Why Pop-Up Dinners Beat Restaurant Dining Any Day

It’s Friday night, you and your spouse are starving and one of you asks the questions: “Where do you want to eat tonight?” Forty-five minutes later you’re both still sitting in the car, tired and frustrated because you’ve run through an entire list of acceptable restaurants that all just sound blah.

Been there? Me too–more often than I’d like to admit, but the next week I’m right back at it, looking for a place to go with great food, a good atmosphere, and a decent price to no avail…

Until my discovery of the Pop-Up Dinner. Sweet relief from the weekly date-night quarrel is finally here, folks!

Pop-Up Dinners or Supper Clubs (if you’re feeling fancy) are smaller, chefs-table style dinners that offer that little something extra most of us are looking for when we dine out. They’re more intimate than a typical restaurant and actually give you access to the chef and the ingredients used in each menu.

I’ve become quite a fan of the Pop-Up Dinner, and I’d even argue it beats restaurant dining just about any day. Here’s why:

1. Pop-Up Dinners are experiential

When you dine at a pop-up dinner, you’re getting an experience that goes far beyond just great tasting food. Each unique venue offers a different look and feel that can flex to match the ambiance of the evening’s menu. Before each course, it’s not uncommon for the chef to explain the plate in front of you, sharing his or her inspiration for the dish. The entire dinner feels like you’ve hired a private chef for the night.

2. Pop-Up Dinners create relationships

With family-style seating, it’s hard not to form new friendships when dining so closely with other food-enthusiasts. You’d be surprised how personal a pop-up dinner full of strangers becomes after sipping wine and breaking bread together. The shared table experience just naturally brings people together over their common love of food.

3. Pop-Up Dinners are cheaper

Dinners are usually priced by the number of courses and actual food cost because the chef doesn’t have to worry about the overhead of brick and mortar restaurant. This means you can score a six course, 5-star restaurant quality meal for around 80 bucks. The guests also bypass the necessity of gratuity, making a full course meal for two incredibly affordable.

Don’t just take my word for it though. If you haven’t experienced a pop-up dinner yet, you’re in luck. The Living Room plays host to these intimate evenings about twice a month. Hop on our email list and you’ll be the first to know about our upcoming dinners.

Happy dining!