$126K Per Year Hosting Monthly Dinner Parties

📝 agotterer writes…

A friend and I host a monthly dinner club for people interested in ethnic cuisine. We work with a single restaurant each month to create an 8-12 course all inclusive prix fixe menu.

They started in 2023 with 13 friends. The idea: pick a restaurant on a slow night (Tue/Wed), negotiate an all-in per-seat price covering food, drinks, tip and tax, then sell tickets to members with a margin on top.

We might go to an Indian restaurant and focus the event on only the southern regional dishes. Many times we have dishes that are off menu specially for our event.

It grew entirely through word-of-mouth. A local newspaper article was the biggest driver, then Facebook food groups and Instagram shares. They’ve never spent a penny on marketing.

🤑 By 2025: 1,099 guests served across 44 restaurants…

• Average ticket: $115
• Revenue: $126K
• Margin: ~20% ($25K profit, split between two)

The model is elegant: restaurants on slow nights are happy to have guaranteed covers. You don’t need a kitchen, staff, or inventory – just curation and community-building skills.

Could work in any city. Restaurants on Tue/Wed nights are often half-empty and would jump at 40+ guaranteed covers.

Great networking play too – you’re hosting events where interesting people gather, which could lead to other opportunities 😎