Il Fornaio Catering and Events

Just had a work reception on the patio at IL Fornaio on Monday night. Setting was perfect for our group and the food was wonderful!!! Some of the best customer service around… big shout out to Sami, Cody and Suzanne! They took care of everyone all night and went above and beyond at every turn! Mary was so helpful with planning everything down to the last detail. Couldn’t ask for a better event!

Bad service. Called the restaurant and spoke to a very rude staff on the phone re: inquiry on Christmas Company Party reservation. This person was unaccommodating and wasted my time. She took my email to send me their Christmas menu, and it’s been over a week now, and I still have not received it. Unreliable. Poor service. Will not recommend.

Il Fornaio had been a restaurant where we celebrated special occasions and enjoyed happy hour on a regular basis with friends. We had a very poor experience there last Christmas Eve. The waiter was inexperienced and he was overwhelmed by the number of people he was attempting to serve. Our food was substandard. My husband was brought the incorrect entrée but chose to not create a huge upset for our large party. He later wrote a letter so they could learn and improve.
Last Friday night we decided to try happy hour again. It was a huge disappointment and we have vowed not to bother with this establishment again. Five of us arrived at 5 and the bar was completely full. We asked the hostess if we could sit in the restaurant and have appetizers. She advised us that would only be possible if we paid the full price, not the happy hour costs. After discussing the option with our friends we agreed to sit in the restaurant and pay full price.
When we asked to be seated… she refused to seat us as she did NOT HAVE A TABLE FOR US, EVEN THOUGH THE RESTAURANT WAS ¾ EMPTY. THE HOSTESS WAS CURT AND CONDESCENDING. We ended up leaving and going to another restaurant.
PLEASE SAVE YOUR MONEY FOR A RESTAURANT THAT TREATS THEIR PATRONS WITH AN ATTITUDE THAT DISPLAYS APPRECIATION RATHER THAN DISDAIN.

I feel so fortunate to have chosen Il Fornaio for my sister’s baby shower. They exceeded my expectations every step of the way, and in doing so they created a truly special, memorable event for my family and friends.
Setting up the event was a smooth and easy process; Mary was very accessible and documented and implemented every request, no matter how small. She recommended the patio — and while I was uncertain whether this would work for mid-​February, the space was incredible. It’s fully enclosed, has potted flowers throughout, looks out upon the fountains, has great light, a beautiful fireplace, and is significantly wider than the loggia. It was just a beautiful. We were able to bring our own flowers, favors, and dessert with no fees or downside… I wish my wedding had been so easy to plan! :)
For the set-​up, we arrived 15 minutes earlier than we’d indicated, but everything was already prepared. They accommodated last-​minute requests (moving seats, etc.) immediately, and presented the cupcakes we’d brought professionally in a way that complimented upon the colors we were using. The easel we’d brought didn’t support a display, and — before I could even ask for help — they quickly brought out poster board, mounted and secured it beautifully.
At certain times they checked on whether to open another bottle of champagne or structure the timing — all with great discretion. Their flexibility with changes in the plans was much appreciated. At another point, we realized my young cousin couldn’t eat the dessert we’d brought because it contained nuts. In what seemed like under a minute, they’d brought out a sundae just for her.
The most amazing part is that the aspects of a shower that are usually cumbersome — opening gifts and loading them into the car — were facilitated with great effectiveness and speed by the staff. They helped bring over presents, discarded the wrappings, packed the gifts efficiently and even helped us bring the huge load of bulky baby gear over to the cars. No detail was unattended.
Refreshingly, there were no surprises with the bill and everything was explained clearly. I am so thankful to the staff at Il Fornaio for making my sister’s shower a truly special day for her and highly recommend them!

My parent’s went all out and invited about 35 – 40 people for our engagement party and thought Il Fornaio was the perfect place to host the party (they love Il Fornaio!) The space is made to accommodate different size your party due to movable walls, so this time our party was in a much larger space.
We did the «heavy appetizers» instead of a sit down dinner which made mingling much easier. The service was impeccable and they continued to walk around and refresh the wine, beer and food the entire three hours.
The food was very good especially the pizza and the stuffed mushroom tops. This is such a beautiful space to have a private event in and the waitress and waiter were really helpful and accommodating for our guests.

If anyone is looking for a restaurant for a private party, IL Fornia will usually provide reasonable accommodations and a private room. And I have had fairly good experiences at private bashes held at both Burlingame and Palo Alto locations. However, this time we had to organize a family dinner in Sacramento area because most of our family lives up there. And it wasn’t easy.
It took months of preparation. First I called several restaurants and picked the Sacramento/​Capital IL Fornia location, but the banquet coordinator at that location was responding sporadically and ended up giving our room away to someone who works at IL Fornia. I was shocked and couldn’t believe it.
So, my husband who is more patient, tried the Roseville location and we ended up with a much better experience. And it’s all because of ‘Meredith’ the Banquet Coordinator who was a true ‘professional’. She was upbeat and helpful with the menu. She accommodated our needs from the moment we started working with her and all through the evening. She had individual menus printed for each of our guests and a completely different one for the children so that they can play with the crayons. I would say she is the best Banquet manager I have worked with so far and I have organized quite a few personal and corporate parties… Meredith was customer service oriented and sensitive to our needs. the two waitresses that were designated for our event, also provided us with excellent service.
Let’s not forget the food was great and plenty for our guests.