Party-Mates Inc

What a great group to work with!! My daughters wedding had an outdoor cocktail hour and the reception was indoor. We provided all the bar supplies and drinks. Party-Mates then had to organize all of it prior to the wedding. The disaster that was left for them as we unloaded mounds of supplies, mixers and alcohol the night before was intimidating. Not for this crew! They showed up and got right to work. They absolutely crushed it... When the ceremony was over and we joined our guests for cocktail hour the bar was rockin, and signature drinks were in the hands of our guests. They were delicious... Once completed we went inside and we saw the bar for the first time since they started with the setup. AMAZING... It looked like the bar was a permanent part of the venue... So well put together and organized... The staff was friendly and over the top helpful. If you are looking to have a party and need a few bartenders this is the company to call. We will be using them whenever we get the chance. Thank you for all you did to make my daughters wedding the most special occasion of her life. 6-25-2021 Sincerely, Erik & Robin

The person Joann sent was very professional and a very big help. I was able to enjoy my party instead of always getting up and serving food or cleaning! I also was able to wake up the next morning and not do dishes for 3 hours. It was such a great help!!!!! Love Party-mates.

I have used Party-Mates for many years and for many occasions. The service provided is always outstanding. All the servers I've used are on time, professional and make it possible for me to host events at my home with understated elegance. One of the best parts is the way the servers leave my my home, especially my kitchen, at the end of the party. No dirty dishes or glasses to wake up to the next morning with leftovers put away as I would do myself.

Everything went extremely well! This was my first time doing this and I could have not been more pleased. I plan on hiring John, (cooking over that hot grill to please my guests,) Kiera, (being on top of all of the needs of my guests and myself,) and Kathy, (who was the first one there and dealing with a newbie such as myself.) It was an extremely warm day and they were great! Everything I needed, they took care of it! My guests were also very pleased. I will also be more on top of things next time!😁 Thank you Jo-Ann and team! Your team is professional and fun! You are the best! Patricia Carroll

Party-Mates could not have been better - all three of them jumped right in and got to work, were friendly and did a fantastic job!

They are professional. They are attentive and knows what needs to be done. We had to flip the room from ceremony to reception and thanks to them it went smoothly and quickly. The same was true when the reception was over. They know their job and do it well. I will use them in the future. The owners are pleasant and easy to work with.

JoAnn and her staff are wonderful to work with! Back in 1998 when we hosted an anniversary party and again on Thanksgiving Day in 2016 and 2017. She advice for the # of servers, 2 and hours (4) that would be most helpful was spot on. Each time the servers arrived promptly, were dressed professionally and pitched right in. Their work truly made it possible to be a guest at our party.

We gave a destination wedding reception for 200+ people, over 800+ miles from our home. The wedding went well and the wedding reception was just GREAT! We could not have done it without Party-Mates. We have gotten lots of compliments on the reception, in part thanks to Party-Mates. Hopefully the servers were not too over taxed with the 25 tables and the 200+ guests. The bartenders too were professional and the greatest. What a great help Party-Mates was to work with- making everything enjoyable. And what a help having Party-Mates there for both serving and clean up. We would definitely contact Party-Mates for future events in the Chicago area. We strongly would recommend Party-Mates, Inc. for any future event, corporate or private- great Professional help. Specifically the Party-Mates first/head server was just fantastic. She was so nice, a great attitude, well organized, knowledgeable, and professional. She worked so well and quickly with the venue's wedding coordinator. We enjoyed the event much more with Party-Mates there and not having to worry (or even think about) serving things. All in all we can't recommend Party-Mates enough. What a good idea to use this firm. We are definitely satisfied with their work and strongly endorse this firm.

Both Party Mate helpers showed up right on time. Worked diligently throughout the party. I never had to worry about dirty plates or making sure the food ran out. All was done wonderfully and I enjoyed the party.

It went ok. I do a lot of parties professionally and use serving companies all the time. I am always looking for new companies so I thought I'd give this one a try. The owners are responsive and get a contract to you fairly quickly. Both times I used this company, I had to have them redo the contract because it was incorrect, but I can overlook something like that.. This particular party was buffet and the women did not set up the buffet the way I asked them to. I had a specific order I wanted the food laid out, and I told them, and had left written notes in the kitchen to help them. Maybe they did not understand, but the food was not put out the way I asked. They overfilled the water in the chafing dishes which caused the hot water to spill all over my buffet table. They did not catch it, I had to tell them it had happened. They said it was because the fire was too hot, and then extinguished one sterno on each chafer. My food did not stay hot. So my buffet was set up in the wrong order, with hot water spilled all over it and lukewarm food. The woman who made the coffee told me that we had the wrong coffee for our coffeemaker. She showed me that the pot was filled with grains and couldn't be served. I suggested she use a napkin as a filter, but she had to throw out an entire pot of coffee. It was the exact same grind of coffee we use in that coffee maker on a regular basis. I believe she put too much coffee in and when it started to perk it spilled over. The women had a good attitude in general, were very nice, polite and helpful, but they really needed to be closely supervised. Every time I went into the kitchen to check on things, they were on their phones. The owner of the company had told me that people usually tip the helpers (of course) and that the average was $14 per hour per person, but since it's a tip, it's up to the host. I did not tip them anywhere near that much and got a call the next day asking me if I had misunderstood what the tip was supposed to be. I don't appreciate being pressured into a specific tip amount, especially when the staff is clearly not as experienced as the owners led me to believe. In my professional life, I am very experienced in working with serving staff, professional caterers and good sized events. I do so on a regular basis - I know how to use a chafing dish. I know what kind of coffee to purchase for our coffee makers. I know how a buffet should be set up. 23 people is easy and small and this should have been a breeze for 3 experienced servers. Whenever I started to explain things to the women (such as how much water to put in the chafers) they told me they knew how to do it. These gals, as nice as they were, did not provide me with the presentation I wanted, and then to have the owner put pressure on me to give them a big tip is unprofessional. Be prepared that if you use your own discretion on the tip amount, you will hear from the owner. I did send her an email the day after the event explaining why I gave them the tips that I gave them. I have not heard back from her, which is fine, but ...I'd stay away from this company unless you are prepared to closely supervise everything they do, and to be pressured into a high tip, which apparently is not up to the discretion of the host.

