Small Potatoes Catering & Events

Enjoying the delicious catering of Small Potatoes at the Solid Conference in SF. Everything tastes like it was made with love. And presented beautifully. I grabbed a card to use them in the future.

My HUSBAND (still getting used to that) and I hired Small Potatoes for our wedding and we could not be happier.
Our event was perfection and we had an abundance of food and great service.
Our even manager Moe was AMAZING and gave me, my husband, and our family so much personal attention, going far beyond what he needed to do.
The process of picking a caterer was difficult. We interviewed a few and found that the follow up after the interview was awful. Small Potatoes was on point and took care of everything.
No brainer, I would use them for any event in the future and YOU SHOULD TOO!

Loved Small Potatoes, and according to my guests – and how fast the food disappeared – they did, too. We had a pretty large wedding – 175 people – in an outside venue. We wanted to do things differently to make sure people would mingle and there would be no lining up at buffet tables. We also wanted something tasteful but reflective of us and our tastes. We interviewed several caterers, and in the end we liked the people we would be working with at Small Potatoes, and we appreciated their professionalism and follow-​through. The event went off without a hitch; last minute changes in numbers but also in some of the logistics were accommodated, and the woman who was on the ground, making sure the event followed the time line, Michelle, was fabulous. She somehow managed to inobtrusively but effectively keep the event on track. There were several unconventional elements to the event, and our focus was on a long social hour following the ceremony. The servers kept everyone in food and drink; the seafood buffet was gorgeous, delicious and unique (oyster shooters, salmon sliders, lobster bisque!) and the placement and decoration of tables and chairs was perfect. It’s tough to make this decision for a major event, for the food but also the event management is so key to the overall success. We are very happy with our choice!

We would overwhelmingly recommend Small Potatoes catering to anyone planning a wedding or other large gathering! From the initial meeting to our actual wedding day, Small Potatoes delivered a level of customer service that was invaluable to the success of our event.
We initially met with Elaine and Vanessa just to gather some information about their organization, but were immediately taken back by their incredible knowledge of the innumerable details of weddings that we had never considered. Our initial one hour meeting with Small Potatoes answered more questions and provided more structure to our wedding then the previous four months of planning. From that point forward, the Tiny Spuds team maintained a steady flow of communication and ideas that ultimately guided us through the stress and details of planning the look and feel of the wedding day. On the actual day of the wedding we arrived at our location to find that the attitude, helpfulness, and professionalism of their whole event staff exactly mirrored our experience with Elaine and Vanessa. The team was incredibly nice, and went far above and beyond the call of duty on numerous occasions throughout the day; this included pulling two pregnant guests out of the buffet line and bringing prepared plates to their tables. And the food: ABSOLUTLY INCREDIBLE! We had at least two dozen guests come up and tell us that it was the best food they had ever had at a wedding, and we completely agree with that sentiment.
Overall, our experience with Small Potatoes from our first meeting through the end of our wedding day was first class! Their help and guidance through the wedding planning process was second to none, and on top of all of that, they cooked up a meal that is still being talked about at family gatherings. Thanks again for everything Small Potatoes!

