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Simple, authentic, fresh, and affordable. Featuring classic recipes from our family owned company with new ingredients and creative twists. We provide our customers with traditional American cuisine, prepared with select offerings from local farmers and ranchers and use clean, non-GMO ingredients. From simple breakfasts and lunches for corporate events, to casual social gatherings for family and friends, Picnic Basket has earned its Best Caterer status by delivering excellent food and professional service for over 30 years.
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When Kathy Dreiling and Michelle Talarico chose the name "Soup to Nuts" for the book they plan to write, they knew it would not be difficult to recount their craziest experiences of 30 years in the catering business.
Simply creative and delicious. Offering affordable breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets, boxless lunches and breakfasts, hors d'oeuvres, trays, platters, and desserts. From creative single serve packages and drop off delivery items, to snazzy hors d'oeuvre set-ups for hundreds. The name Picnic Basket is well-known in the Colorado Springs' corporate world for dependability, great food, professional staff, and creative presentations.
Rustic but elegant, Buffalo Gals creates a casual Colorado feel, but casts a sophisticated impression with professional service staff and creative cuisine. Specializing in Santa Maria Style Barbeque techniques, we use red oak to sear flavorful meats and vegetables, while tantalizing your guests with the smell of Certified Angus Beef or grilled portobellos cooking over an open fire.
Featuring upscale urban lunch and dinner menus, tapas, stations, elegant plated meals, and trendy mixology! The company focus is on event planning and management: rentals, entertainment, professional staff, and bartending services. These are just a few of the ways we can help you truly have fun and enjoy your event.
Reviews (33)
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Lauren Song
Jun 17, 2022
We love picnic basket catering! Michelle is amazing to work with. We've ordered meals for our family holiday dinners as well as a catered meal for a 40th celebration dinner party. All of the food is delicious!
Michael Lundquist
Jun 09, 2022
Everyone at our wedding loved the food and the plated service was perfect! Best wedding food I've had IMO. They made the trip out to Buena Vista for our wedding and made it truly special! Affordable for how good of quality they are. Thanks Buff Gals and Brandon Schrank for managing it all!
Michael Wahl
Jun 06, 2022
Just arrived home from our daughter's event, and the Picnic Basket staff made our day even more SPECIAL. Can't say enough about the them going out of their way to make this day absolutely flawless! The tables looked beautiful, the staff were professional and friendly in every way. They treated everyone extremely well, and all of the guests enjoyed every single bite of the INCREDIBLE FOOD!

All went back for seconds, and they loaded their plates and were talking about how delicious it all was. Lauren, the catering manager, far exceeded our expectations and even showed up to make sure that everything was placed just right. Picnic Basket is TRULY an incredibly wonderful caterer. They catered our parents 50th wedding anniversary in 1996, and it was lovely and perfect back then and equally as lovely this time around. Honest, caring and awesome people here (and very talented chefs) will make your event one to remember for a lifetime. Too bad Google does not have a ten star rating system.because hands down, that is what you definitely would earn! THANK YOU!
Peggy B.
May 26, 2022
Absolutely recommend! Delicious food, very generous portions, and extremely understanding when a sudden medical situation threw off my pick up schedule. I regret not taking a picture of the spread but it was so amazing! You cannot go wrong using this caterer!
Raven Rodriguez
Mar 27, 2022
Got catering for my wedding, 20 people for $2400. Very pricey, and you don't get much food. The fruit tray, spinach dip, and southwest empanadas were good, but the hot honey mustard ham sandwiches were horrible. And the ham sandwiches were $150 for 3 dozen. The 8oz filet was good, but the shrimp skewer that was $8 a person had only 2 cold shrimp on it.

The mashed potatoes were really good, but maybe only about 4 bites worth. And those were $80. We paid $80 for 'unlimited drinks', and there was a black tub of about 8 - 10 drinks by the entrance. That's it. No coke, no dr pepper, nothing that we drink. Other than that, the customer service was excellent, and our two servers were awesome. Very polite, very professional, and awesome at their job.
Amber Meyer
Feb 23, 2022
1000/10 recommend! From when I first contacted them to the day of my wedding working with them was a dream! They ensured everything went perfect, the food was DELICIOUS! We used them for both our rehearsal dinner and wedding reception. People were RAVING about the food! Not to mention all of the staff was so helpful and kind constantly checking in on me and my groom to make sure we were okay and asking if we needed anything! I couldn't be happier with how everything turned out!
Kyndell Weder
Jan 22, 2022
We live in Oklahoma and planned a wedding in Colorado. We were able to set up a tasting on the same day we had planned on meeting all the other vendors. We chose a brunch wedding with an omelet bar. They omelets were fantastic. We had so many compliments on the food. Only slightly disappointed in all the things we sampled at the tasting not being at the wedding.

