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Underground restaurants are in huge demand in the other big cities, a Chef friend and I are thinking of starting one. The way it works- you make a reservstion, arrive in a private residence and enjoy a 4 course upscale dining experence prepared by a real Chef complete with cocktails and wine. Maximum 10 people per event, a way to meet new people and have a great meal. Does thissound good to you? if so please post your opinions and if we see intrest we will post a contact for you to make a reservation.

I like the idea.

I do hope you are financially self-sufficient though, and you won't require this effort to produce enough income to be profitable for all concerned.

Sorry, I know how hard it can be to be financially successful.

(Humor Note: Have you considered 10 people at a table, dangling from a crane, 100 feet in the air?)

http://www.dinnerinthesky.com/dits_dinner/index.php

I am assuming that the dinner would be held at one of the 10 people's houses...right?

I wouldn't mind GOING to one of these; however, if it was to be at my house I would just as soon do the cooking myself. Not that I'm a chef, far from it, but I am able to cook for 10. I think you'll find that many on this board can cook above average. And it would seem that getting your house ready for a dinner would be almost as much work as just doing the entire thing yourself. Just my immediate thoughts.

Convince me otherwise.....I'm interested.

I was pretty much thinking along the same lines as EAC. If I'm going to host a dinner party for 10 people, I want to showcase MY cooking. I too love it when people praise my cooking, presentation, wine parings, ect. I wouldn't be interested in having someone come over and do the fun part for me. If you want to come over and scrub toilets, feel free, I pay well.

Or is that not how this works??

justagirl wrote:I was pretty much thinking along the same lines as EAC. If I'm going to host a dinner party for 10 people, I want to showcase MY cooking. I too love it when people praise my cooking, presentation, wine parings, ect. I wouldn't be interested in having someone come over and do the fun part for me. If you want to come over and scrub toilets, feel free, I pay well.

Or is that not how this works??

LOL you'll do anything to get someone to clean your bathroom for you...I'm onto you:p

noladiner wrote:Underground restaurants are in huge demand in the other big cities, a Chef friend and I are thinking of starting one. The way it works- you make a reservstion, arrive in a private residence and enjoy a 4 course upscale dining experence prepared by a real Chef complete with cocktails and wine. Maximum 10 people per event, a way to meet new people and have a great meal. Does thissound good to you? if so please post your opinions and if we see intrest we will post a contact for you to make a reservation.

I'd be interested, but I would absolutely want the option of paying separately for the wine and cocktails.

Friends, this is a very lucrative way for a chef to earn $$$$.
There's no overhead (such as rent, taxes, etc) - except for the food costs and sometimes the help (often they work for just tips & food).

The hosting is done by someone who is hip to this idea, has the space & gets a free meal. Not everyone would have to clean their house to have a dinner party either (of course, I'm not one of them). But I could have a garden party with no problem!

The attractive thing about this kind of gig is the mystique of going somewhere to have a meal that is virtually unknown than to anyone other than the staff & the other 9 diners. It's an underground secret, the location is not announced publically and you have to pay first & then just before the dinner happens you receive location info. It's kept very hush hush.

This sort of thing is very popular in NY where rent is sky high & there are an abundance of chefs. There was a similar sort of underground "restaurant" here in New Orleans, preK in an office bldg in a location that will remain unnamed. You showed up & you got what was on the menu for that day.
Everyone ate the same thing. I recall another couple of places, but in private homes that fit these descriptions.

If you want more info, google Ghetto Gourmet & that should give you a glimpse of the big picture of this kind of biz. Ghetto Gourmet actually roams a bit into other cities as well.

on Bourdain's No Reservations Pacific Northwest show, he went to an underground dinner in Seattle. with him as guest, not chef, tickets were $400 a piece.

I guess you all have me at an informational disadvantage. Assuming you have a group who sets up to operate such an enterprise - Manager, Chef, and Assistants (to buy and transport materials, to preclean, set up, prepare/cook, serve, clean up):

Is the dinner location (house, etc.) the property of the enterprise (fixed location), or the property of one of the diners (moves every dinner)?

Does the enterprise have these dinners occasionally (Fri. or Sat.), or is the intention to try to book one every day of the week if possible?

Do the enterprise personnel rely on this endeavour for their principle annual income, or do they also have "other jobs"?

Isn't this just a marketing twist on "catering"? Sounds a little sexier than catering I must admit.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/r ... ste18.html

http://www.michaelstajer.com/2006/09/on ... n-san.html

these articles explain it a bit