Food is always a topic of conversation when it comes to a wedding. Whether it’s what kind of food is being served or how, there’s always something to critique. And it’s understandable — food can make or break an experience. One recently married couple is still trying to get justice after many of their wedding guests ended up with food poisoning after their reception.
According to the couple, the company that catered their wedding ghosted them when they tried to confront them. Now, they’re speaking out.
The couple found the vendor on social media.
Shawn and Azalea Soria got married in California at the end of February. To cater their reception, they hired a company called TacoXotic. But instead of having a wonderful reception filled with good food and fun times, the night ended with nearly 40 guests going to the emergency room, they explained in a viral TikTok.
The couple spoke with People about the experience, telling the outlet they found the company on Facebook. “They were advertising their catering services, and I was really drawn to the fact that they had vegan and vegetarian options. I spent weeks researching, checking Yelp and Google reviews, and everything looked fine at the time,” Azalea explained.
@earthtones___ 40+ of our guest including us got food poisoning at our wedding… we haven’t been able to fully soak in our day which sucks @TacoXotic take some accountability!!!!! Us and many others have had to go to the ER because of this!!!! #foodpoisoning #weddingday #weddingtiktok #tacoxotic #bayarea #badservice #nbcnews #newbayarea #localnews #ksbwnews #ksbw #kron4news #kion546 ♬ original sound – Earthtones
Things were a mess from the beginning of their wedding day.
On the day of their wedding, the caterer arrived later than the agreed upon time. Then it took them 45 minutes to start cooking for the waiting crowd. The couple and their guests were going to an overnight camp out, and needed to eat beforehand.
“We asked when the food would be ready, and they were unsure,” Azalea explained. “They just kind of paused, and eventually said 10 or 15 minutes — but that turned into over an hour.”
As if that wasn’t bad enough, the vendors were “unfriendly.”
Guests noticed the company was using questionable food handling practices.
“One of my family members saw them grab raw meat right before cooking the quesadilla,” Azalea explained. “In what world is that okay?”
Food was served nearly three hours behind schedule. And before the night was over, guests began to feel sick. Shawn explained that his sister-in-law and her boyfriend left early. “They told us later that they had started throwing up on the way home,” he shared. Other guests also shared that they were feeling sick, including the newly married couple and their children.
“I felt like passing out,” Azalea shared. “I kept throwing up every hour. Then my daughter woke up in the middle of the night and threw up all over herself.”
Guests began throwing up while camping, and eight to 10 people ended up in the hospital with food poisoning. “We couldn’t even enjoy the moment,” Shawn said.
Now, the company has ghosted them.
Of course, the couple reached out to TacoXotic about their experience. “We weren’t even asking for the deposit back,” Azalea explained. “Just the remaining balance, because we had to miss work, we had ER visits, and it just cost us so much more than just money.”
But they couldn’t get a hold of anyone at the company. “I messaged them on Facebook, no response. Texted them, nothing. Tried Instagram, TikTok, nothing. They blocked us,” she said. Their family members were also blocked by the company. That’s what forced them to post on TikTok.
“We just wanted to hold them accountable and prevent this from happening to anyone else. Food poisoning is serious — people could have died,” Shawn said. The couple has since reached out to the local health department, which is currently investigating.
