Drago Catering & Special Events

I haven’t eaten anything created by Drago, nor will I, based simply on principle alone for the manner in which they conduct their catering business. Having recently been anointed as the «exclusive caterer» to the Petersen Museum, they have glommed onto an agreement we signed with the Petersen back in April of this year (when they WEREN’T the exclusive caterer) and have presented us with a gorgeously extravagant charge to simply host a CASH bar. How much, you ask? Hang on!
Cash bar for 140 guests: James Bond Cocktail @ $ 7.00 ea. = $ 980-​, 36 bottles of red & White wine @ $ 18– per bottle =$ 648-​, Front of House Labor: 1 Manager & 2 Bartenders @ $ 748-​, Subtotal of Beverage & Labor Costs = $ 2,412. Other Items: Ice @ $ 250-​, Rentals — Bar Linens & Glassware (estimate) $ 1,500 — Subtotal of Beverage, Labor & Other items $ 4,162-,
18% Administrative Coordination charge $ 749.16 Lot, BUYOUT FEE — Level 2 with level 3 at no charge — $ 4,800.00, 18% BUYOUT FEE Coordination Charge — $ 864-​. Grand Total $ 10,575.16 + $ 442– Tax = $ 11,017.16.
So, the first half of the quote doesn’t seem too out of line, but, seriously $ 1,500 for linen and glass rentals? Plus, what is the BUYOUT CHARGE, you ask? Well, because Drago is the exclusive caterer, we’ll need to give them $ 4,800– (plus essentially a gratuity of $ 864-​) to simply walk away from providing the food. You see, we had entered a contract with our own caterer to provide food service back in May of this year when the Petersen told us we could use whomever we pleased. So, though no fault of our own, we’re stuck with two caterers. Rather than having enough class and dignity to simply walk away from this event, Drago is fighting tooth and nail to «get what’s coming to ‘em». Sad, pathetic, and desperate really. Fortunately, we are not alone. Other prospective event planners at the Petersen are raising a rather loud voice to stop this madness.
In summary, I am incredibly disappointed in the leadership and staff of the Petersen. I’ve hosted three events at the Petersen over the past seven years which were a great success. My company has been planning this event with the event coordinator since April of this year, which was to be held in February of 2016. Unfortunately, the museum just entered into this exclusive catering agreement with Drago Events Catering, who sees nothing wrong with gouging potential Petersen clients for food service. I am not making this up: $ 11,017.16 for a CASH bar for 140 guests. That means for the privilege of having our guests purchase $ 7.00 drinks, we’ll have to cough up $ 11 grand. That little catering bill is almost as much as the Petersen charges for the exclusive use of the space. I left a message for the President & CEO of the Petersen, but alas, no return call yet. Fortunately, Sony Studios backlot is available if we can’t get this resolved. If I do hear from the Petersen, or if Drago changes their draconian behaviors, I’ll re-​evaluate my review. Until then, I’ll admit that the recent museum remodel came at a significant cost, which the Petersen needs to recoup. .. I just didn’t think they try to recapture those costs during the first month of operation!