Hearty Boys Catering

Amazing food. Made my large event spectacular. Will use again! Definitely catered to the theme of our event!

We had our wedding reception in May 2022 and our guests are still raving about the food! Our main goal for our wedding was to have amazing food - and Hearty Boys definitely delivered! We worked with Alyson and from the first meeting in 2019, we knew that it was a perfect match. They are personable, professional and highly organized. Hearty Boys stuck with us through multiple postponements of our wedding date due to COVID.

They were flexible, professional, and so reassuring through it all. Our reception finally came, and the day was flawless, food exquisite and better than we could have ever imagined. We are so happy we went with Hearty Boys! I wish we could get married every year so our paths could cross again :

Our inquiry.an over the phone meeting to discuss menu options.and 3 emails later.we were ghosted. Hard to believe but it's not the strangest thing experienced while searching for vendors for an avg sized wedding. Literally left waiting for a proposal. Wonder if people are having so many events right now that places just dont care if they miss opportunities?

We used Hearty Boys for our March 2022 wedding! I truly do not have enough positive words to shower this team with! We worked with Alyson Green and she was incredible! We ended up making a few changes after our tasting and with no trouble at all she made the adjustments. When I tell you people couldn't stop talking about our food, THEY COULD NOT STOP.

We selected a beef, salmon, and a farro dish all three of which were received incredibly well by guests! I was a little nervous about two guests with life threatening allergies but Alyson kindly and patiently walked me through their entire process for ensuring safety. Even creating my table assignments was simplified by Alyson and her team. It is extremely evident that they are a well oiled machine and handled everything perfectly. Additionally, day of my stomach was so nervous I wasn't able to eat my dinner.

She ensured that it was packed up so I could eat it later and she also brought me a drink to sooth my stomach! I would very highly recommend Hearty Boys and even more highly recommend Alyson Green!

We used Hearty Boys for our wedding and had the absolute best experience. My now-husband and I are huge foodies, so finding the right caterer was the decision that was the most important to us in wedding planning. First of all, Andy is amazing. I spoke to a lot of caterers, but could immediately tell that Hearty Boys was different. There was so much time & attention put to our tastes and preferences as a couple and they even built our suggested menu based off of one of our favorite restaurants in Chicago.

From the initial call to the tasting, we felt at ease at how much knowledge and expertise Andy and his team had. They are completely seasoned professionals at what they do. They were also very familiar with our venue and able to help us plan wedding day details (things we would have NEVER thought about!) to make cocktail hour and reception a perfect experience for our guests.

And the FOOD! I got so many compliments from guests saying that our menu was the best wedding food they've ever had, and we saw so many empty plates to back that up. The food was delicious and the team also went to great lengths to help us accommodate guests with dietary restrictions. The staff executed the cocktail and reception flawlessly and professionally, from set up to service to take down. Hire Hearty Boys - it will be the best decision you make!

We are so happy we hired Hearty Boys for our wedding at the Cultural Center! We worked with Andy and his assistant David to plan our special day. First and foremost, the food was DELICIOUS. We loved being able to work with Andy to curate our menu - we landed on an Italian buffet and everyone raved about the eggplant parm. Andy was extremely responsive, detail oriented, and professional.

He helped us select the perfect chairs, linens, and food presentation to complement our reception at the Chicago Cultural Center. On the wedding day, the venue looked beautiful, and the event ran smoothly with no issues. We had a large wedding (210 guests), and the staff got people through the buffet line quickly. In addition, there was NEVER a line at the bar (and I can assure you that people were drinking). I got so many compliments on the staff from my guests. Hire Hearty Boys for your next event - it will be spectacular and delicious!

We used Hearty Boys for our wedding catering and can't recommend them (and Andy) enough! Andy was so amazing to work with every step of the way - from spending an hour on the phone with us for initial exploration meetings to hosting us for the most beautiful, tasty and elegant tasting that made us feel so special and excited for the big day, to DELIVERING on our wedding day in every way he promised he would.

In my experience, wedding food can be so meh and I never remember my meal or think about it again, but we still have guests commenting on how good our food was and they RAVE about the short rib. Andy was so accommodating to our needs, going above and beyond offering lots of tips from his experience (and he's transparent in telling you what's worth the extra investment and what to pass on).

He became more like a friend and confidante throughout the whole process. Seriously, we are just shy of starting an Andy fan club :) You really can't go wrong with using Hearty Boys for your wedding catering!

