Xtra Pair of Hands DC

The service was outstanding. I met with Donna and Steve a few weeks before to go over what I needed. During the party, Steve provided all I requested and more. His work not only allowed me to fully enjoy my party, but he added nice finishing touches that I would not have thought of. It was a tremendous help -- and the fee was also very reasonable. I could not be happier with the job they did.

Here is what I wrote to owner Donna, after the event: Donna, Thank you for sending Deanne. She was perfect in every way and helped me out SO much. I was behind in the preparations when she arrived and she jumped right in and made everything happen. She knew exactly how to do things and made good suggestions too. She had the perfect demeanor with my guests. Somehow she had time to do all the dishes too, which I didn't expect, so when everyone left, I had very little to do. I couldn't be happier that I called you for the extra set of hands and I couldn't be happier with Deanne. Please call me for the credit card number when you get a chance. Thanks again, P.S. Please pass this on to Deanne

Absolutely the best! I am so grateful that Steve Martelli came to shoulder all the work/decisions/responsibilities for me as family and friends gathered after my husband's memorial service. Steve was wonderful! From my bare-bones directions he created a wonderful display of the refreshments, set up the outdoor refreshment table, even used some of my kitchen linens to set off the desserts. It made it so much easier to face the afternoon's gathering, knowing I didn't have to worry about any of the arrangements, or recruit family members to help me out. We were able to gather and remember my husband, and drink a toast in his honor. And then Steve cleared up the kitchen! I recommend this organization enthusiastically--they made that difficult day much easier. Hire them!

Sandra and Steve knew exactly what to do from the moment they arrived. They were friendly and very hard working. It was the best decision I made surround the birthday party for my wife.

Donna was wonderful. Very attentive and professional.

Xtra Pair of Hands was terrific. They were easy to coordinate with, charged a very fair price, and did a great job of helping get everything ready so that our guests could immediately enjoy the party. They worked constantly throughout the evening, interacting well with the guests and always working on the next task. I would hire them again and recommend them very highly.

It was perfect...i hardly needed to be consulted...they knew just what to do!! I plan to have Donna and Co. for all future occasions when i need helping hands!

I contacted Donna, the owner, two to three weeks in advance of the event. A 40th wedding Anniversary celebration for 22 guests in my house. I described my requirements and Donna assigned a two woman team to support our event. I requested 5 hours of support for the event. The team arrived 15 minutes early and immediately went to work. They helped to set up food warming trays, filled them with food, and set beverage dispensers. The team seamlessly faded into the background and unobtrusively offered help to the guests and my wife, the hostess of the event. They offered food refills, refilled wine glasses, offered tea, and water to the guest. They served desert and facilitated refilling the wine glasses for toasting by the guests. They throughly cleaned the kitchen and all the dishes before they departed.

The provider, Xtra Pair of Hands, was responsive (on very short notice), professional and a pleasure to work with. I needed someone to provide all-around help with an informal BBQ for 30 people at my home. Steve exceeded my expectations - he showed up right on time to help with preparations, helped set up warming trays for hot food from the caterer, grilled some burgers, set up and replenished a tub of drinks and ice, welcomed and guided guests, made lots of great suggestions, brought out food and encouraged guests to eat, helped clean up during and after the BBQ, even made doggy bags for guests to take home with them. He was calm, courteous and very attentive and hard-working throughout. I barely had to ask him to do anything, he anticipated everything and knew from experience the best way to do it, checking with me first ("maybe I should bring out the ice cream now?"), but making sure things got done at the right time. In short, he was outstanding and I will definitely ask for him the next time I have an event at my house. Donna, the manager/owner, was also a delight to work with, answered my emails quickly and followed up conscientiously on every question and request. I highly recommend her company.

Sandra was very unobtrusive and blended in with the other guests... she kept buffet table supplied and helped the party run smoothly, organized birthday presents and cleaned up aftas people finished eating.She was very personable and helpful, not just to the hostess, but to all the guests.

I had Donna the owner come out before the party to walk through and organize our planning thoughts. We gave updates on party status by phone a few times over the course of about a month leading up to the party. She was incredible from the get go. She drove up into my garage attached to my town house and I knew when she first approached me she was the right person to handle this job. She listens and makes great suggestions. You have to let her know what you want and get her feedback. Most importantly you provide what you agree on and step back when she and her team arrive. They truly do take over and they know what they are doing!! You get to totally relax and enjoy your event. This company is amazing she will work with you on how many people you need but she knows best but is willing to negotiate. Bottom line you might as well let her run the show and enjoy your guests you will not regret having her. Her bartenders and servers were incredible very professional and liked by all. Everyone asked me for her business cards after the event. She made me fill like a princess that day and I wasn't even the bride.

Donna (owner, food service) and Bo (bartender) were phenomenal. They kept everything going like clockwork. We couldn't have done it without them. We will definitely use their services again.

Wow, what a help! Xtra pair of hands helped me prepare for the event by calling to check on the memorial service planning details during the week and provided me with reassurance and recommendations via e-mail to ensure the event would go without a hitch. On the day of the event, they showed up right on time and went right to work unloading the car, setting things up, and working with everyone who had come to help with tact and professionalism. They handled the work so well that they put everyone at ease. I could not ask for a better group of people to help me. I will definitely want them to help me out again!

Donna (the owner) personally came and was one of my food servers. Every detail of the party was attended to. Food was always refilled at the buffet, the entry door was manned so that guests were greeted at the door, and the bartender was amazing. I felt her pricing was very reasonable for the outstanding service provided. She was extremely polite and professional in every way. I will definitely use this service over and over!