I can not say enough about this company…
I am the Event Coordinator at a small venue downtown and I just finished an event in our space which was catered by Small Potatoes. It was my first time working with this company and it for was a wedding reception, which had a buffet-​style seated dinner followed by a cocktail party with dancing. Seems straight forward, but our venue is unique in the sense that it is very petite and every square-​inch and moment counts when you have 85 guests filling the rooms.
When the Catering Manager, Peter, arrived I could tell that he would be on top of it. He greeted my with a humble attitude and I explained to him that I was in a meeting with a group from another wedding. He quickly assured me that he and his team were self-​sufficient and even took over hanging lights for me since I was pretty busy. He kept to his word, he began to do everything himself (laying linens, moving tables, buzzing his staff into the venue.) with absolutely no issues and a smile on his face. He really made me feel like this night would be smooth sailing with he and his team on hand.
After an extensive set-​up with many vendors, S.P. served an AMAZING meal which the super-​nice chef’s had prepared and the entire team was on point when it came to bussing, taking care of each guest personally, and keeping tabs on the Bride and Groom like no other catering company that I have witnessed.
Now, here is the best part of all– Earlier I had explained to his team and our bar staff that there would be a flip of the room. This entailed turning the once long king-​style seating for 85 into a cleared room with only 6 cabaret tables and a giant dance floor all with zero noise (since the venue has two rooms connected by an open doorway). The team and Peter all shared the same «can-​do’ attitude as I did, which was a relief and I cannot stress enough how efficient this team was.
In a matter on 15 minutes the two long rows of tables and chairs were whisked away, along with silverware, flatware, glassware, and linens… all SILENTLY! The guests in the other room had no disturbance of this flip while giving speehes and toasting (and if you appreciate efficiency at all let me just tell you this part was seamless). Everything was removed to the basement and transformed into a cocktail reception in enough time for the bride and groom to take their first dance in peace.
I could go on further about how pleasant and joyful Small Potatoes staff was… They truly enjoyed their jobs and I know it was a trickle-​down of how passionate Peter was/​is. He and his team were so great I plan to recommend them to every person who is looking for catering until i can get them back in my venue again!
They made me feel so comfortable and like anything was possible. LOVE THEM!

Well I have to say that I am impressed with Small Potatoes. I went to an event last week that they catered and I was blown away. The food was top notch and the service was fantastic. I loved the sliders kobe beef and a pork were my fav. They had this great cheese and vege plate set on a piece of slate, very clever. I heard they have a new chef and he is doing his job. Mike the owner was on site to ensure that the party went off with out a hitch.
I would recommend them hands down and will use them next time I need a caterer

I have attended 2 events at the Cartoon Museum in San Francisco this year and both times the excellent mouth watering delicious gourmet dishes were catered by the same talented friendly company Small Potatoes Catering & Events !
I had the delightful pleasure of meeting the owners Michael & Elaine Jennings and their beautiful smiling assistant of French descent Jennifer Shortridge who was a super duper hardworking sweet caring person making sure everything was in tip top shape for all the guest at the party including me !
Folks after sampling twice all their delicious appetizers, especially their artistic sliders, Shih kababs and Mediterranean vegetable dishes I am absolutely convinced that this is my favorite Catering Company in the entire San Francisco Bay Area !

I wish I could put a 4.5 star or even 4.75.
I am an event planner and have worked with these caterers many times and really like them! Michael and Elaine are a great team and their staff is great as well. They are the type of caterers that you can hire and know that everything will be taken care of, you don’t need to be checking in with them constantly during your event. They add lovely little touches like flowers around the food and always come to do a walk through beforehand with you. Their food is great and they are very flexible (I generally have very picky eaters!).
I would highly recommend them. The only reason I can’t give them 5 stars is because they do tend to take a bit of time getting back to you on proposals or requests. But I would say that is because they are getting to be so popular that they have a lot of business which is great for them!

Small Potatoes catered our wedding in September at 1 Fort Mason. The only reason why they got 4 stars instead of 5 was because the fish at our wedding was way, way undercooked! Luckily, the meat option, which is what most people had anyways, was PHENOMENAL, as were all of the appetizers.
Elaine was great to work with and she definitely won us over at our tasting. I just wish they hadn’t undercooked the fish, but like I said, everything else was executed so flawlessly that overall I would still recommend them.