I work at Room 1520 and Hearty Boys is one of our preferred caterers. This past weekend we have a wedding that they catered and I can't give enough stars to this caterer. Alyson was very professional and on top of her game to make sure everything was set up and the timeline was strictly followed. The food was perfect and the staff was amazing. I have to spend a special shout out to Liberty, their lead, for her amazing execution throughout the day. Liberty was fantastic to work with and very helpful with the execution of the event.

I truly enjoyed working with the entire staff and they really made the day that much easier for me as the venue manager. Everything was perfect and I could not have done it without this team. I highly recommend Hearty Boys as your caterer for any event you need to host.

Due to Covid restrictions in Australia, my friend is unable to come home for her wedding that was planned for December 2022, so she unfortunately had to cancel her ceremony and reception. Hearty Boys Caterers was supposed to provide the food for the reception, and kept $6,000 of payment as a "deposit." I understand them keeping $1000 or so, but given the fact that the service was supposed to be provided over a year out from now, this is extremely unreasonable.

My friend asked if they could have $6000 worth of food to be donated to a shelter on Christmas and they refused. In addition, she requested that they provide $6000 worth of food and service on the original date for a smaller party. Again, they refused. This is absolutely ridiculous and I do NOT recommend Hearty Boys Catering.

We choose Hearty Boys as our caterer for our wedding due to the food! The salmon wellington was just as good as we remembered at our tasting, the quinoa not as much. Everything else - the appetizers, the coordination, the organization, was all on point thanks to Alyson's hard work. The reason I am not giving 5 stars: Unfortunately, there was a clause in our contract saying that the price of food would increase if the guest count dropped below a certain amount.

This was not a minor price increase but a 20-30% increase -- so it would be just expensive to cater food for 90 people as it would be for 110. Obviously we were not expecting so many guests to drop out due to the pandemic and I tried to get them to budge on this item but they would not. Our guest count dropped to around 75 as Delta hit -- luckily they agreed to make the same amount of food for a 115 person wedding (we were originally expecting 140-150) and work with us to arrange a drop off at a local food shelter. But given how expensive the contract and the pandemic, it would have been nice to have had some flexibility on this clause.

From the moment I met with Alyson, I knew she was much more than a caterer. Her kindness, organization, and attention to detail were so appreciated for and on our wedding day. As a wedding photographer, I've had the opportunity to work with many caterers over the years and The Hearty Boys is always a great experience! Their food was delicious and we got received many compliments on the dishes at our wedding! I highly recommend The Hearty Boys! Thank you so much!

Absolutely the best. from the gorgeous charcuterie table, to the delightful passed hors d'oeuvres to the delicious dinner nothing could have been better. Incredibly presented - delicious food - professionally served.

If you want the most delicious, beautifully plated wedding food of your life, look no further than Hearty Boys. From day one of planning, this team was on top of it. Alyson went above and beyond throughout the entire journey (which was a long one, thanks to a COVID reschedule!) to answer our questions, offer suggestions and most importantly make us feel relaxed on our big day.

Her day-of coordination assistance was a life saver. I cannot thank her enough for all of her support. The on-site service staff was quick, efficient and polite. Everything seemed to run so smoothly thanks to them. And then there's the food. Even weeks after the wedding, we still have guests telling us it was the best wedding food they've ever had, and we couldn't agree more.

I would highly recommend Hearty Boys to any Chicagoland couple who appreciates a really good meal and wants to work with an A+ team. Thank you to the entire crew for making our wedding day a delicious success!

Thank you Hearty Boys for an amazing catering experience from start to finish! When I first started talking to Alyson, our catering manager, it was clear that she knew what she was doing. She promptly provided us with an extremely thorough proposal, and sent us a large menu of items to choose from. She then helped us narrow down that list to several items for our tasting.

After several postponements due to Covid, and lots of emailing back and forth with Alyson, we were so happy when the tasting was finally scheduled and we were able to meet Alyson in person. She was kind, genuine, funny, and a master of her trade. The food was delicious, and we left our tasting knowing that Hearty Boys was the caterer for us, and knowing that our guests would not be disappointed.

Throughout the course of almost two years, Alyson helped guide my decisions around timing for the day, linen selections, and more. I knew that nothing would go wrong with her and her team in tow, and it did not. The food, presentation, and flow of the evening were all perfect. Our guests loved the food and the service, and we were delighted that Hearty Boys went out of their way to provide us with a server of our own, who brought us a plate of appetizers and our signature drinks to the bridal suite, kept drinks in our hands the entire evening, and delivered a slice of each flavor of wedding cake to our places when cake was served. Hearty Boys was recommended to us by our friends who got married several months before us. Both our friends' wedding and ours were truly perfect. I would recommend Hearty Boys and Alyson time and time again!