I would recommend clarifying everything included and have it in writing. I cannot complain about the quality of food though, it was excellent and we are very pleased with having Picnic Basket Catering at our wedding.
Shasta Brenske
Dec 26, 2021
I ordered appetizers for a holiday party of 14. The food was amazing. Everyone especially loved the spinach artichoke dip. The team at The Picnic Basket made it a super easy process. Highly recommend them!
Sarah Jasso
Dec 25, 2021
We used Picnic Basket for our Wedding on October 30th. We had about 140 people, did a nacho bar for cocktail hour with some extras and then a taco bar buffet for dinner. They had the smokers and grills out in the parking lot so when people came in they got to see them in action! It smelled amazing and the food turned out so great. We got so many compliments! We had zero issues and were glad they went beyond our expectations from start to finish.
Tarah Dierdorff
Oct 31, 2021
The Picnic Basket provided catering for our company team alignment. The food was yummy and the lady who did the delivery and setup was very friendly. We will definitely use their services again.
Cerah Stevenson
Oct 28, 2021
From start to finish we had a very pleasant experience with this company! We had a last minute disaster with another catering company and called this company within a week or so of the order date and Brandon took very good care of us, he was really nice and responsive when I came to replying to emails. In the beginning I wasn't sure about what I wanted but he was very patient with me and answered any questions I had! Secondly the food was amazing, we did the taco bar for 12 people which actually carried us into the next day!

The food was delicious and there wasn't one complaint! I wish I had pictures to share but the food was so good by the time I thought to take pictures everyone was digging in!
Front Desk
Sep 27, 2021
Brandon Schrank was my point of contact for our catering order. He was very helpful and accommodating when I needed to make changes to our order a week before our event. We order an array of dishes to serve our our company ribbon cutting ceremony for about 100 people. The food was delivered on time and setup by one of their employees. The delivery person took their time to help place the items on our banquet table.

We received many compliments about the food. Everyone really loved the Italian Sausage & Spinach Stuffed Baby Bellas and Hickory Smoked Salmon Platter. If you're looking for a catering company we would recommend using the Picnic Basket Family of Companies.
Bonnie Chandler
Sep 10, 2021
I know this business is locally owned and has a very good reputation but my experience was less than stellar. I don't like writing mediocre reviews but I must be honest. I ordered 3 sides to feed 25 people. Gouda Mac 'n Cheese, Baked Potato Salad and baked beans or as they are called "Calico Beans". I received one 9 x 13" pan of Mac 'n Cheese, one 9 x 13" pan of beans and two medium size bowls of potato salad.

Will a 9 x 13" of anything feed 25 adults? IMHO, no. I went to pick up the food at the appointed time. There were two entrances, I walked in the first and a worker told me to go to the second door which I did. The room contained a small office and not having any signs to point customers to a pickup counter. I stood in the office doorway and announced myself. An employee in that office quickly walked over to me and told me I couldn't be in the kitchen and to wait outside. Actually, she said "this is the kitchen!

You can't be in here!" Ok, I get it but sheesh, chill. So where was I to pick the food up? No counters, no friendly person to ask me if I needed help. The employee brought the food to me outside. Now for the kicker; a 9 x 13" pan of beans and Gouda Mac n cheese and two bowls of potato salad COST ME $290.00.yes, you read that right, $290.00. Finally, the food wasn't special at all. It just wasn't. Lesson learned, if you're not a big corporation or don't live in the Broadmoor, do yourself a favor and make your own sides.
MaryErin Mueller
Aug 31, 2021
The Buffalo Gals team was absolutely spectacular! Our guests raved about the food, the team helped us in a pinch, and everyone was so friendly! I couldn't be more appreciative! Sondra so wonderful and helpful to work with throughout the whole process!
Lisa Gibson
Aug 30, 2021
From start to finish, they took care of us! The initial call was so helpful and she really took time to listen to what we needed. They crafted the lunch just for us and even with a lot of changes in our numbers and adding special orders for vegetarian and gluten free, they were happy to make the changes throughout. On the day of, I got a call to confirm and then a call as the food was about to be delivered. Then. it was delicious!

