Andrew and the staff at Hotel Banquet(Grace Catering) really are exceptional at what they do and how they do it. We had a wedding reception in a fully outdoor venue. This means that the chefs and staff cooked and served a 10 course Chinese meal to 130 guests, completely outdoors and on grass successfully and with precision. Their food was cooked fresh at the wedding site. They time the wedding and cook start time so that as soon as the guests are seated, they are served immediately with fresh, delicious food. This is definitely not the case in your typical pre-prepped, pre-cooked, in the heater type of wedding reception dinner. The vegetarian guests were served additional vegetarian dishes at the table as well. They really enjoyed those dishes and appreciated that those were as well thought out as the other traditional dishes. My wife and I had a sweetheart table. So they made sure that dishes were served to us in smaller china and in the right portion, to allow us to enjoy all the courses. Andrew stressed to us that we had to make sure we eat during the wedding (sometimes brides/grooms eat very little with how fast weddings move). His staff was attentive and made sure we were properly taken care of with priority, this really helped in his advice. Value and pricing is excellent with Hotel Banquet. The quality of food/service/staff relative to the price you pay is very very good. Andrew is easy to work with, he thinks of all the logistical details and plans everything out to a T. This keeps you from having to stress out about all the little catering details, he just thinks of all of it for you in foresight. Funny guy too, I enjoyed our meetings. Jimmy L. Rowland Heights, CA Event Date: Oct. 2011

We researched other catering companies but ultimately went with Hotel Banquet aka Grace Catering (I don't know why they go by diff names!) because of the value. We got quotes from Furiwa and Grace Catering for 20 tables; Andrew from Grace Catering quoted around 12k and Stacie from Furiwa quoted 22k. I'll tell you now that Andrew is not your nice-uber-friendly-so-excited-that-you're-getting- married type of guy. His company is there to cook and serve good food. He's all business, no BS, and definitely knows what he's doing. Stacie from Furiwa is like your BFF who wants to help you with all sorts of wedding stuff and she'll emphasize that you'll get more than just food from her, you'll get a pseudo wedding coordinator. While I was tempted to have the nice girly gal who wanted to help me with decorations and other suggestions, it was not worth the extra $8000 or so. I think Furiwa would be good for someone who needs the extra hand holding and assistance throughout their wedding. When it comes to weddings I didn't really need that from a caterer -- I wanted someone who knows what exactly what their job is and who will do it expediently and professionally. Andrew is fit the bill. We initially had reservations about hosting a Chinese banquet cooked entirely outdoors in propane woks -- how was that going to work? Is the food going to be cold? Will it be prepared on time? Can they handle 18 tables at once? My husband had numerous phone calls and visits to Andrew and assured me that everything would work out fine, and boy did they ever deliver. The menu was exactly as we planned; food was served on-time, hot, and delicious. We served a cold cuts platter, sharks fin soup, beef, lobster, walnut prawns, steamed fish, abalone, and fried rice. Yum! In addition, the waiters were professional and knew what they were doing. They all have been handpicked by Andrew and have worked with him for a long time. I recommend going to Andrew's tastings, you can find the dates on the website. It's $100 per couple, refundable. Just fill out the form and he'll give you directions on sending your deposit. You'll get the check back when you show up. Show up VERY hungry! Our wedding menu ended up being quite similar to the tasting menu. Andrew was very flexible in allowing us some substitutions for our wedding day. Throughout the process, Andrew was very communicative and responded via email or phone call promptly. Another thing to keep in mind with serving Chinese food at American venues- you have to ask the catering company if things like linens, chopsticks, plates, lazy susans, soup spoons/bowls, etc are included. Furiwa wanted to charge us like $1500 extra for them to provide those things, including $1pp for chopsticks. Grace Catering includes everything in their set prices. Also, Furiwa has a ridiculous 3k set up and tear down fee. Grace catering charges a fee too, but it was much less- like 1k? The only caveat is that if you had some vegetarian guests, Andrew won't cook separate veggie meals for them. I solved that problem by finding a Thai restaurant nearby my reception that offered a variety of veggie dishes and that delivered. So besides the food you gotta keep the other extras in mind when picking a caterer. If you're looking for the qualities listed above, then Andrew at Grace Catering/Hotel Banquet is your vendor! Jeannie J. Event Location: Hawthorne, CA Event Date: Feb. 2011

