Dear Ronda: We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for taking an ordinary catering event to an extraordinary and memorable occasion. All the way from the initial contact with you, your accommodating all my changes, the food, the service to the clean-up was flawless. Everyone is still talking about how delicious everything was! Yet, what made it really stand out to me was the outstanding service. They made plates for my mom and mother-in-law and delivered to the tables. They clean up and put all the leftovers in the refrigerator. We felt that they should have been invited as guests rather than just the "cooks." 10 stars are not enough for what you did for us. THANK YOU! Charisse Wambach Kelly, I just want dot let you know that we were very happy with the food and service. The food was better than the tasting was and the staff very accommodating. I used to own a few restaurants, so I know what to look for in both sides of the table, and everything was great. Thanks. Mary Starks Hi Ronda, Saturday, November 3rd, BJ's Catering handled the reception at Castle Farms for Chelsea Faulds and Marcus McCann. Rarely do Ed and I attend a wedding we have performed, but we got to know this couple and their families very well, and they invited us to their reception afterward. Not only was your staff gracious, polite, professional, and discreet... but the food was phenomenal (as always). Both Ed and I were genuinely impressed with all the catering staff was doing... that the food was hot and so delicious... and everyone at the reception was raving about it. And I wanted you to know. Another exceptional job by BJ's Catering! In kindness, Glad Remaly Dear Ronda: I am writing to thank you, Jason, Scotty, RJ and the rest of your staff for, once again, putting on such a wonderful luncheon as we honored Bishop Cooney. As always, you are so easy to work with an always accommodate our many, many requests. We know we ask a lot. A common quote from our staff is "at least we never have to worry about the food and setup with BJ's." I believe that is a wonderful testament to all you do. We heard only positive feedback about the meal. Again, Ronda, thank you and all your hardworking staff. Mary Dickerson Dear Ronda, I just want to say how very happy I am you helped make Chelsea & Ryan's wedding day perfect. I was so very impressed with your staff and all the extra things that made their day wonderful. This is from a very happy Grandma. Sincerely, Sandy Lambert Dear Bob, I can't begin to thank you and your wonderful staff enough for all that they did for Mario and I on Saturday. His 70th birthday party was very special for him. He was truly surprised to have so many friends and family there from here in Gaylord as well as Monroe, Rockford, and Lewiston. And as usual the food was excellent. Marlena is a fantastic hostess and Heidi, well, Heidi was always just spectacular! You are truly blessed to have such a wonderful staff working for you. Take good care of them and they will take good care of your business. Thank you once again, Barb Margaret & BJ's Catering, Thank you all so much for helping our wedding day go perfectly! The food was amazing and we got so many compliments! Everyone was so helpful and made sure the day went perfect! We truly appreciated everything. :) Thanks again! Nick and Kara Riehl Dear BJ's Catering Staff, Bob, Heather and Trish, Shawn, Thank you so much for all of your help setting up our 20 year reunion. We all had a great time! Bob, thank you for a great job clearing and bar tending. Shawn, thank you for your help on the day of and for getting answers to my questions. The food was great! Thank you also to the young man who set up tables and helped bus. Thanks again BJ's! Sincerely, GHS Class of 1992 Ami Peterson BJ's - Thank you to all your staff who made food trays and brought them to the Open House for Hospice of Michigan -- it was fabulous. Thank you again, Hospice of Michigan Staff Dear Bob, Dave, and all the BJ’s staff, Everything turned out beautifully for my Dad’s Memorial Service. You were a big part of the reason it turned out so well!!! Thank you for making sure everything was in place, and the food; well lets just say, my friends and I all love to cook and love a good job, so we know the difference between ok food and good food. Everyone who came, not only ate, they kept on eating! There were many, many compliments and they all wanted to know who provided the catering. These have been tough times for all of us, but you guys work hard and provide good food and good service, so I know you’ll continue to do well! Glad I could give you back some business as I always appreciate the business you had given me! Sincerely, Jodie & Family Hi Ronda, I just wanted to thank you and all the BJ’s staff for doing such an amazing job at our wedding! Everything was just perfect and we received so many compliments on the food and beverage. Thank you for Everything ! Love, Erika & Patrick BJ’s Catering, Thank you so much for catering our wedding! The food was great. We got lots of compliments on the food. A special thanks to Margaret for always being ready and available for any questions or concerns! Thanks, Jeff & Jacque BJ’s Catering Staff, Thank you for the delicious food that was recently served at our prom. We enjoyed working with you. Everything was wonderful! Thanks, Onaway High School Dear Ronda, Thank you for all the wonderful planning and helping with the rehearsal dinner for our son’s wedding on August 14. The food was so tasty and eye appealing. Our guests were truly blessed with the food. Morrey was a true chef and was also a blessing to the day. The preparation to the eating to post clean-up he was always helpful and courteous to everyone. Thank you to BJ’s catering! Ed & Vivian To Bj’s Staff, I really am grateful and hope that you know how happy I am to be telling you so! Professional , efficient, courteous, caring… I could go on and on! You people were awesome! And the food was superb! Thank-you for making our daughter’s wedding, a grand event. Sincerely, Dave Ok so first of all, BJ’s and your staff are AWESOME. Very sweet, considerate, and extremely professional. GREAT JOB!!! The food was terrific and everyone was so impressed, so thank you so much!!! But anywho, great