South San Francisco Municipal Social Hall

I just cannot get over the rude customer service and the lack of professionalism at this facility. The manager on site, Mike, was completely polite during this process and this review is not against him by any means.
We decided to book the Municipal Social Hall for a pre-​wedding event. This clearly was not a common event that occurred here so there were many questions of clarification from the facility in the process. By no means was I upset about this. I was actually delighted that they wanted what was best for my event. We booked this facility because it was in the peninsula, allowed you to bring in an outside caterer, and had the ability to host a party until midnight. We later learned that alcohol had to be out the door by 11 PM and music had to be off by 11:30. For an Indian festivity, this is a huge deal. We later learned that candles are not allowed in this facility. Fine. We can live without candles and having our party end earlier.
The most surprising fact was the inability to use a ladder or EVEN STEP ON A CHAIR to put up high decorations. We worked with establish companies who work in many esteemed venues and have the proper equipment needed for putting up decoration without damaging the property and putting the venue back to normal. After numerous attempts in trying to explain this to the facilities coordinator, Devin, we were still shut down. I personally had to pay a large sum extra to my rental company to find a way to get my backdrop up without the use of a chair or a ladder.
While all of the above is facility rules and not a HUGE deal, what struck out the most is the amount of disrespect that was actually given when setting up. Devin was quite rude to the rental company during set up. And even worse, as we were cleaning and trying to get our guests out of the facility, Devin called my mom and specifically said «IF YOU DO NOT GET YOUR GUESTS OUT RIGHT NOW, I’M GOING TO COME DOWN THERE AND GET THEM OUT MYSELF». Really, dude? Come on. My mother was doing the best she could but your threats do not help the situation. You act like we didn’t pay for this venue or do our best to accommodate your incredibly stupid rules and regulations. Lastly, to even think about raising your voice to a client like they are a child is beyond immature.
There are many more options in the Peninsula that are comparable in price. If I was to do it all over again, I would consider not even having my event if this was the only venue choice I have. Great job South San Francisco!

hello i had my wedding there on 11÷11÷11 it was a bad place to be that day the place is nice but the staff was so bad first i could not get in on time, the staff was locking the doors to the reception hall as i was trying to set up, then i could not find staff any were when its was time to open the doors they can out with eyes red like they was sleeping, staff list to the cook i hired like she was having her wedding and to top it off when it was over my wedding party thing was locked in a room for an hour before the sorry staff pop up saying im sorry. the so called security guard was a lil old guy he was taken the wedding favors he went to sleep at the main entrance 33 arroyo is not the place to have your event if you want it to go smooth i’m the groom talking wait to here from my wife i give them no stars maybe one for the big room
bad staffing, bad security,

Had my family reunion dinner party here last week. We had it indoors so the venue was just a big room, very basic. At least it was clean and the attached kitchen was adequate (big burners, huge fridge/​freezer).
For a no frills party, I guess this place is ok.

i have 100% completely agree with theresa m. i thought i may have been a little harsh in my judging but after reading her review i’m right on board. and this review is specifically about john wong as well.
the hall it self is a 4.5 stars. its beautiful. hardwood floors. clean. they have tables and bars and stages. really nice set up except that its not meant for wedding obviously so there is no separate bride room which is fine, but other than that it gets an A.
i also considered my wedding at this location and having to deal with john wong has been the most horendous wedding experience thus far. i can only agree word for word with what theresa m described in her post. and the words he used were more or less things he said to me. totally unaccomodating and tries to make everything seem impossible.

This review is based on an appointment I had with MR. JOHN WONG, Recreation and Community Services Supervisor at the Municipal Services Building on Arroyo Drive. The sit down was about renting the social hall for our stateside wedding reception.
He was a complete imbecile, who had no mouth filter of any sorts. He completely lacked all the social skills that are need to work with the public. He was offensive in his words and his demeanor. Here are some phrases taken from our conversation VERBATIM:
«I would be miserable if I was a guest at your party.»
«It is completely ridiculous.»
«I would be pissed if I was invited to your wedding. I would leave!»
«It is not a big deal to me, I can find another renter just like that.»
Not only was he offensive in his words, but he kept us waiting for 30 minutes! We finally sat in his office at 4:30, when our appointment was for 4:00. That is not acceptable.
Beware of this guy. It is unfortunate that you have to deal with this putz to rent the lovely and spacious social hall. For me, it’s not worth dealing with him.