Andrew and his crew did an amazing job at our wedding recently. Andrew is a wonderful caterer with a professional and efficient staff that made our dining needs stress free. Being in the food business ourselves, I can honestly say that Grace Catering is on their "A" Game as we found out from beginning to end. My wife (fiancé during that time) and I were having a whirlwind schedule trying to organize a 450 (guest and vendors) person wedding in 3 months time, and our wonderful sister in-law was the hero finding both the venue and Andrew's company. Having someone that understands what it takes to logistically handle a buffet style set-up for a large party and is willing to be honest with you with what we can expect and what we should take of on our end was crucial for our receptions success. We had an 12 entrees that we chose. This included Stir Fried Spicy Squid with Veggies & Peanuts Braised Beef Short Ribs with Chinese Radish Korean Style Seasoned Potato Noodle & Veggies House Baked Chicken Honey Walnut with Prawn Fresh Mushrooms & Baby Bok Choy Cold platter Smoked Duck Salt & Pepper Blue Crabs Sautéed Prawn with Sauce Whole Fish Sweet and Sour Stir fried beef Shanghai Chow Mein On top of this Andrew, included 3 more dishes of beautifully presented fresh fruit, sesame buns, and rice. There was more then enough food for people to stack high plates of meat, another plate of seafood, and a runback for starches and veggies. With an idea of our budget requirements Andrew made it clear that a buffet was our best financial option, but offered to have his staff serve our parents tables as well as our couple table. The original schematics drawn up for the Friendship Auditorium in Griffith Park had our buffet area shaped in a "T" formation, which had our guests snaking around the tables to serves themselves. Being busy taking pictures and attending to wedding couple duties, I was quite surprised seeing that they were able to break the table up into 2 parallel rows with enough decorative chaffing frames and linens for each section to have the entrees mentioned above. This sped up food service by nearly a full hour as now 4 separate lines were made available to our guests to serve themselves and return for seconds or thirds as they liked. For those that know, that is absolutely huge in wedding timelines because of the tight scheduling and usual delays associated with such a program. All in all, there were only a few criteria my wife and I had in having a wedding reception. A space large enough to fit as many of our friends, family, and community together to thank them for being a part of our lives. Awesome music provided by our circle of talented musicians and DJs. Booze Booze Booze Enough good food with variety for folks to enjoy Andrew, James, and Grace Catering handled the last item soundly within a budget that I can guarantee is more then reasonable and fair. With an excellent service that keeps you from having to worry about that aspect of the party, allowing you to focus on your newly married partner and your guests. Johneric C. Event Location: Los Angeles, CA Event Date: Jan, 2011

Andrew and his crew did an amazing job at our wedding recently. Andrew was very helpful and accomodating throughout the planning. We had a buffet style dinner and Andrew helped us customize the menu to accomodate our needs. They served good quality food and they were very delicious. I was afraid my in laws who usually picky with food, wouldn't like the menu. But they were very happy and satisfied. We even got compliments from our guests about the food. Thanks Andrew and staffs for making our wedding memorable. I highly reccomend Andrew to anyone who's looking for good quality food. Tina Event Date: June 26, 2010 Event Location: Orcutt Ranch

