New Orleans-based pop-up dinner organizer Dinner Lab has expanded its members-only dining concept to St. Louis. The company hosts meals prepared by aspiring chefs for a crowd of 80 to 100 adventurous eaters.
“Dinner Lab is a platform for up-and-coming chefs to put forth a menu that they are really passionate about (and) that they don’t necessarily get to cook at their day-to-day restaurant,” said Drew Barrett, Dinner Lab’s chief operating officer. Chefs also get quality feedback from the Dinner Lab community, he added.
Company founders Brian Bourdainick and Paco Roberts hosted the first Dinner Lab in New Orleans in fall 2012. They have since expanded the concept to 19 cities; Barrett said Dinner Lab added St. Louis to its roster last week, the end of June.
Unlike some underground dinners or pop-ups, this dinner club operates as a subscription service. Members pay a $125 annual fee, which gives them access to the calendar of events for all cities where Dinner Lab operates. Guests then typically pay $55 for each five-course dinner, including alcoholic beverages and gratuity. “The membership fee is really set up not to create exclusivity but just to help subsidize the cost of putting on these events,” Barrett said. “At a $55 price point – gratuity and alcohol included – it’s a pretty good value.”
Dinner Lab offers anywhere between 30 and 60 events a year in each of its cities. While the majority of events feature local chefs, the company also brings in culinarians from other markets. Event locations are usually in nontraditional spaces.
The first Dinner Lab event in St. Louis is scheduled for Aug. 14 and will feature a multi-course Colombian meal by Dinner Lab culinary director, chef Mario Rodriguez. Barrett said the company has been in contact with St. Louis chefs to participate in future dinners.
-photo courtesy of Dinner Lab
Editor’s note: This report originally described the first meal as Columbian. It has been updated.Â
This article appears in Readers’ Choice 2014.