Working with the Hearty Boys team was a GREAT experience. Andy was attentive and wonderful to work with. Being a Covid couple, we went from a seated 230 person wedding, to a small intimate 50 person wedding, to a 100 person cocktail style and food station wedding. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way! Andy and David were super flexible and accommodating to all of our changes along the way and we could not be more happy with how everything turned out!

The guests LOVED the food stations and the dessert table. My favorite comment I received from a friend was that they loved the ability to "roam around and eat." After being a Covid couple and going through all the ups and downs the last year and a half has thrown our way, I'm extremely pleased with how our experience with Hearty Boys turned out for our special day!

Alyson and the Hearty Boys Team have far exceeded our expectations. Our guests still have not stopped gushing over the food and sharing with us that it was the BEST service and food they have ever had. Not even the best food at a wedding, like the best food they have ever had. We are all just really in awe. Hearty Boys staff was beyond kind, attentive, and everything just went seamlessly.

All staff were phenomenal, but I would especially like to point out one person who we received dozens of compliments on. I'm sorry I don't know his name (we never physically made it to the bar - everything was brought to us) :). Many guests referred to him as the "long haired, Venezuelan Bartender" :) Apparently he blew people away with his kindness and the love he put into crafting the perfect cocktails for our guests. Hiring Hearty Boys was easily the best decision we made. I'm beyond overwhelmed by how perfect the day was, and we recognize Alyson and her team played a huge part in that.

I cannot thank them enough for not even just their services, but being supportive the whole way through. The pandemic really took a toll on all of us, and their patience, attentiveness, and understanding will be remembered forever. I (sorta) wish we had another party to plan, because I would love to relive the best dinner we've ever had! Forever grateful, Susan & Joe

Hearty Boys took to our menu prompt - Jewish / Southern fusion - with aplomb, crafting a uniquely delicious menu that effortlessly combined the flavors of our respective backgrounds into a delicious and cohesive whole (Sephardic brisket and hushpuppies, YES PLEASE). Alyson was communicative, thorough, and helpful every step of the way, and we felt well taken care of during the entire planning process - a huge relief considering how important food is to a successful wedding!

On the day, Hearty Boys' preparation, service, and professionalism helped ensure that we were well-fed and happy the entire night, and their staff displayed a consistent attention to our needs and those of our guests. Absolutely a joy to work with.

Hearty Boys catered and coordinated our 200+ person wedding approximately 2 weeks ago, and it was absolutely phenomenal. We worked closely with Andy Root, who is nothing short of a superstar. He helped us navigate a COVID-related reschedule (twice!), with enormous grace and expertise. Throughout the process, Andy guided us through everything - tastings, linen selection, tablescapes, etc. Honestly, partway through the process my Mom and I exclaimed to each other that Andy was essentially a part-time wedding planner!

The day of our wedding was nothing short of magical. Andy worked closely with our planner, floral, and venue to ensure that everything was seamless. The food, service, and decor was truly impeccable and everything that we had discussed. People continue to rave to us about how amazing the food was, how courteous and on top of it the servers were, and how beautiful the tablescapes turned out. Hearty Boys is truly the best - my family and I are so grateful!

Smith, their owner is a SLEAZE bag! He kept our deposit ($5,333) for a 7/3/20 wedding where EVERYTHING shut down in Chicago due to COVID. He was the ONLY vendor that NEVER paid the money back. I going legal and reported his company to the BBB. TOO bad because the food was good, BUT if your going to get screwed it's not worth it!

We ordered in during this pandemic Thanksgiving this year and were very excited about Hearty Boys Thanksgiving. We ordered the pre-brined turkey, scalloped potatoes, bourbon sweet mashed potatoes which came with all the toppers, maccaroni and cheese, green bean casserole, cheddar biscuits, and butternut squash soup. Everything was absolutely delicious.

We were very pleased with the excellent packaging preparation, flavors, and how the leftovers heated up for up to a week afterwards. Ordering from them for Thanksgiving was one of the best decisions we ever made food-wise.

Hearty Boys catered our Aug. 21st wedding and we couldn't have been happier with the outcome! Because of the times, we had to take extra precautions in how we served food to ensure everyone stayed as safe as possible. Hearty Boys went above and beyond to deliver delicious food in a very safe and effective manner. Bento boxes were ready for our guests to enjoy as soon as the ceremony was over and everyone loved the food! Great quality, quick to respond, and very professional. We highly recommend their services.