Extremely well. The 2 servers arrived on time, went right to work, quickly picked up on what I needed done. By the end of the 4 hr. shift they had the plates cleared, left-overs packed up, and the kitchen cleaned. We were able to enjoy our guests and not spend the next day in the kitchen again. Will definitely plan on asking for help again this year!

Was a total success! I couldn't have done it without these ladies. They did such a great job and I didn't have to worry about a thing! Everything was vey, very well managed. I would definitely use this company and service again. The owner Jo-Ann was such a joy to work and she put me at ease the first moment that I talked to her. She sure knows her job! All her recommendations with planning this service were spot on! This is the BEST company to go with!!!

The best part was she had a great friendly attitude and I did not need to tell her what needed to be done! She arrived 10 minutes early too. She was absolutely terrific and I would definitely, want to have her come again.

The server was on time and extremely professional. She knew exactly what needed to be done and when. She was the best party help I've ever had!

That was the last thing I worried about. They handled everything amazingly! Very professional, timely, and wonderful with the gifts.

From the moment the two ladies arrived they worked very hard. They helped get everything set up and ready to serve the guests. It was so nice to have people there that were experienced and had perspective from other parties too. If I wasn't sure where/how to serve something they had great suggestions. They were both fantastic. Vicky even wound up my hose that I forgot about after watering my flowers that morning! They both paid such great attention to detail. Guests didn't have dirty plates or cups sitting in front of them, the food was always stocked, and the drink containers were always filled. As the party went on they packed up the extra food and stored it. They cleaned and put away all of my dishes. They allowed me to enjoy my guests and I had a great time at my own party! I couldn't have been happier with them. They both did a fantastic job! This is my second time using Party-Mates and I will definitely continue to use them in the future.

Both arrived on time and worked well with us, our guests & each other.

This company was wonderful from start to finish. Joanne is the best most in formable person. John the better do awesome along w/they waitresses! Kudos to the company!

They do an absolutely wonderful job. I can enjoy my party rather than working the entire time.

The servers were excellent! Joe the bartender was super. They were all very pleasant, friendly & got the job done very well!

Karen arrived on time. I explained where everything was for the party, what time items were to be served, etc. She was very friendly and efficient. She heated and served appetizers, put out entrees, refilled buffet, cleaned up, put out desserts, etc. She was very friendly to my guests.

Wonderful-Very great questions on time frame/appetizer/serving guests arriving-Set up & deployed everything from start to finish and clean up ongoing included-Packaged items leftover to refrigerate and for guests to take home.

JoAnne and Bill helped us plan the serving staff we needed for a full outdoor wedding event. The Karen, Cathy, Liz, Shellie, and Joe were on time, professional, and capable. They worked to solve any and all problems so my husband and I could enjoy the party. Great job! Thanks, Party-Mates!

The server arrived promptly at 4:00 pm and after a brief conversation with me regarding the food we had prepared and the timetable of the party she made herself invaluable to me. She served appetizers, refilled beverages, put the ice water on the tables, plated the salads, sliced the roast, and set up the buffet. She kept the kitchen spotless during the event and kept up by hand washing all the glasses, plates, silver, pots and pans. She did a great job of including my three grandchildren who "wanted" to help and she gave them a couple of "age appropriate" tasks. I was able to relax and visit with our guests some of whom I had not seen for many years. When the party was over, I was not exhausted, instead I had a great time. Everything was washed and put away and my kitchen was spotless. The $100 cost was well worth it, a great value, and changed my experience at the party. It also was helpful to the few guests who would have been helping me, because they also got to relax and enjoy the dinner without feeling obligated to help me!

I have used Party-Mates 4 times now. I have almost never worked with the same staff person, so they do an amazing job of sending me competent, hard working individuals. So far, I've probably worked with about 12 - 14 staff members from Party-Mates over the years. Just prior to the event, when I have a million things to think about, the one thing I don't have to think about is the Party-Mates staff. They show up on time. They are dressed appropriately and professionally. They listen to me. They make constructive suggestions to make the bar more efficient (because they have more experience with this than I do). They follow through on all that I ask of them. They are watchful to make sure no one is over-served or that we are not serving to a minor. I have never had a guest complain that the "wait" was too long to be served a drink (my events usually attract 400 people). They are polite. They have been very easy to work with in some hard to work and unorthodox spaces (my parties are in an auto repair garage where we set up bar on one of the car lifts or in a wash bay).. At the end of the night, they help with non-bar things such as folding up chairs, taking out trash and helping to do general take down activities. They are an essential part of making my events flow well (so I can enjoy my own party!). I have never been let down. And...by the way...JoAnne Vacko is wonderful to work on planning my bartending needs from year to year.