Catch of a Lifetime®
Blog
How it works
A supper club is either a classic Midwestern restaurant tradition, mostly in Wisconsin, built around a slow, ceremonial dinner, or the modern version: a recurring dinner that someone hosts for friends or strangers. Both share one idea: dinner isn't a transaction, it's the night out.
The Wisconsin supper club
In Wisconsin, supper clubs are destination restaurants, often out on a lake or a country road, with a ritual all their own:
- A brandy Old Fashioned at the bar first. Wisconsin's version is its own drink, different from the classic cocktail.
- The relish tray: a free spread of celery, carrots, radishes, olives, and sometimes cheese spread and crackers, before you order.
- Prime rib, steaks and the Friday fish fry, eaten slowly. Nobody rushes you.
Many of the most-searched supper clubs are exactly these: named local institutions people drive an hour for.
The modern supper club
The newer meaning is a dinner someone hosts on a regular schedule, monthly or every few weeks, at home, in a park, in a rented space or with a chef. Some are for friends of friends; some sell seats to strangers. The point is a long table and good conversation with people you might not have met otherwise.
How to start your own supper club
- Pick a format: potluck (everyone brings a dish), rotating hosts (each person hosts once), or a single host who cooks and splits the cost.
- Keep it small: 6–10 people is where conversation works.
- Set a rhythm: the same week every month, so people can plan around it.
- Mix the guest list: each member brings one new person now and then.
- Add a theme: a cuisine, a season, a "bring something you caught or foraged" night.
Take it outside
Some of the best supper clubs aren't indoors. Think a campfire cookout after a hike, a riverside fish fry after a morning on the water, or a potluck at a pavilion after a group paddle. Pair the meal with an outing and the conversation starts before anyone sits down. More ideas in how to actually meet people IRL.
Common questions
What is a supper club?
Either a classic Midwestern, mostly Wisconsin, restaurant tradition centered on a slow dinner with an Old Fashioned and a relish tray, or a modern recurring dinner someone hosts for friends or strangers.
What is served at a Wisconsin supper club?
Typically a brandy Old Fashioned, a complimentary relish tray, then prime rib, steaks or a Friday fish fry.
How do you start a supper club?
Choose a format (potluck, rotating hosts or one host), keep it to 6–10 people, meet on a regular schedule, and invite a new guest now and then.
How many people should be in a supper club?
About 6–10. That's enough for variety and small enough for one conversation around the table.