The Rose Garden

I am going to give an overall overview on the Good and Bad regarding this venue.
The GOOD:
1. The venue itself is a nice facility with plenty of parking in the rear. As far as hosting an event, you do not have to worry about parking or ticketing or safety of your guests vehicles.
2. Quality tables and chairs are provided specifically chiavari chairs which are the most elegant for an upscale event or function.
3. China, flatware, glassware and toasting flutes are very nice.
4. Venue has two ballrooms that are sound proof and each have their own entranceway.
5. Rooms come with A/​V equipment though the smaller room’s A/​V projector was broken so I was unable to use it for my function.
6. The venue allows you to bring in your own food and beverages (non-​alcoholic) with no restrictions. My party planner called over 30 venues before settling on this because they allowed us to bring in our own catering and beverages (non-​alcoholic) with no stipulations.
7. If you are looking to host an event in which the venue provides elegant tables, chairs, china/​flatware/​glassware/​toasting flutes and linens and napkins then, this place was the most reasonable to accomodate that request in the Mercer County Area.
The BAD:
1. Package deals offered for those who wish to bring in their own food seem like a great idea at first until you realize that they want to haggle and nickle and dime you for everything.
2. They seem to have a huge liability issue when it comes to safety and alcohol. I say this because the banquet manager seemed extremely concerned about my guests bringing in bottles into their facility and us wanting to serve a specialty drink with some alcohol for my party. It would have been better that this concern be explained versus the constant reminder and concern about alcohol being brought into the facility. I believe that they do not have a liquor license which makes more sense to me now why they wanted me to pay a $ 350 bartender fee to serve alcohol that I would have to purchase and provide as well.
3. They offer two packages for you if you want to bring your own food and beverages. The first package does not give you soda, cover the cake cutting fee, or provide coffee and tea service. The second package offers all of that. What was failed to mention was that if you decide not to choose the second package they will not allow you to have someone in your party (in my case it was my friend who made the specialty cake) cut the cake in the kitchen becase of safety issues (liability again). After some conversation, the banquet manager allowed my friend and my party planner access to the kitchen to cut the cake with her monitoring her every move but intially we were told that no one but staff was allowed in the kitchen. If I had known the cake cutting would have been such an issue, I would have opted to pay for the second option and allow them to cut the cake instead.
4. Banquet Manager seemed to be very concerned with costs to heat the room we were utilizing so much so that my mom was told to leave the door closed and to unload all items which included food on the floor outside. Most venues that I’ve worked with before allow you time to unload and don’t hassle you about heating costs or doors being opened while transporting items in from your vehicle with no stipulations.

Manager was over involved in every aspect of operations after repeatedly being asked to step aside. Manager seemed to be more concerned with trying to charge for items or request that are normally apart of a typical facility rental, than ensuring that the night was special.
After renting the facility here are some of the issues that were encountered:
1hr early entry for decorations: $ 200
Use of projector in the room that normally comes with the room (she would not allow us to operate it with remote or without her to say the least) $ 200
Air conditioner inadequate for the space
Food to feed 160 guest (which could only be catered by the Rose Garden)
Appetizers consisted of wings. saltine crackers, veg tray (which ran out every 10 guest that went through the line) The worse of all was the main dish: cold mac& cheese, rice, boiled chicken.
And to top it off the staff were some of the rudest people I have ever meet. I would not recommend this place or any facility that is associated with the Rose Garden. Beware.