We should not have been spending 30 minutes settling the bill with the caterer when we had a houseful of guests to attend to. On an important day as our engagement party, nonetheless. Also, please remember that the contract is what clients and the vendor should refer to for services provided and pricing. What a disappointment.

I tried last to get Crunch to cater a 2 day conference for my company. After a pleasant enough initial contact, no one ever got back to me. Had a similar experience with last year’s event. I give up — there are lots of other caterers around.

Dave with Crunch was amazing!
If you have any professional events that need catering for breakfast this is your guy! I’m sure lunch and dinner were great too!
We just concluded a 150 person event serving hot and cold breakfast and drinks (coffee and juice). Was flawless!
Dave is responsive and incredibly professional. The set up of food was beautiful and well thought out and everything tasted fabulous! No complaints!
Thanks Dave for a great experience! We will be calling you again for our next event!

As new residents of San Jose, and after reading all the great reviews in Unilocal about Crunch Catering, we decided to contact Chef/​Owner Dave Nelson to provide h’ors doevres for our progressive get-​together with our neighbors on 9÷18÷10. Overall, the experience was not what we had expected. Having grown up in a restaurant household, (my parents had 3 restaurants and a butcher shop), I may have higher expectations, however, there was a certain level of quality missing in the h’ors doevres which was also reflected in the unusually high amount of food left uneaten by the guests. On a more positive note, Dave and Andrew (sous chef) were both very professional and personable from start to finish.
PROS:
1) Timely email responses from Crunch Catering.
2) Uncomplicated ordering process. Dave provided us with a sample menu of client favorites. We substituted the Coconut Prawns for the Poached Prawns without any difficulty.
3) Crunch Catering arrived on the day of the party exactly on time to set up. We were also given the option as to whether we wanted the food set on disposable servingware or nicer silver trays and china. We opted for the trays and china.
4) Presentation of food
3) High level of professionalism exhibited by Dave and his sous chef Andrew throughout the entire process.
CONS:
1) The FOOD.
2) The poached Tiger Prawns turned out to be regular sized shrimp.
3) The seared Ahi Tuna were supposed to be served two ways, on crispy won tons and cucumber, we only got the crispy won tons.
4) Beef Wellington Bites were dry and lacked flavor.
5) Potato Cups, Tomato Bruschetta and Ahi Tuna all could have used a bit more seasoning as well; crostinis were too hard/​dry.
6) Less than ¹⁄₃ of the food on each plate was eaten and we had to throw everything away. It’s not uncommon at these events for guests to inquire on the name of the catering company, however, not a single person out of our group of 20 asked.
The exceptions were the Baked Brie Pastry as well as the thai chili sauce, (which accompanied the shrimp). Those two dishes were the crowd favorites.
Overall, the majority of the h’ors doevres needed more flavoring, even just a little extra basic salt and pepper added into the ingredients would have gone a long way.
The shrimp being substituted in place of the Tiger Prawns was disappointing and quite frankly, a little upsetting. I informed Andrew as he was setting up the food of the Tiger Prawns vs. Shrimp issue as well as the missing cucumbers in the Ahi Tuna Dish. I emailed Dave a couple days later all of our feedback as well, and Dave apologized for the Tiger Prawns vs. Shrimp ‘mix-​up’, and offered to ‘hope (fully) … have the chance to make it up to you in the future.’
Unfortunately, as our first time with Crunch Catering was a forgettable experience, we will be looking for another catering service for our upcoming house-​warming party this fall.