Small Potatoes Catering were our caterer for our wedding and blew us away! It was very important to us that we had fantastic food at our wedding and Small Potatoes delivered excellence! They also acted as our on site event coordinator. It was extremely helpful that those two responsibilities were in on vendor. We worked with Elaine, Michael, and Liz, and were extremely easy to work with. They were very friendly and welcoming. They accommodated all of our requests and all of our needed rentals. Throughout the time we worked together they were always really organized, professional, timely, and have great attention to detail. Elaine and Liz triple checked to make sure that we had everything we needed days before the wedding, so the day of the wedding everything was seamless.
The food was delicious and all of our guests walked away full! They use quality ingredients and have creative twists in traditions meals. Everything was wonderful, well prepared, and had fantastic presentation! It’s clear Michael and Elaine are passionate about what they do.
Small Potatoes kept our wedding on schedule without rushing the event. Their wait staff was equally as professionally and friendly. They made all of our guests feel welcome.
I am so glad that we choose Small Potatoes Catering for our wedding! They executed our wedding perfectly — better than what I could have imagined! It was my dream wedding and Small Potatoes made my dream come true!

My husband and I were so lucky to work with Small Potatoes for our wedding, which occured at the end of August. We had looked at a few other companies before moving forward with SPC. The reasons they won our business were that they are a small, family-​owned company, they responded extremely well to our budget, and were incredibly flexible and personable to work with. They sat with us and listened to our vision of what we wanted our special day to look like, and crafted a menu that was perfect.
We knew we wanted a more cocktail-​party atmosphere for our wedding. Some other companies were not so hot on that idea, but SPC jumped to the challenge. We couldn’t be happier with the result. They also helped us with our bar service, and the bartender they provided us with was pleasant, friendly, and efficient.
Highly recommended! Especially if you have a «non-​traditional» wedding, or other event, for which you want tasty food, prepared lovingly.

We hired SPC for our wedding this past June. Not only were they a lot of fun to work with, but the food and execution was phenomenal. We had a unique idea for the food service at our reception, and SPC was on-​board immediately. They took our rough ideas and crafted a menu that our friends and family are still raving about. They even made sure that we had little boxes of leftovers to take with us after the reception (since we didn’t get much to eat during the reception).
In regards to some of the other reviews, they are a small company and do not have a dedicated office staff. That said, everyone there was involved in and excited to be a part of our event, which, as noted above, went fantastically. We would definitely recommend SPC.

We had our wedding at Bimbo’s last month and were thrilled with the food Mike, Elaine and their crew prepared for our guests. They were fun to work with through the whole process (and we first met a year before the wedding) and honored our wishes to have locally sourced and seasonal food. They didn’t judge when we requested foregoing the wedding cake and having a dessert buffet. They accommodated us for lovely tastings and always greeted us with humor and respect. Small potatoes is a great local business and I can attest to their ability to handle a 165 person wedding, including passed apps, and their willingness to accommodate all vendors graciously, and adjust to meet particular last minute needs (gluten free guests). Everyone was happy and well fed, including us.

Michael & Elaine Jennings are for the most part a dream to work with. The only small disconnect for me was how they reached out to me an insane amount of times while trying to win my business, and were then considerably slower on getting back to me once they had it. Not that my event suffered for it, but it was kind of a pain.
Aside from that, they are friendly, fun, and their food kicks ass. In the planning process they were happy to work with my budget and help me scale appropriately and their suggestions were fun and creative.
Onsite, I didn’t even have to talk to them — not a question of what about this, or can we please get some more of that.. .. everything was just as it should be. Their staff was friendly and unobtrusive as well. Highly recommended!

My company just hosted a 100 person cocktail party catered by Small Potatoes and we could not have been more pleased with the food, the service, the budget and the execution. If you’re looking for a caterer you’re making a big decision, you really don’t know what you’ll get — unless you look around for reviews. Trust me on this one — call them and get a bid, you will not be disappointed.
Michael is the charming owner and dealt with me personally through multiple menu tweaks and our budget woes with nary a whimper. The night of the event his team was there right on time and ready to rock. But us? Well. not so much. We had planned on getting drop off — buffet style but realized at the last minute that we should have the food passed, just to make sure we had enough to go around in case more guests showed up. Michael — seemingly out of thin air — brought in a staff of waiters who were great with the crowd and very profesh. Like magic — with Michael’s help we pulled it off and everyone loved the food.
He’s also a great conversationalist, I found out that his business is family owned and operated (cool!) and that they also own a confectionery called Sweet on Church Street. We’ll definitely be using Small Potatoes for more events.

