Job losses, foreclosures and plummeting investments leaves people hungering for little luxuries including restaurant meals, expensive lipsticks, movies and a sense of community. Dining Clubs have been sprouting up in cities and towns across the United States since 2004 – some so secret that even those-in-the-know must apply before being permitted to dine. Numerous private dining organizations are available in U.S. cities and around the world—in suburban apartments in Vienna, in townhouses in Vienna and parking lots in Melbourne.
As with any trend, there’s a tracking organization and in the instance of dining clubs there’s Ghetto, founded by Jeremy Townsend. “Any night of the week you can go out to dinner, but this is unique,” said Townsend. “People don’t want a cookie-cutter experience and prefer a shared encounter with some meaning and authenticity,” continued Townsend. According to Ghetto, theghet.com, the number of underground restaurants in 2009 is up to 70, a 100% increase from 2008.
Limiting membership and having chefs tailor-make the menu are two of the benefits of underground dining. Guests mingle with strangers, who fast become friends, who have similar interests. The young, hip and affluent enjoy the clandestine possibility of making a love connection or a career contact in a controlled environment.
James Beard House
In years past dining clubs have catered to an older crowd and most were steeped in arcane traditions. Chaine de Rotisseurs, the Hasty Pudding Club at Harvard and the Dames d’Escoffier are examples. Applications must be considered and rules observed. Attendance at a specific number of dinners is required along with manner of dress and hefty dues. An exception is the James Beard House in New York an elegant townhouse owned by the acclaimed chef who specified in his will that the house be turned into showcase for by invitation only chefs. 120 guests are accommodated for the events that encourage people to wander in and out of the open kitchen during preparation.
Patricia Cobe, Senior Editor of Restaurant Business Magazine says, "Today's dining clubs are a way to differentiate a restaurant from the competition. They make members feel pampered and special—a surefire strategy for building loyalty and repeat visits. Under the supervision of the restaurant chef, these clubs are more likely to offer inspired, top-quality food while retaining an exclusive feel." ??
Atlanta’s “Rogue Apron” was founded in 2008. “Our first event, a St. Patty’s Day feast was postponed due to the damage from a tornado and the 30 guests climbed over power lines and felled trees to attend.” Today membership is at 1,100 and growing. “We are passionate about locally grown food, supporting our community and a love of meeting great people,” says founder Lady Rogue. Reeling from the implosion of the “go-getter lifestyle,” the group is rebuilding in-person connections that have been lost to the virtual reality of the Internet.
Food critic, cookbook author and poet Jen Karetnick says, “Today's Dining Clubs take a very different approach. In addition to feeding and educating their members they attract a new clientele to worthy locales. They have a vested interest in keeping their favorites in business, and this means sharing the secret.”
Dining Clubs Around the Country
Geography is the starting point for many dining clubs and they cross the country paying tribute to regional cuisine. Fiore Tedesco wields the whisk at Brooklyn Laundry dining club, which she founded in May 2007. Jimi Hatt founded Guerilla Cuisine in Charleston, South Carolina. “We have a unique, approach to dining, art and music. Each event is a collaborative effort bringing together chefs, farmers, artists and the adventurous to create a singular experience,” says Hatt.
Miami has two underground dining clubs that were willing to have their names mentioned. The Chefs Club, founded by publicist Larry Carrino and Chef Adam Votaw in 2006. And, in homage to the Algonquin Round Table, Giselle Ferro founded the Algonquin Dinner Club in February 2009.
Mia Littlejohn with Heather Brown runs Table an underground restaurant in Boulder, CO. Littlejohn is also an editor of DiningOut Magazine.
According to Josh Tyson, DiningOut Magazines’ Group Managing Editor, “the allure of a clandestine, privileged night of food and drink is enticing to modern foodies. The underground restaurant is destined, by its very nature, to remain a fringe experience.” Tyson continues, “National trends indicate that the recession is causing bigger ticket restaurants to lose revenue to budget-minded establishments. There seems to be a real movement toward logical dining, whether it's happening at a burger counter or at a communal table in the back of a wine shop.”
An Internet search will unmask clubs in most cities with different admission policies, unique themes and varied membership. The common thread across the country is community, creativity and good food.
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