I mean really! It came with all the serving spoons, etc. A great experience and I would recommend to anyone. Thank you to Carmen and Brandon for making our Baptism Luncheon a success.
InsideOutYS
Aug 13, 2021
IOYS can't say enough about how Picnic Basket showed up and beyond. We had our first staff retreat and 2 of the 4 days were prepared with food that covered all of our needs, it was fresh, delicious, and of good value. Thank you Brandon.
Ashley S.
May 14, 2021
We used this company for our wedding in 2016. This was the biggest disappointment for our wedding day and I've thought about writing a review a few times and finally decided to bite the bullet. We did a Buffett bbq and when we met with the owner and discussed what we wanted, we had three meats and only ended up having two. When you have a Buffett, you can usually have whatever you want from the Buffett.

The people serving the food limited what my guests could have, only allowing one side and they had one pan of Mac and cheese and ran out instantly. Also, as the bride when I was getting my food, the girl serving made a comment, "wow, that's a lot" ummmm, yes I would like to try all the sides and I haven't eaten all day. Rude! They were the rudest waitstaff. AND their bartender was in her 70's and was too tired so just sat the whole time.

We had two cocktails and the rest was wine and beer and my guests kept trying to show her how to make the cocktails and she was just too tired to even be there. Embarrassing. Lastly, she charged me extra for what I'm not sure, wasn't really discussed. Maybe for extra food my guests ate because they ran out of sides. I feel like we went into details before the wedding and I was thorough with what we wanted and it went in one ear and out the other. I've worked in hospitality my whole life so was bummed to see how this was handled. Not a great experience. The food was good though, not amazing but good.
Marlow J.
Sep 29, 2019
We recently held a wedding for my daughter. Prior to the event several of my family members did a taste test. The testing was great for the Lazana dish. It was freshly prepared. Everyone agreed it was delicious. At the wedding, the Lazana did not look or taste the same as the taste testing. The cost of the dish was 30.00 per plate. We had a party of 160.

We also, requested a special dish for a member of the wedding party. The dish ordered was not delivered as requested. No water was provided at the table for the guest. All members including the wedding party had to walk to a water/Station for refreshments. The cost of catering was not worth the food and the service provided.
Bri A.
Apr 04, 2019
Best catering in town! They are generous and professional! They catered for a medium sized group of us and everyone was raving about the food. I highly recommend Picnic Basket for any events, they even set everything up with a decorative display!
Margge A.
Mar 28, 2019
Wow. our daughters wedding meal had the guests asking for more. everything was delicious and the service was impeccable. Not only was the food delicious, the ability of the caterer to anticipate glitches took a lot of the headaches of the meal planning out of our hands.
Velnette J.
Jan 28, 2019
I did a lot of research to find a local caterer that would be able to have gluten free and vegan alternatives. And right away they told me it would not be a problem. Our food tasting was so awesome, we had our own little room, personalized! And everything was so delicious! We immediately knew what we wanted to go with! We ordered a pasta bar with grilled chicken and grilled veggies with the Alfredo and spicy marinara.

Everyone at the wedding was raving over the food, the vegans loved their option and the gf pasta was delicious. There were about 90 people at the wedding, most got seconds and we still had a lot leftover. The prices were very reasonable and everyone was so accommodating. We would definitely choose them again!
Peggy I.
Aug 18, 2018
Just had a wonderful dinner catered by the Buffalo Gals. Tri-tip beef, shredded BBQ chicken, roasted veggies, Mac & cheese, pineapple jalapeno slaw & awesome three baked beans! Kim was great to work with & Jennifer did a beautiful job with set-up--she even brought a menu & decorations! I would work with them again in a heart beat! This company has been in business for many years & the founders really give back to the community. I was happy to be able to have them cater my dinner!
Stacey D.
Jul 17, 2018
We used the trio caterer, (Buffalo Grilling Gals, Crave, and Picnic Basket) for our backyard ceremony for our wedding. It was quite small but elegant and the company did the most amazing job! Everyone commented on the amazing food and the service was phenomenal! I highly recommend them to do any event. While my house isn't the largest one in the neighborhood, they still made it work with the buffet dinner.

