Pennsylvania caterer demands extra $1,500 the morning of a 350‑guest event, forcing the planner to accept less food despite already paying $4,500 in full

Author image for Etai Eshet
Etai Eshet • Editor
Mar 17, 2026 1:00 PM EDT

This caterer is the type of business owner who thinks "customer service" means seeing how much they can get away with before you snap. The kind who treats deals like improv, constantly rewriting the script mid‑performance and acting shocked when you remind them there was a price, a promise, and a plan. It's fascinating how fast "we agreed on this" turns into "you must have misunderstood." The modern grifter has evolved past dark alleys

You can spot them easily: they speak in half‑truths, collect payments like trophies, and suddenly develop selective memory right after your money clears.

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  • Man with glasses talking on the phone while holding his head, looking stressed as he sits indoors.
    via sarah b

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • HELP: Restaurant SCAMMED me over $4,500!

    Location: Delaware/Pennsylvania I had an event planned for over 350 people. I placed a catering order through the restaurant's manager.
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  • We agreed on a menu of 45 trays of lamb shank tajine, 45 trays of chicken tajine, and 45 trays of rice, with each tray feeding 8 people.
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  • + iMessage 12:47 2 full size treys of hummus く 2 full size treys of Zalouk Desert Per pers Served Total 350 a 1 chebakia ntainer 45 trays of lamb tajine 45 trays of rice 45 trays of Mediterranean salad Each tray will feed 8 people 30 servings of veggie tajine (10 trays) 360 baklava 10 trays of tzatziki Total price is $4500, paid in full Z G Edited 89
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  • The total bill was for $4,500, and I paid the full amount the day before the event (per their requirements) via wire transfer.
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  • 12:47 く Order confirmed Confirmed 360 baklava 10 trays of tzatziki Tot 89 is $4500, paid in ☐ G 17 W Main St, Newark, DE 19716 Delivery between 6pm-6:30pm on March 11 Z + iMessage Read 12:44 PM 0 Edited
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  • On the morning of the event, the owner contacted me saying that the order was worth $20,000 and that the manager made a mistake with the order.
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  • He said that they could cut the quantity of lamb and chicken in half, but that I would still owe an additional $1,500 on top of the original $4,500, otherwise they would cancel the order.
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  • This restaurant played it like a bad con movie. Full payment one day, fake confusion the next, followed by the classic “our employee doesn’t really work for us” routine. It’s the oldest scam in the book, but dressed up in a chef’s coat. Their genius twist was turning portion control into abstract art. Each tray meant for eight people could barely feed two, but they called that a “mistake.” Sure. And I’m sure the missing trays just evaporated out of sheer misunderstanding.

  • Cheezburger Image 10616188928
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  • When I explained that I had already finalized everything with the manager and had already paid, the owner told me, "Oh, that guy doesn't really work for us, he just helps us out sometimes." I then tried contacting the manager to figure out what was going on, only to find out he blocked my number.
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  • After a lot of back and forth, the owner and I agreed to keep the total at $4,500 by removing the chicken tajine.
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  • 22 BPI COMPOSTABLE S COMPOSTABLE EXCEPT IN CA OK compost HOME OKH-S0755
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  • We also specifically agreed that each tray would feed 8 people, which I have screenshots of (check my other
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  • Later that day, the food arrived over 30 minutes after the event started, so we rushed to get it out to guests as soon as possible.
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  • m
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  • However, when we opened up the trays, we were shocked by how little food there was in each tray.
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  • It was supposed to feed 8 people, but it could feed only 1 or 2 people max.
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  • They don’t even panic when you call them out. They act like you’re being emotional while they calmly rearrange reality to suit them. It’s not confusion, it’s choreography. Delay the food, shrink the serving size, shrug off the confrontation, then hide behind a policy that doesn’t exist. You start arguing logic with someone who doesn’t believe in the concept.

  • The photos (can be found on my other post) were taken immediately after opening the trays, before anyone ate anything.
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  • Every tray looked like that, and they didn't even provide all 45 trays. It was incredibly embarrassing not being able to feed our attendees, and many left early to get food elsewhere.I called the owner to confront him, and he acted like there was nothing wrong with the amount of food provided.
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  • What makes it worse is how powerless a normal person feels afterward. You can file reports, make phone calls, and wave receipts around, but the scammer still gets to walk away feeling like a visionary disruptor of the catering industry. They don’t sell food, they sell frustration. And when they look you in the eye and say everything’s fine, it almost sounds convincing. Almost.

  • I asked for a partial refund, and he refused. I have since filed a police report, and they said that it could fall under "theft of service", but since the restaurant delivered the food and, given the fact we had no choice at that moment, we fed the food to the guests, then it wouldn't qualify.
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  • I've also filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. I haven't received a response yet, but I'm concerned that nothing will come of it because the restaurant isn't required to respond.
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  • If there’s any moral here, it’s this: never trust a business that needs full payment upfront and can’t remember its own staff. In their world, theft isn’t stealing. It’s just creative invoicing.

  • My plan B is to take it to small claims court. If anyone has any advice on what I can do moving forward, please let me know.
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  • Moemoe5 Is that actually what a newly opened tray looked like? It looks like leftovers.
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  • hidden_throwaways Original Poster's Reply unfortunately yes
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  • Particular-Crew5978 Small claims bro. Get your money back. I'm so sorry
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  • boost_deuce Small claims is the proper avenue. The better business bureau is a private company and has been insignificant since about 1999 so I wouldn't spend too much time there
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  • bettsja They straight up robbed you and knew they could pull this sh because you'd be stuck. Small claims is your best bet since cops won't touch it. Document everything and sue for the full amount back.
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  • lowfreq33 For everyone saying the expectations were unrealistic, that does NOT matter. They were quoted a price for the number of people they needed to serve, there was an agreement in place at those terms. It would be helpful if OP has something in writing to that effect, but it isn't their fault for accepting the terms of the original agreement. Of the person they made the agreement with "doesn't really work for the restaurant" then why was he negotiating on their behalf?
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  • LightningMom If it's a PA business, office of attorney general.
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  • EagleEMT4000 Smalls claim court. The manager was an agent of the restaurant, regardless of working there vs. helping out from time to time. He had decision making authority, which establishes essentially an agency relationship.
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  • No-Bus-3213 Can I suggest getting someone else to contact them and get a quote for say 100 people and see what it is.
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  • thats_wind You sue them in small claims court for the amount they cost you. You don't need an attorney to do this, go to your city's court website and follow the instructions to file a claim.
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  • Super-Bus-3996 Did you have a signed contract? All I saw was a vague text message in your other thread. I have done plenty of bulk food orders and have always had to sign a document
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