job once again to both you and the staff there! My husband and I will both be writing reviews on every web site that will let us and singing your praises!! Thanks, Jen Dear Margaret, The 777th Military Police Detachment would like to thank the staff of BJ’s Restaurant and Catering for all of their service. The overall experience was outstanding! We could certainly tell that your business has had plenty of experience catering to the Soldiers of the Michigan Army National Guard. Your customer service and accommodations are proof of that fact. Many Soldier’s of this unit commented that the meals provided by BJ’s Catering Service were, by far, the best they had ever eaten during a military drill weekend. Your food, quality, selection, and prices are unbeatable. The service was also outstanding. Morris, our server was very professional, polite, and extremely accommodating to our needs. He deserves a special thanks for his willingness to drive out to the field and serve our Soldiers their Chow. He went above and beyond our expectations when he agreed to do that for us during that Saturday night dinner. By doing such, we were able to feed our Soldier’s with minimal delay training. Our mission that night may not have been so easily accomplished without that factor. The Detachment Commander has asked me to make sure her gratitude is passed along to him. Your customer service in working us through the sample menu, catering quote, contract, and final billing was top notch. Please inform Mr. Elam that his business has provided us with world-class service. Thank you very much again. Very Respectfully,
SSG Brian J. VanSingel
Supply Sergeant
777 Military Police Detachment To Bob Elam, Bob, I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed working with Margaret while planning Sydney and Drew’s wedding. Margaret was so helpful, knowledgeable and reassuring. She was such a pleasure to with. She always got back to me quickly with any questions I fad and made me feel comfortable that all my needs would be met. All so very important when planning a wedding. Margaret represents BJ’s Catering very well. The people who came out to set up tents, cook, etc. were professional and nice to work with as well. Ronnie especially jumped in and did whatever was needed. We appreciated having him during our weekend events. I recommend your business highly. Regards, Linda Thanks Ronda, Even without the coupons we’ve enjoyed going to Bj’s for well over 12 yr now and are never disappointed! We bring in lots of friends both locals and our downstater friends to eat there as well! I hope and pray you continue to have a very successful Restaurant and know we’d be lost without your awesome quality of food, friendly service and great location! Brian & Dianna The search for a good and affordable caterer was by far the most difficult job of planning my wedding. Every time I called a different catering business I was told that the company couldn’s replicate my ideal pasta station or that they couldn’t do it for anything less than an astronomical amount. After a long search for the perfect caterer, my husband and I called up BJ’s Restaurant and Catering. They were very accommodating to our idea of Italian Stations instead of a typical buffet or sit down style meal. The attention to detail was fantastic! If there was ever a question of my preferences, they would always call and ask and never assume that they knew how I wanted my meal served on my ”special day”. My husband and I were blown away by the staff’s hospitality, especially when we went to taste-test the food. Almost all food met our expectations, but what made an even bigger impact was when we offered up our own suggestions on how to make it better, they took notes and listened and didn’t try to change our minds. We always felt that we were the ones that had the final say on the taste and presentation and always felt that our ideas and suggestions were taken seriously and immediately implemented to create the vision that we had for the wedding. They were open and inviting to all of our unique requests(like a chef on site to saute vegetables in front of our wedding guests and a private dinner for my husband and I to share together while the other guests were eating in the main dining room.) It’s now 3 weeks past my wedding date and I have continued to hear nothing but great things from my guests concerning the food, the drinks, and the service that night. To say the least, it was well worth the long search I had in the beginning to find just the right caterer who understood and helped work toward my vision of a perfect wedding. Sheila BJ’s Restaurant, Just wanted to say Thank You for helping make my Mom’s (Gerry David) Surprise 75th birthday party a special memory for our family and friends! She was so surprised and we all really enjoyed ourselves… The service was great − vey professional and very courteous, worked very hard to please all of our guests… Everyone enjoyed the food and atmosphere! Thank you also for the great deal with the party’s cost! I will highly recommend BJ’s Restaurant to people! Also, I would not hesitate to book another important occasion there! Thank You to everyone at BJ’s!!! Karie Dear Bob & Crew, On behalf of the Gaylord DOA I want to thank you for youre assistance in making our Oktoberfest a success. We could not have managed without your assistance and help. Your crew is wonderful and we can't wait to do it again next year! Thanks again, Joe Duff Dear Kelly & BJ’s Catering Staff, Thank you so much for catering and serving our wedding. Myself, my family and our guests were absolutely blown away by your professionalism, attention to detail, hard work, & most of all great food! The staff worked their tooshies off to make our reception PERFECT! I adore you guys and would recommend you to any & all future brides! Thank you for making everything so effortless! Love, Carey & Kevin To Whom It May Concern: On June 16, 2012, our daughter and her fiancé were married on our family farm near Manton, Michigan. We are truly situated in a remote location surrounded by fields and hardwoods. Jessie and Neil's goal was to create a "farm chic" atmosphere... whatever that means. Well, thanks to BJ's Catering, they were able to accomplish that and more.