I'm a wedding coordinator located in Orange County; I recently had the pleasure of working with Andrew Wang and his team for one my clients' weddings. I'm very picky about vendors, especially caterers so I had my usual doubts. However, my clients had already contracted with this caterer (also known as Grace Catering) so I knew I had to make the best of it no matter what the situation. We worked together at one of the more difficult venues to work in Orange County and I was pleasantly surprised by Andrew and his team. They did an amazing job! They were always gracious and smiling. They worked incredibly hard to make sure they kept to our strict timeline. The presentation of the food was beautiful. I heard many of the bridal party and guests commented on how plentiful and wonderful the food tasted. At some point near the end of the evening, I tried the Honey Walnut Shrimp and I can tell you the guests had it right because it was absolutely amazing! If you are looking for a caterer that can create fabulous Chinese cuisine for your event or wedding, I encourage you to check this establishment out. You are sure to be impressed! Kerry P. July 20, 2010 Lake Forest, CA

My wedding was catered by Andrew and his company three years ago, now my daughter is 2, and we send Andrew my daughter's photo on Christmas card every year. That's how much we love him and his company's service. I was wandering on http://Yelp.com when I bumped into Hotel Banquet's reviews. I am amazed how different the opinion is on this business and on Andrew. I did lots of research before my own wedding. In the end, no one could beat Andrew's price and quality, not even close. We went to his food tasting, which is full course dinner served just like at an actual wedding, we were impressed. So were our guests at the wedding. Our wedding was a sit-down dinner at the Arboretum, where Andrew and his crew set up their mobile kitchen outside the garden, no lights at the night other than their own lights. The dishes turned out to be warm, fresh, delicious and the portion is huge. Many guests complimented us especially on the food, and a few of our guests contacted us after the wedding for their contact info. I have since introduced a few other friends to Andrew who catered their weddings successfully. Besides the quality of the food, his crew's service is wonderful too. They had a parade of waiting staff at the beginning of serving dinner. I've only seen that at a dinner on a cruise. Their waiting staff are nice and polite, very thorough when it comes to explaining things to the guests or changing forks to chopsticks or vice versa. I have not heard any complaint from any guest afterwards. As to Andrew's customer service style, my husband and I like him a lot. He is a very straight forward person, some may interpret it as being blunt. But he is indeed an extremely nice person. He is always willing to help, trying to think of ways to work under your budget. He is not the type that will nickel and dime you either. He would go to the wedding site to do his research before the wedding, and remind the staff at the venue what to prepare to accommodate on-site catering. Many staff do not really have a clue, but with Andrew's long-time experience in this business, he makes sure to patch all loose ends before the wedding. He is a perfectionist, which might have contributed to the conversation where he insisted someone to buy the Costco table. I think he meant well. He is very meticulous when it comes to the quality of his food and service. He would even commend his kitchen staff to chop the lobsters in certain size, not too small, not too big, so that all pieces would have enough flavor, and the lobster meat remains in the shell when served. When we went to him for initial consultation, we brought the menu we chose, circled the dishes we want, and told him our budget. He switched around some dishes, suggested a few ways to save money and look good on the table, then, it's done. All in all, I am extremely happy with his service, and I will continue referring my friends to him. Mingli Event Location: Arboretum, Arcadia

When our friend introduced us to Hotel Banquet, we had no idea who they were. But now we would like to take this opportunity to thank Andrew, the owner, for doing an exceedingly superb job in catering my daughter's wedding reception. It all started when Andrew helped us designed the food items that were within our budget for 400 wedding guests. And then we were a little concerned about the quantity not being enough if all 400 guests showed up. It was with Andrew's professional experience that he not only eased our concerns, but also gave us the satisfaction guaranteed. Another thing that we really appreciate Andrew's expertise is that he suggested using cocktail tables at the reception area. We loved his creative idea and the tables really made the room looked elegant. Thank you, Andrew, for making the most important event in our lives beautiful and memorable. Mr. & Mrs. Lin Event Date: June 19, 2010 Event Location:First Evangelical Church of Cerritos