We signed a contract with Hearty Boys Caterers Inc. on 10/16/19 to cater our daughter's wedding scheduled for 7/11/20. The wedding was planned for 120 guests. Along with the signed contract, we had to give them a deposit of $5,544 which represented 1/3 of the contract total. On 2/21/20, the contract required a second payment of $5,544, another 1/3 of the total.

In retrospect, we should have questioned such large deposit requirements. In mid-March, the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a national emergency and lockdowns began which closed all indoor dining facilities and prohibited social gatherings. As time went on, it became clear that the original wedding planned for 120 guests on July 11th could not take place. Unfortunately, this happened to many couples during 2020. However, my daughter's situation had an additional wrinkle.

She was beginning a 2-year work assignment in Switzerland on October 1st and for her fiance to obtain a visa to accompany her, they had to be married. Consequently, they could not postpone their wedding for a year which so many couples did. They thought about getting married this year and postponing the reception until 2021, but logistically that would have been difficult.

They decided against that option. She informed Hearty Boys that they had to cancel the event. Hearty Boys refunded 50% of the deposits paid, $5,544.60 per their contract. Their contract also had a clause regarding a default in the event of a national emergency or act of God (as well as other situations), which said that neither party would be in default under those circumstances.

That was clearly the case here. The ONLY reason the wedding was cancelled was due to the pandemic. Given these circumstances, we asked Hearty Boys to refund the additional $5,544 paid to them and offered to pay them a reasonable amount for the time they had spent drafting the contract and planning the menu. They offered to refund $1,500, saying that they had put 40 hours into it, which we found hard to believe.

Their contract appears to be pretty boilerplate and I would think that most caterers have standard staff and equipment needs for events of various sizes. We found their offer insulting, they were rude and we declined the offer. It seemed to us that they were taking advantage of a bad situation by keeping our money. I understand that the entire wedding and event industry were hit very hard by COVID-19, but there are exceptions to every rule.

While legally they were complying with their contract, was it the RIGHT thing to do given the circumstances? Additionally, the fact that Hearty Boys required us to pay 2/3 of the contract amount 5 months before the wedding is outrageous. Effectively, they were using our money to pay for other people's events. Our other daughter is getting married in Nashville in the fall of 2021.

Her caterer required a small, nonrefundable deposit ($1,000) to hold the date and the balance 30 days prior to the event. That seems totally fair and reasonable to me, unlike what we experienced with Hearty Boys. I have read the glowing reviews that other people have written about this business. Perhaps we would have had a similar experience if COVID-19 had not happened.

I believe that people show you who they truly are in difficult situations. Are these the type of people you want to do business with and trust with thousands of your dollars?

If you are hosting a wedding or event, look no further! I can't even begin to describe how wonderful this company has been through the wedding planning process - it feels weird to refer to them in such a formal way because they seem like friends? From the beginning, Alyson has been incredible - super accommodating for the tasting, had great recommendations, was just so warm and welcoming - I instantly felt like she wanted my wedding to be wonderful and exactly how I pictured. Dan popped in during our tasting and was so patient in explaining his dishes and instantly felt like a friend.

Not to mention, the food is incredible - so many options and everything is perfectly done. They had been the easiest decision I have made while wedding planning and then the pandemic hit and we decided to postpone - they were so kind during the process and offered to make us dinner on our original wedding date! Alyson and her husband personally drove it out to us!

It was such a kind thing to do during such a tumultuous time. I will forever be grateful to Hearty Boys for the compassion and respect they show to everyone. Seriously, anyone considering an event in a Chicago - look no further.

My husband and I were so impressed with Hearty Boys catering! We worked with Andy Root for our wedding in August 2019 and they made everything so easy for us. We don't live in Illinois, and yet Andy made everything very approachable to coordinate by phone and email, which we really appreciated. In addition to taking care of our catering needs, Andy went above and beyond to help as a day of coordinator, making sure, for example, that I walked down the aisle at the right time to making sure the toasts happened on schedule.

There was even a hiccup with where the toasts were meant to occur and with such calmness and ease Andy proposed a solution that worked perfectly (helping us to avoid any anxiety during our wedding). Throughout the whole night his team would check up on me and my husband to ensure we had enough food/drinks and just overall that we were doing okay with all of the spotlight, and for this we were so grateful.

We never had to ask for anything as Andy and his team were always anticipating our needs. And then on top of all of this we heard from so many people that we had the best wedding food they'd ever tasted - so not only does Hearty Boys deliver on customer service, they also deliver in quality :) If you're throwing an event in the Chicagoland area you'd be remiss to not work with Hearty Boys as they're simply amazing! Thanks for helping to make our wedding so special!