WEDDING VENDOR Review
PROs:
— Dave was very responsive to my fiancé
— Great food — everyone loved the tasty hors d’ouvres
— The most budget-​friendly hors d’ouvres caterer we found.
— He saved a platter for the bride and groom after we sat down at the reception
CONs:
— Needed better logistics with the food placement (partially my coordinator’s fault)
— Was he the only one walking around with a tray? (It seemed that some guests were not able to taste some of the hors d’ouvres.)
Dave was friendly and willing to work with our budget. He offered us a solution whereas other caterers did not seem willing to cater for less than a certain minimum.
The venue gave us a hard time about letting us use their tables and so Dave was stuck with one table for the iced cocktail shrimp, tucked into a corner. Although a few guests accidentally blocked the access to the table and enjoyed it, other guests complained. Little plates or better access/​location should have been provided to ensure that all guests had a chance to walk up to the table and away with some shrimp.
As someone who has coordinated quite a few events for large company parties, the logistics of the food placement is critical and I would think that all wedding vendors would pick up on this. Unfortunately none of the vendors seemed to notice this issue to correct it, even my wedding coordinator with over 600 weddings under her belt.
Any leftovers should have been moved to the reception area for others to enjoy, who may not have had the chance. But once again, I believe I saw a tray of potato flutes leftover which one of my guests loved and wouldn’t have minded finishing off.
I love Crunch Catering, but as a planner, I would make the following notes for your events in case you don’t have a coordinator to work through the logistics with them:
— Placement of food — depending on the number of guests, try to have at least 2 stations of each food item so that not only one swarm of guests will have access. The ideal is 2 but also placement so that the items can be accessed from two sides is also helpful.
— Trays — if trays are being walked around, make sure there are multiples of the same items. See reasoning above.
— Ask the caterer to provide one tray for the bridal party and the immediate family while they are taking pictures.
— Decide an appropriate location for the leftovers to be placed at the reception.

Crunch Catering catered our wedding of about 150 people. The event was seamless thanks to Dave and his crew. The food was amazing, best food we’ve ever had at a wedding, and our guests thought so too.
Our cake was the highlight, for weeks after the wedding we had guests commenting on how wonderful it was. We had tri-​tip which normally is really difficult to cook for that many people. Not for Dave, it stayed really tender and perfect at serving time.
Dave made what could have been a very stressful day very easy. He handled everything from start to finish, including coordinating silverware/​plate/​linens, to the custom dipped chocolate covered strawberries. He walked us thru our menu options and gave us plenty of options that fit in our budget. He really is so easy to work with.
We plan to use him for work/​corporate events in the future.

My husband and I hired Crunch Catering for our May wedding in San Jose. We tried about 6 – 8 caterers and Dave was the best overall. His food was excellent, we got tons of compliments from our guests. He was very easy to work with unlike some other caterers. He tweaked his menu to our liking and really worked with my mom who’s also a chef. The food at the wedding turned out to be better than during the tasting.
Dave was very professional about everything. He worked with our venue’s (SJ city hall Rotunda) strict time line and requirements.

I threw a semi-​surprise party for a good friend of mine at my house this weekend. The issue I was faced with was that this friend always deals with buying and bringing food over whenever I have folks over, and not only was she not about to have to think (or know) about any of this, I also needed to figure out how I’d handle food and drinks for 35 people.
Well, by chance I was at Unilocal’s Pley event and about the only thing we did was see Crunch, and Shokolaat’s tables and basically headed straight out of there. I’d grabbed a card and sent an email to Dave in the next few days and we’d worked out a great sounding menu of finger foods that suited everyone that was coming along with a dessert tray. In addition, even though they aren’t bartenders, he’d agreed to have someone there handle making and serving drinks.
I’ve never used a caterer for an event at my house, but after this, that’s all I ever want to do. Dave and Andrew arrived an hour before-​hand, got set up and ready to go with plenty of time to spare.
The food? Amazing. Just the right amount, different dishes to cater to a few different tastes and dietary needs, and great presentation.
Dave and Andrew? Could not have been nicer guys. Everyone I’d talked to said the same thing. They were super-​friendly, worked with what I had at the house where needed, and despite not being a bartender, Andrew made some incredibly delicious cocktails.
Once they were done, they went around and anyone that was still a straggler with their glass or dish-​ware, swapped out theirs for one of mine, and used some of my plates to leave food for people to continue munching on. It was so seamless no one realized they had left until they noticed there was no one manning the bar any longer.
The cost? Extremely reasonable. Sure a party of 35 people isn’t huge, but had I taken 35 people out to dinner, it would have easily cost three or four times as much.
There is no doubt in my mind that i’ll work with Dave again, not just for events at my house, but for work related events as well.
Thanks Dave! (And Andrew!)

Dave Nelson is passionate about food and one of the most solid people in or out of the business. Beef wellington bites are a secret gem, and I had one of his strawberry shortcakes at my last birthday — Amazing. At a Thanksgiving party last year, Crunch Catering’s vegetarian shepherd’s pie impressed even my most picky Veggie /​Health nut guests, and even basics such as macaroni & cheese and mashed potatoes are done a great service with his creative touches. He is dedicated to his craft and his clients, and I highly recommend him for your events.