We requested bids from three caterers at the 11^th hour with a depression-​era budget. Two bids came back (with derisive laughter) several hundred dollars above our cost goal. Small Potatoes came back with by far the most appealing menu, dead-​on to our proposed budget. Two conversation with the very amiable Michael and I was completely at ease. We asked for a drop-​off, with no onsite service — they provided stunning garnished platters which we simply had to uncover. We made a few on-​the-​spot additional invites because Small Potatoes provided a heaping, generous buffet (everybody made more than one pass at the table). The food was unpretentious but wonderfully complex, with flavors and ingredients surprising and delightful. Michael made our party very, very special.

A guaranteed hit!
We hired Small Potatoes to cater our company BBQ, which was held in a park in Sausalito. Let’s just say there were a number of factors that could have resulted in the best event of the year to a spectacular failure; the food was a big contributor to this. Fortunately, Small Potatoes came through with an outstanding offering from start to finish.
First and most importantly, the food: we ordered a variety of starters (pasta and potato salad, nachos and dip, veggies) which could have been very generic, but SP made them seem glamorous. The veggies turned out to be fresh tomatoes stuffed with corn and blue berries. The pasta salad had really unique tube pasta and black sesame seeds. We also had BBQ — they brought a huge grill and served up some of the most delicious ribs I have had in a long time. Afterwards they confided that the secret is a special banana ketchup they use in the base. Also on the menu were cheeseburger sliders, which people were still raving about 4 days later.
Another huge plus was their attention to detail, great organization skills and willingness to be flexible. We asked them to bring extra tables less than 48 hours before hand and they were able to accommodate us. They were on time, served everything when they said they would, and handled all the clean up. Further, every staff member was friendly, helpful and knowledgeable.
Overall, I would highly recommend using Small Potatoes for any catered event. I will definitely use them again.

My old boss recommended Small Potatoes to me to cater our wedding reception. I think what really tipped Michael and Elaine over the top in our eyes was the sample dinner Michael dropped off at our place a month before the wedding so we could taste what we had chosen for the menu (ground merguez in phyllo dough, California rolls, tomato/​basil tarts, poached salmon with mustard sauce, grilled veggies, triple gingered carrots, roast veggies, and three cheese pasta.) They were so easy and fun to work with and all of our guests thought the food was tasty. Their staff was excellent — totally in control of the chaos around them. And, their prices were reasonable!

My fiancé and I (and really it was Sara’s mom) hired Small Potatoes to cater our house warming party. It took them about a week to understand the concept we were pitching to them… not their usual staffed catered events, but one where they prepare a set amount of food, drop it off, and then pick it up at the end of the event.
Small Potatoes arrived exactly when they said they would, and dropped off some AWESOME food. Salmon, tri-​tip, pasta, potato salad. mmmmmmmm good

I have not had the fortune to hire a caterer for an event, literally. I am flush with karmic fortune, but the kind used to throw soirees — not so much. When I do, I’ll be giving Small Potatoes a call.
At a recent benefit in the city, Small Potatoes was one of the contributing vendors, much to our delight. I only sampled two of their offerings: Duck Confit Tacos and Tikka Tikka Shrimp Tostadas. The duck was divine, complimented by sweet cabbage and a dab of rich sauce. The shrimp tostadas were bite-​sized stacks of shrimp and goodness that make you close your eyes and smile with your mouth full. They also threw down a massive spread at last year’s SF Teachers’ Night at the Presidio.
If someone gave these out at Halloween, I’d bring a suitcase load of costumes to change through with imminent doorbell damage.
Fortunately, no costumes were necessary, as their gracious representative pretended not to notice my endless attempts to invent new excuses for absconding more treats from his table.
Finally, I gave up and just said «These are so good, I can’t stop!» He just smiled and gave me his card. Yes! They’re two blocks from my house. Trick or Treat!
+1 star for the coolest catering logo, ever.