We hired Hearty Boys for our wedding and we can't say enough good things about them. From the start, the communication and assistance was outstanding. Before we even hired them they spent time talking through so many details regarding the food and drinks, but also wedding planning in general. They clearly have so much experience with weddings and are able to help you through it all.

The food itself was great. We went with a family style service and were able to offer several options to our guests, as well as passed appetizers and a dessert bar. The quality was great the night of and our guests were very pleased. The staff was very professional and on top of everything. Anything I needed, they jumped on it. Hearty Boys truly became an integral part of the success of our wedding.

Their services went above and beyond anything I expected and were such a pleasure to work with. It's sad to know our work with them is done - that's how great our experience with them was.

Hearty Boys catered my wedding back in October and were amazing. They truly went above and beyond in every single way. Andy was our catering manager and he was incredibly responsive and thoughtful throughout the entire wedding planning process. My husband and I wanted the food to be good, but also were working within a budget so Andy helped us go from our dream big catering proposal to something much more within our price range while still being amazing.

On the day of the wedding, Andy helped with everything from pacing the wedding party going down the aisle, to setting up our remembrance table to ensuring my husband and I had a personal waiter and food so we didn't have to think about a thing. He made the night truly special. Everyone talks about how no one remembers the food at weddings, but I have heard multiple people spontaneously say how great and healthy our food was. Would recommend them to anyone.

The Hearty Boys will not let you down! We worked with their event coordinator Alyson Green for our recent wedding and from start to finish Alyson was by our side making sure to dot the i's and cross the t's. There are many things that you, as a bride or groom, are not thinking about but their experience and professionalism prevails. We had multiple guest at our wedding rave to us how this was the best "wedding food" they've ever had and I would 100% agree.

Not to mention their staff on site making sure our day went off without a hitch. We had our wedding ceremony, cocktail hour and reception at one some-what small venue and they were able to flip everything timely and beautifully. They helped calculate everything from the number of passed appetizers at the cocktail hour, to cupcakes we had brought in, to the timing that the last entree was served. Hire Hearty Boys for your next event! I promise that you will not be disappointed.

We used Hearty Boys for our wedding catering and had an amazing experience with them. We only did on tasting as we felt so comfortable and supported by Hearty Boys, specifically Alyson, during our tasting with them. They were so organized, really listened to what we had to say while also offering suggestions. Leading up to the wedding, Alyson was in constant contact to ensure we were on not forgetting anything.

She did a final walk through with us and re-explained everything for us. She was very flexible with our off the wall requests (ie: last minute dessert bar) and helped meet these requests. On the day of the wedding we knew we were in good hands and had nothing to worry about. The apps and dinner food were exactly how we tasted them and our guests are still talking about how amazing the food was.

Many said it was the best wedding food they have ever had. Alyson and team set up a beautiful dessert for us as we opted out of having a cake. It was beyond our dreams! Lastly, we had a personal waiter that was always there to refill our drinks or bring us food. This really helped with ensuring we had a chance to eat and drink. I cannot say enough good things about Hearty Boys and Alyson. I hope we get to use them again in the future.

I'm a fan! We contacted Hearty Boys as a potential caterer for our wedding, had a proposal written up, had a nice long phone call with them, and were invited to come in for a tasting. We ultimately had to reschedule the tasting twice and HB's was really patient and accommodating about it. The protein dishes really stood out -- such as the Buttermilk Lavender Fried Chicken and the Barolo Braised Short Rib.

They lived up to their descriptions and were some of the best I've had. Overall, they offer plenty of crowd pleasing food options. They also do a good job with thinking about how the food will be presented to the guests and the whole experience. They were always conscious of our budget and open to feedback and making adjustments. We ended up going with a different vendor out of personal preferences. Props to them for offering free tastings! You have nothing to lose and all to gain if they end up being the right fit for your party!

Hearty boys are the best. One of my fondest memories from wedding planning was going to their shop for tastings with Dan. The appetizers were a highlight and we selected ones from different countries where we traveled: Japan, Puerto Rico, Spain, etc. They also served the alcohol (which we bought from Benny's to be cheap) and created a fun bourbon drink for my husbands friends and a non alcoholic version for my non drinking friends.

On our wedding day most of our guests said they loved the food: a chicken dish, risotto rice dish, and fish dish. My husband and I were so excited that we told them to bring us all three which they did! Pro tip: include the actual dish description in RSVP cards so people know exactly what they are getting. We had some guests wish they would have selected "veg" if they knew it was risotto.

Spending five figures on a dinner is not something you will do many times. So we say invest it in a great catering company like the Hearty Boys to make your special day even more delicious.