We've met with Andrew about seven months before our wedding. During our first meeting, Andrew's detail-oriented knowledge was so impressive. After the meeting, we felt that Andrew's professional experience is very trustworthy and we're very confident that Andrew would help us a lot in our wedding banquet. Before our wedding, Andrew helped us a lot in determing the food, drink, wedding cake, etc. He also provided many good suggestions regarding the layout and helpers in the ceremony. Finally, on the big day, the food turned out to be so good, delicious and abundant. Some friends, who have attended many weddings, said that this is the first time they've seen so much delicious food in the wedding ceremony. The wedding cake is very delicous too. We've followed Andrew's idea of just sprinkling some red roses on the cake. This simple idea really made the wedding cake to be so beautiful. Andrew's staff were very capable and experienced. We hardly saw them in the ceremony, but we knew they worked hard in making everything so organized and beautiful. Everything was so perfect in our wedding. Andrew and his crew's help in the banquet was a big part of it. We really appreciate their help. Great job, Andrew and his staff! Lynda Event Date: June 12, 2010 Event Location: Calvary Church, Santa Ana

We had a 400 people wedding at the South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verde. I'm a wedding planner and my bride Sarah asked me for some suggestion for catering. I gave Sarah 10 catering companies to choose from. After some food tasting, she decided to use Hotel Banquet. On the wedding day the food was very good with a variety of selections for the guests. Also there was more than enough food for every one. The quality is excellent and the staffs were professional. Andrew is the main contact person through out the planning and he was very experienced and also provided useful advice. He will suggest what kind of food base on your guests' background. He knows what dishes are popular among different group of people. You really get more than what you paid for. The price is so reasonable for the quality of the food. Over all every one enjoyed the food very much. Sandy Liang, Aquafuzion Inc. Event Date: June, 2010 Event Location: South Coast Botanic Garden

Andrew was more than helpful in making this event turn out to be wonderful. He helped take care of a lot of the small things so we could concentrate on what was important, our wedding! When he says he'll take care of it, believe him because he will definitely take care of it for you. Thanks to Andrew and the entire staff for making our wedding memorable. Daniel Event Date: February 14, 2010 Event Location: Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts

Great job. Very fast, professional, courteous service. Everyone loved the food. Thank you! We look forward to working with you again in the future. Judy Lai Event Date: January 23, 2009 Event Location: Pasadena, CA

Andrew saved my day. With only one day prior notice of the event, I had no idea what to expect. Finally, I called Andrew and all arrangements were done in 30 minutes. Online menu order was easy to navigate. His input and suggestions were genuine. On the event date only 5 hours prior to the event, he even allowed me to change the entire menu. It was a garden buffet for 35 people and with only one server the service was attentive and professional. The best most popular dish was the $120 sushi/sashimi platter, served on a platinum boat, was good sized and very fresh. Other dishes cooked to perfection include, grilled shrimp, Korean noodles, sea cucumber, etc. The outcome was beyond expectation. I would highly recommend them to anyone who is planning an event. Jennifer Event Date: January 30, 2009 Event Location: Irvine, CA

Dear Andrew, It is with great pleasure that I write this letter to you and your staff at Grace Catering and L.A. Catering! We at the Crystal Cathedral want to thank you for all the ways you have served us all through the years! You have provided a wonderful service to our brides and grooms for the most important day in their lives. They have been tended to with every detail by you and the staff at Grace Catering and L.A. Catering! You have also been so very generous to us in providing food for our Community Outreach event every year. You have gone above and beyond to make our Community Fest an amazing day! We sincerely thank you and your team for all they do for us here at the Crystal Cathedral and wish you every success in the years to come! Blessings, Event Date: December 22, 2008 Event Location: Michelle Cavinder Director Men's, Women's and Learning Network

Amazing food!!! Wonderful service. Exceeded my expectations! I will definitely be recommending Andrew and his staff to anyone needing catering service. They went above and beyond to make sure my wedding day was a success and I got so... many compliments about the food. It was unbelievable. Every single person loved it!! Not one complaint!!! Thanks so much Andrew. You are simply the best!!!! I hope everyone see's this review and books you right away!!!! Tran Han Event Date: 12/06/2008 Event Location: Diamond Bar, CA