Vivek T.
Yelp
If you want someone to tell your dad to "f***off" after paying him tens of thousands of dollars to cater multiple events at your wedding, Sam Patel is your guy. In a child like manner, he might even hang up on your father three times, only to call him back and then tell him to "f*** off".
As a fellow Gujarati, I genuinely hate writing this review as I love to see our people thrive, but I'm making an exception (on my honeymoon no less) for Sam. He's been harassing my father-in-law and wife to call him, because I think he's afraid of exactly this review. So here it is, Sam.
Food quality aside, though it was mediocre to average at best, Sam ran out of food at our reception this past weekend. For those of you who have been to an Indian wedding reception, this is a parent of the groom's (or bride's) worst nightmare. Instead of taking responsibility for the food quantity, Sam proceeded to blame the venue, wedding planners, and client (us) for his shortcomings. And before he can blame something / someone else, we actually had a significantly lower number of attendees than we shared with him due to Covid-related travel issues.
I'm not sure if Sam has become either complacent, egotistical, or both as a result of having one of few Indian restaurants near the Ann Arbor campus, but what should be a professional establishment seems like it has become the opposite as a result of his management.
As a Ross grad, I learned a thing or two about business while attending the University of Michigan, and trust me when I say telling a client to "f*** off" was not included in the curriculum.
I've been to Shalimar a number of times while at the university, and though it might have a good chef and service people in smaller quantities, I can't help but ask you to at least consider the other incredible options in the Detroit / Ann Arbor area for your larger events (Venkat at Vindu and Matt at Nu Deli are absolute gems).
I hate to have to share this with my fellow Michigan alums and family friends who have weddings coming up in the next few years, but I would hate it more for them to experience what we did.