People ask us this a lot. Is a supper club a restaurant? A private party? Something else?
Here is the short version, then the detail.
What is a supper club?
A supper club is a shared dinner at one table, built around a seasonal menu, with a limited number of seats. You do not plan it, shop for it, cook it, or clean it up. You just show up and sit down.
Thursday Dinners runs a seasonal supper club in Chicago on that same idea. We pick a date, build the menu, and open a small number of seats.
How does a supper club night work?
The night runs family-style, at one table, with everyone seated together.
The menu changes with what is good that week. We shop Green City Market when it runs, Dill Pickle Food Co-op, Local Foods, and a short list of butchers and fishmongers we trust. A dinner built in July looks different from one built in November.
Locations move around the city by season and space. A borrowed dining room one month. A backyard the next, when the weather earns it. The format stays the same either way. One table, one menu, everyone seated together.
How is a supper club different from a private chef dinner?
A private chef dinner is fully yours. Your guest list, your space, a menu built around your occasion. A supper club is a shared table with other guests you may not know yet.
If you want the whole room to yourselves, a private chef booking is the better fit. If you want a night out with more conversation and less to organize, the supper club is the one.
Who is a supper club good for?
- Mixed friend groups who want a night out that is not a restaurant reservation
- Couples who want something with more texture than dinner and a movie
- Anyone newer to a neighborhood who wants to eat well without organizing a big group of their own
- Anyone who has hosted enough dinner parties to know they would rather sit down for this one
It also fits if you like the private chef idea but do not have eight friends free the same Tuesday.
How do you book a seat?
Supper club dates are limited on purpose. Seats and pricing are set per date, not sold off a fixed menu.
The best way to find out what is coming up is to send a booking inquiry. Tell us how many seats you need and any allergies or dishes to avoid. We will fit you in, or point you to the next open date.