We had appetizers passed beforehand and they were amazing! The grilled was parked in the front with fresh grilled sirloin and chicken- there was also the option of hiring their bartender and while we bought all the alcohol she was fabulous. The server staff for appetizers and setting up the food were so professional and treated everyone like royalty. We appreciated the food and service. Impeccable company.
Vickie S.
Jun 20, 2018
We scheduled a dinner for 10 to be catered by PB at our home on May 29. All was in order for the July 14 event. June 19 I called Jason to select the menu.again all was in order. About 45 minutes after our phone conversation, I received an email from Jason stating that PB was unable to fulfill my request. I was disappointed and disgusted by their lack of customer service and will not recommend them for a catering job.
Terry P.
Feb 16, 2018
My wife and I first tried the Picnic Basket yesterday when she ordered us a special meal for Valentine's Day. Wow, It was perfect. Ready on time. Totally complete from a beautiful cheese baked brie to wonderful desert. Everything was easy to warm with complete heating instructions. All food came in a Valentine's Day bag complete with a special card.and even a high end wine opener.

If you have not tried this place for catering or especially for a wonderfully packed meal to go, you are missing something GREAT. Thanks Picnic Basket for making our Valentine's Day super special.
Debi F.
Aug 09, 2017
Used the Picnic Basket for our family reunion last weekend (22 people). Set-up staff person was professional and on time. Lasagna, salad & bread buffet plus dessert (assorted brownies, bars & cookies)- everything was DELICIOUS & more than enough food for everyone! Would definitely use them again :)
Katie M.
Jul 03, 2017
We had Cravings (owned by PB Catering) cater our reception last year [I forgot to finish the review, whoops]. We had the reception at Soiree, and worked with Cravings and Michaela to conceptualize a tasting menu to pair with spirits. First and foremost, I love and appreciate their flexibility in designing this menu, and second, everything was really really good.

Almost a year later, I still very fondly remember the jalapeno sushi, watermelon gazpacho, and sea bass ceviche, among others, all of which were spot-on. We wanted our reception to focus on food, drinks, and fun, in that order, and Cravings did not disappoint!
Blake S.
Jun 27, 2017
We love the Picnic Basket! We have had multiple company events for 30+ employees that they have catered. Everyone loves the food and the presentation and service is perfect.
Kristina D.
Jan 25, 2017
This catering company is the best in Colorado Springs! Food quality, presentation, and service are TOP NOTCH! I always recommend them to my friends and family!
Amy S.
Jun 16, 2016
The Picnic Basket catered my grandma's 90th birthday/family reunion last August and it was such an amazing time. The food was awesome, the servers were so gracious and helpful, and Kathy and Michelle really made us feel like family. They run such a great company and you can tell that they truly love what they do. I want to thank the Picnic Basket for making my grandma's birthday celebration and our family reunion so special.
Sara K.
Oct 15, 2015
Overall, the food was delicious. However, there were several issues leading up to our reception. The communication was lacking and it was hard to get in contact with anyone. Due to this, food we ordered was forgotten. Also, they served root vegetables and it was inedible. For the price we paid it was pretty disappointing.
Mike D.
Feb 10, 2015
Big on promise, short on delivery. Watch out for bait and switch.keep an eye on your wallet.
Beth S.
Oct 27, 2014
We used Cravings 5 Star Catering for our wedding. I was very impressed with the delicious lemon chicken and garlic mashed potatoes. They also had a quick team that switched our venue over quickly between the venue and ceremony. If you have a buffet they will match your theme to decorate the buffet. I would highly recommend paying extra to have a bartender come, our bar was handled seamlessly!

The only reason I didn't give them 5 stars were some small details. I had met with them several times and typed up all of our wedding details very clearly so there would be no questions, then on the day of the wedding the caterers were bothering my mother with questions. Our tables were set-up 2 hours early. And there was some confusion and unfortunately our champagne wedding toast was 20 minutes late.