The service could not have been better and the price was extremely reasonable for such no-hassle, carefree help at a party. I had to do almost nothing to serve the guests, keep them happy and clean up. I will definitely be a repeat customer. This is a great service where you want to provide the food and drinks yourself but need someone to tend bar and serve.

Steve was assigned to our party. He was FABULOUS! OMG! He was a gift from the heavens. We had a few catering glitches that delayed me from meeting him at the designated time, but even though I was not there to meet him, he took control and started setting up for the party. Throughout the evening he was amazing with discretely replenishing food, picking up discarded plates, refilling the beverage stations, taking out trash? etc. Many of my guests kept commenting non-stop how they plan to use the service for their next function. Steve had a wonderful pleasant demeanor about him. In sum, service was EXCEPTIONAL!! The extra ?helping hand? saved the day!! Very professional support. I definitely will be calling them the next time we have a function.

Donna arrived on time looking neat and professional. She went above and beyond the call of duty-- making salad dressings, arranging platters, setting the tables, serving drinks and food, hand washing all the glassware and dishes, AND taking out all the trash! For the first time EVER I was able to enjoy my guests and not feel stressed out and exhausted. Instead of hours of cleanup following my party, I was able to take a nap. Ahhhh.... :) I would definitely use Donna again. She's extremely friendly and very affordable considering the quality of her work. A+++!

Great work. Serving food, making sure beer and wine were cold, and fantastic cleanup. Yahoo!

They arrived and got familiar with where they would be working. They showed up on time and were professional in appearance. They assisted with setting up an area for the bar, putting out food, replenishing food and cleaning up They took good care of our guests and good care of our fine service pieces as well. We will have them back for our next party.

Donna arrived on time and was ready to start right away. She was very friendly and quickly understood what needed to be done. She made all the difference that night and we will definitely hire her again for our next party.

I had thrown summer parties in our backyard over the years for various occasions. It's my favorite venue, even though you are always flirting with the risk of a summer storm. We were expecting a large crowd. When I settled on Donna, I was still undecided about the food - do I prepare it myself like at past parties? I asked Donna about caterers she had worked with and she gave me a few names and numbers. Among those were Karen Lippold (www.gourmetbykaren.com) who prepared and delivered the food an hour or so before the party began. The combination was PERFECT! Donna had worked with Karen before and they worked beautifully together at our party, too! The Xtra Pair of Hands team of Donna, Romena, and Bill slipped right into action when they arrived, arranging the food, beverages, and even helping with some last-minute decorating. Things couldn't have been more perfect, and we couldn't have been more ready for our party. All things were right on time. The evening was seamless, fun, and everything ran as scheduled, including a rain-free night. Donna very nicely kept me out of the kitchen, and followed up expertly with me on everything right through to the timing of the champagne toast and cake-cutting. Bill, our bartender, beautifully arranged his work space in the backyard, mingled nicely with our guests, and made sure that I had a glass of wine to enjoy, too. Romena helped with everything from greeting, serving, and even decorating. I wanted to add a salmon dish to the buffet that night, and I gave Romena just a few quick directions. She cooked, garnished and displayed the dish to the delight of our guests. Donna and her team worked together beautifully and professionally and all of our guests appreciated it. What a wonderful experience thanks to Donna Morris and Xtra Pair of Hands DC! They were awesome.

Donna went out of her way to meet with us at the venue a few weeks before, which was very helpful and extremely nice. She helped us decide on the timing of the event and a lot of small details about serving sizes, number of dishes and place settings, and other details that we did not think about. On the day, she arrived extra early to meet all the vendors and delivery trucks. The rest of her staff arrived a bit later and she quickly organized them for their tasks. Donna was also very helpful with the guests and kept the reception going very smoothly. My wife and I left the reception early, but I know she stayed a bit later to clean up and pack all of plates and leftovers. We couldn't be happier!

I was planning a staff appreciation party at my home and decided to seek help because of the anticipated number of attendees (about 90). Company owner Donna Morris was wonderful; she responded right away and we made an appointment for a site visit. She came on a Sunday afternoon, which was very convenient for me. Donna gave great tips; after a walk through of the house and yard in which she advised about guest flow, seating placement, etc., she sat and reviewed my menu and helped me with estimates on liquor and other items. She provided 3 staff for my party; a bartender and two host/servers. What a difference professional help makes!! In all my years of party giving, this was the first time I felt totally relaxed and that I was able to fully circulate and spend all of my time with my guests--it was wonderful! "Jose" was a terrific bartender; very personable and engaging with the guests. He helped me keep tabs on who might be over-indulging so that we could summon transportation to keep everybody safe; very helpful. "Jackie" and "Stephen" were masters of organization and control in the dining room/kitchen. They reorganized my set up and the flow was much better. Since it was an indoor/outdoor party/BBQ they kept track of the steamer trays, things that needed to be iced, etc. They would circulate outdoors with appetizers and snacks and they took orders and brought people ice cream and such. The best part was having them stay for an hour after the party to manage the clean-up--FABULOUS!

Bo arrived right on time, did a nice job setting up the bar and then proved to be a courteous and skillful bartender for our party. After the guests left he cleaned up. Exactly what we wanted.

Donna performed well above our expectations. She was easy to work with, really accommodating, flexible, and did much more than we asked. She had good ideas and was available to help with whatever was needed. From the moment we met her, she was professional, warm, and fit in like a member of the family. Donna helped to make the event fun and stress free. We can't say enough good things about her. She is truly an extra pair of hands, and more.