I recently had a Birthday party for my mother and had the great luck of finding Crunch catering to help me out. We had 80 hungry guests that loved every bite! Chef Dave Nelson had a beautiful spread of large and small bites; a few of my favorites were the Beef Wellington, Spicy tuna, and the baked brie.
I regret that I didn’t get a chance to take photos of the food before the guests dug in, because the way he displayed it all was breathe taking! Raves from all the guests, but most importantly my mom was blown away by the
whole thing!
The staff on hand was very helpful and professional. I would highly recommend Crunch for any occasion! I can’t wait to have another party!!! Thanks Crunch!!!

I hired Crunch Catering for my recent 50^th Birthday party on 2÷20÷10 in Hillsborough, CA. It was a totally embarassment for me. I have still have guest coming up to me saying… your party was wonderful, expcept there was no food there. I had approx 100 people and there wasn’t even close to enough food for the party. The presetation for the most part was horrible. My guest left starving… and the remaining 20 or so guest left had to order pizza to be delivered.
To top off the lack of food… David got highly intoxicated from the alcohol provided from my bar and began making sexual advances on several women at my party. Then, he or his staff melted something plastic on top of my Theradore gridle which is now ruined. What remaining food was left… David and his staff took with him.
My overall experience with Crunch Catering was horrible. I DO NOT recommend them at all. I am sorry I chose them for my memorable event.

This happened quite a few months ago, but it bugged me enough for me to come back and Unilocal about it. Sorry to be the single voice of dissent here, but let it be known that the negative review is not about the food at all, just the service.
After seeing all these glowing reviews on Unilocal,I emailed David at Crunch Catering to ask about catering my wedding. He responded minutes later, asking for more information from me, so I was very impressed. I responded with all the info he needed and then some. I also asked many questions. This time, I did not get a response.
Now I realize that people are not attached to their computers like I am. I check my email every second or something: it’s pathetic. So I know my threshold for waiting on emails is probably lower than other people’s. I get antsy after the first day of non-​response, but I waited FIVE days before responding again, to make sure that he got all my info and my questions. I even asked if he preferred that I call to speak with him instead, since some people are not email people. After that, I got a fairly timely response from Dave, asking some more questions about what I wanted, so I responded in more detail and asked if he does tastings.
He responded again, saying that we could do a tasting once we decide on a menu, and that he would work on that for me. I took that as a sign that he would come up with a menu and then get back to me. This time I did not bother to chase him down for a response, so I never heard from him again. Ever.
Based on the Unilocal reviews alone, I wish I got to taste his food. But seeing how he dropped the ball on communicating with me, there was no way I would have trusted him to take care of one of the biggest aspects of my wedding.
Anyway, I eventually found a caterer with awesome food and an excellent coordinator, so it’s alllllllll good. :P

Dave does a wonderful job creating typical food with a unique flair. He has worked with me at multiple events and did a great job creating a menu for the guest list within the given budget. Crunch Catering’s staff is entertaining when they are on site. I was extremely impressed with their team building activity they supplied for JDRF allowing the children at the event to learn about fun foods with no sugar. GREAT IDEA!
The baked potato bites at the Pley event were phenom. I have to say that Dave was hospitable by bringing me one… making it one of the only things I got to try at the event.

Mini-​review from the Unilocal event last night:
We tried two hors d’oeves Crunch Catering and both were delicious. It was a good balance of flavors and we will look to them for our next event for catering.

I work for Wet Nightclub and just coordinated a corporate event with Dave from Crunch Catering.
Dave was great with communicating with me from the beginning to the day after the event. He was on point and very courteous at all times. Was very willing to work with any budget and completely flexible. He strives to satisfying the client… and YOU will be very satisfied.
Wet Nightclub plans to continue partnering with Crunch Catering for future events.

Crunch Catering has catered for my company multiple times and every time I am thoroughly impressed! Today we had breakfast and lunch catered in. Food on time (always a plus when you have hungry people waiting!). Food was DELICIOUS! Food was plentiful! The two different types of chicken dishes that he’s made for us is wonderful! I had to go back and get seconds!
Highly recommend this company. I’ve been searching for a versatile catering company in the south bay and I found it! They also threw in truffles and chocolate dipped strawberries in as a surprise!