thinking of starting a "supper club", advice needed.
Sooo.....I've been toying around with the idea of starting a "supper club" (and by "supper club" i mean underground restaurant) for awhile.
I'm curious to hear if any Serious Eaters have had any experience with this sort of thing, and any advice that you might have to offer as a result. Said advice could include "bad idea, don't do it!" or whatever (it seemed like the jury was still a little out re: good idea/bad idea on the oct 28 thread about secret supper clubs).
Basically, I'm interested in meeting other people who love food, cooking for a semi-appreciative audience, and doing something new/entertaining-ish. (well, i'm hoping for a little more than that, but I'm not sure how to articulate it at the moment). I'm not looking to make any money off the venture - I'd like to recoup the money spent on ingredients, but that's about it.
I live in the willamette valley, which has lovely produce, so I'd mostly be cooking seasonal/local/etc, good tasting, honest food. Probably no foam. Not that I am inherently against foam, it's just not where i'm at right now on the chez panisse-alinea continuum.
anyway. consider your thoughts solicited.
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9 Comments:
I am sure if you go to egullet or chowhound and post to the local area you will find others willing to do something like that.
JerzeeTomato at 1:50AM on 12/02/08
From the minimal amount I know, these things often start with friends of the cook, who then tell other friends, and pretty soon you have a large enough group so that you're guaranteed to have people at each dinner.
Starting with complete strangers sounds like it might be a bit more difficult, but not impossible. If you start with friends, eventually you'd have a houseful of complete strangers, but they'd all be referred by someone else, so you wouldn't have to find them, they'd find you.
If you're only charging enough to recover costs, you wouldn't be dealing with pesky tax issues like profits, but it might be a good idea to save receipts, just in case someone claims that you are making profits.
As far as health codes and all that, I have a feeling that these things will get hammered out in local courts sooner or later. If my in-laws pitched in for the cost of the Thanksgiving feast, I don't think that would push me over into "restaurant" status, so there's no need to worry about the health inspector. If I asked fifty strangers to chip in for dinner every night of the week, that probably would be considered a restaurant. (Making a profit is not a criteria for legally being considered a business.) Somewhere in between there is a gray area where these supper clubs exist. They're probably not illegal unless there's a law specifically against something that you're doing, and that probably varies depending on local laws. I'd worry less about that, though, that I'd (personally) worry about somebody suing me for something or having some keptomaniac wandering through my house picking up things.
As far as the suing, that's another case where courts will be making decisions, I'm sure. Like, if that stranger who chipped in for costs also chipped a tooth when he tripped over a rug and fell, will your homeowner's insurance cover it?
But then again, I tend to look at all the negatives. I wouldn't want a bunch of strangers in my house, and I wouldn't want to work my butt off alone to feed them and then clean up afterward. On the other hand, I think variations of the theme might be fun.
Personally, I'd like to find a group of food lovers who would meet regularly and split the costs and the efforts. People who can't cook could help with shopping, prepping, or cleanup. Or if it meets at the same house all the time (you'd need a decent-sized kitchen where people could work together comfortably) maybe that person wouldn't have to do any work (or if they wanted to work, they wouldn't have to pay), since they're providing the space and equipment.
In any case, good luck with it. These things seem to be gaining in popularity, so there are probably some people who can give you some insight based on what they've already done.
dbcurrie at 2:33AM on 12/02/08
Is this in Oregon, I would join if you would allow me, I live in Seattle and it does not take that long (if I go before traffic or hwy work) to get there.
pjracz10 at 2:39AM on 12/02/08
I think a good question to ask yourself before you begin is what do you want to 'get out of' the experience that you couldn't having friends over on a regular basis and splitting the costs. Starting with foodie friends is probably a must--from a safety issue, I probably wouldn't advertise for total strangers to come to the home.
Why not start with friends and co-workers you know would be receptive to the idea--OR take a cooking class somewhere locally, and if you like the people, ask them to your first 'event' since they might be receptive to the idea, given a common interest in food.
Do remember though, as dbcurrie said, there are legal issues--safety, food poisoning, and also alcohol consumption.
HeartofGlass at 8:19AM on 12/02/08
My friends and I tried a "Traveling Feast" which you may want to consider to start out with -- sort of lets you know who would be interested in helping out and participating and who would be appreciative recipients of all of your hard work. We had each of us prepare a part of the meal (starter, soup, salad, entree, dessert) and we started out at the "starters" house and worked our way through the meal. Rent a limo for the evening to get to the house of the next "course" so that everyone can enjoy the wine pairings or cocktails that go with each course. If everyone splits the cost of the limo, and everyone is only preparing one part of the meal, then it cuts the cost down for everyone. We had some who simply participated at eaters...it was really fun for them.
Speaking from a legal standpoint (I work at a lawfirm) I would be very careful setting up an actual "underground restaurant" for complete strangers. People are extremely litigious out there and you don't want to set yourself up for a disaster. Better to do something like this for appreciative friends....
juliebugsmama at 1:36PM on 12/02/08
If you are worried about lawsuits, I would check out this website:
http://personalchefinsurance.com/
That's the insurance I'm going to get once my health issues clear up and I can start doing personal chef stuff...
KateRuby at 2:11PM on 12/02/08
My gourmet group in NYC consisted of seven friends who love to cook and love great food. Each month, one member would cook dinner, soup to nuts, for the seven of us plus one guest of the host's choice. Each member would be financially responsible for the dinner he or she prepared.
We booked our dinners six months at a time and dates were non-negotiable. These dinners were seriously choreographed culinary experiences and if one or another member decided to beg off, it was very disrespectful to the host of that month's dinner. Everyone lived within these guidelines with no trouble.
The only dinners that sort of went outside the lines were our summer BBQ's to which we all contributed a dish and invited other guests; and our Christmas party which operated by the same philosophy.
We all loved it and did it for nearly two years until I moved to Colorado. Apparently, I was the primary sparkplug and organizer (and founder) of the group and they couldn't keep up with it in my absence. They still pine for those days. As do I.
therealchiffonade at 2:26PM on 12/02/08
Check out this great article that appeared in the NY Times this past August. I recently went to the Undergrounds Unite dinner here in NYC. It was 5 different supper clubs that came together to put on a big dinner. It was a fantastic event and showed how much interest there is in the supper clubs. As someone who goes to the supper clubs (as opposed to hosts), I can say that I am happy to bring wine/drinks and also contribute $$ (I don't expect that the chef foots the bill).
I would, however, be wary of potential health code/regulatory issues.
www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/dining/27boar.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=underground supper club&st=cse
Emmi24g at 7:11PM on 12/02/08
Just do it. Naysayers be damned. I run an underground spot in Seattle and it's a blast. We just invite friends and friends of friends. The key to avioding trouble is keep it small.
sailordave at 10:23PM on 12/02/08