Taking on this type of wedding out in the "boonies" was no easy task for any caterer. BJ's didn't hesitate - they enthusiastically took on the task and did they ever succeed! From the very first time we met with Ronda, we knew we were in good hands. She worked to understand the vision the bride had for the reception and meal and also worked to stay within our budgetary means. We used them as a "one-stop shop" - renting our tent, tables, chairs, bar and other essentials along with having them cater the dinner.

The following are just a few of the highlights in using BJ's:

• Ronda and Bob - We so enjoyed working with them - they became like family. They understand what it means to serve their customers and bend over backwards to do so. They were just a delight. Nothing seemed too much or too little to ask for.
• The food was fantastic! We are STILL getting compliments on the dinner! Remember, this was off-site and in a field. But, with their portable kitchen and their outstanding staff, they were able to prepare dinner for over 225 guests ONSITE! It was incredible! And, they even wrapped up the few leftovers for us. I wasn't expecting that but really appreciated it the next day. (I still drool when I think of that standing rib roast and the homemade maple salad dressing...).
• Staff - Loved them all! They were professional, courteous, fun and terrific.
• Punctuality - All of our rentals were delivered and picked-up on time. Also, Ronda worked with us on the timing of the wedding, pictures, cocktail hour and dinner. Everything ran as smooth as silk – right on time and perfect.
• Quality of rentals - absolutely the best. From the sparkling clean tent to the beautiful linens to the gorgeous dinnerware - the best.
• Working within our budget - Ronda was excellent at helping us not to overspend and frankly told us what we needed and didn't need. They helped us to save money - something very unusual for venders in today's world.
• Made us feel that we were more than just another job - We all felt that BJ's was invested in us personally. Their goal was to provide the most excellent service and the most beautiful wedding reception for our daughter and her new husband.

I could go on and on. Would I recommend BJ's as a preferred caterer to any venue? Absolutely! You bet! They were and are the best. Our primary residence is in suburban Detroit and I have been to wedding receptions and parties at the Detroit Athletic Club, Grosse Pointe Yacht Club, Birmingham Country Club and others - trust me when I say BJ's delivered the same quality food and probably better service and they did it in a farm field!

Please feel free to contact me should you need any clarification or have any questions.
Cordially,
Pat To the Editor:
Otsego County United Way held its second annual "Win an Instant Wine Cellar" event last month. Guests were treated to a beautiful room and a fabulous assortment of appetizers at BJ's Restaurant. We want to share this thank you publicly and recognize the contribution that BJ's makes to United Way and Otsego County. It is truly a community treasure that has been around for years that remains fresh and focused as a business leader.
Owners Bob and Rhonda Elam have a heart for their community and give back in many ways. They have also done an amazing job remodeling the interior of the restaurant, and their food is fantastic. The "Win an Instant Wine Cellar" event featured a selection of sushi, roast beef sandwiches and included many delicious appetizers. Music was provided by singer/songwriter Jerry Lambert, and the guests all had a fabulous time. Kim Brown of Strictly Sweets in Gaylord won the "Instant Wine Cellar". United Way utilizes funds from events like this to help in its operation so donor dollars are directed to First Call for Help, a United Way program helping those in need.
To everyone who helped, donated and attended, thank you for your support. UNITED we can do so much!
Lorraine Manary
Executive Director
Otsego County United Way