Raleigh’s Best Restaurants for Supper Clubs
Many people consider supper an obsolete word that’s synonymous with dinner, but in North Carolina, most families called their midday meal “dinner” and their evening meal “supper” until the mid-1950s, if not longer. While your older relatives might still ask you what you want for supper (bless their hearts), these days you’re most likely to hear the word supper around Raleigh when people talk about going out to eat each month with their supper club. Of course, there are probably a few outliers who refer to their group as a dinner club, but the next time you see a group of adults laughing and telling stories over a meal at one of Raleigh’s best restaurants for group dining, it’s most likely a supper club.
Whether you’re already part of a supper club and you’ve been dining together for decades or you’re just getting your supper club started, knowing how to choose the right restaurant is one of the best ways to ensure a positive supper club experience.
4 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Restaurant for a Supper Club
- Does the restaurant have designated group dining areas?
If the restaurant has private rooms or special areas designated for group dining, that’s a good sign that the servers, chefs, and staff have quite a bit of experience serving group dinners. If you want everyone in your supper club to rave about the impeccable service during your meal, make sure you choose a restaurant with designated group dining areas.
- Is the group dining area private or semi-private?
Once you’ve confirmed that the restaurant has a designated area for group dining, find out if they have a fully private group dining room, a semi-private dining area, or both. The number of people in your supper club will probably be the determining factor in whether you dine in the fully private dining room or the semi-private dining area, so make sure to ask about size limitations for each space.
- Do groups order from the standard menu?
Asking about the menu is a simple way to find the best Raleigh restaurants for group dining: If the restaurant’s chefs create custom menus for group dinners, you’re almost guaranteed to have a stellar group dining experience. Everyone at the table will feel extra special when ordering from a menu that the chefs designed just for your group, but that isn’t even the best thing about a custom menu.
When you’re dining with a group, the best thing about ordering from a custom menu is that the chefs plan ahead and create the menu with intention. For each course on the menu, the chefs select dishes with similar cooking times to ensure that everyone’s food will arrive at the same time. A thoughtfully planned custom group menu will set the tone for the evening and will make the entire meal seem effortlessly smooth.
- Are there reviews online from other supper clubs?
Before you make your reservation, check reviews on the restaurant’s website and social media pages for personal anecdotes about group dining experiences at the restaurant. Most people don’t remember to leave reviews after they’ve had a positive experience at a restaurant, so if a restaurant has multiple glowing reviews about group dining, you’ve found a winner. Go ahead and make reservations for your supper club before someone else books the group dining area.
Raleigh supper clubs have been gathering at Margaux’s in Brennan Station for more than 30 years. If you want to host your next supper club at Raleigh’s best restaurant for group dining, make reservations at Margaux’s today.