How to Ensure Bespoke Private Dining Experiences

There is beauty in bespoke, most especially when it comes to private dining in NYC. Now that restrictions are being lifted and the hospitality industry doors are flung open, people are starting to gather once more, preferably in small numbers. Not only is it safer, but private dining provides a space for families and friends to catch up with each other more intimately, without the movement and chatter of a larger crowd. 

In New York, the dining scene has always been thrilling. Eating out is a celebration. A small group of ten people can be whisked away into a semi-private section—still, a chance to revel in the restaurant setting, minus the unnecessary engagement with other diners. Or a larger group, tucked into another room for more privacy, especially when the program requires more regaling and amusement. Think of long toasts and dancing. Or, on the more somber, corporate side, a quiet atmosphere for important conversations.

It is quite different from eating out courtesy of New York restaurant gift cards. It is dining in with your selections, the things you love and lean into. True, the word bespoke has been overused, with some private dining in NYC producing less satisfying results than others. So how can you ensure yours is as personalized as it gets? Here are the ways:

Vetting the visuals

Bespoke is seen. While the décor of private dining rooms in New York has always been indulgent—grand paintings that fill the room with art, gorgeous chandeliers, cheerful seating that create the room’s character—one always presses for that space to customize appearances. Private dining rooms echo the overall motif of the whole restaurant, but luckily, this can be reconfigured to match the needs of their guests. The rule of thumb, most often, is that embellishments are allowed as long as they harmonize with the existing elements. 

By using the event space as a canvas, you can redecorate the space to match your dream event. A corporate ceremony? Punctuate the room with your business’ colors for a brand recall. Celebrating an anniversary? Take the guests back in time with the nostalgia of the couple's romance. Bring out the vintage spirit: sepia-colored photos and analog artifacts. Or, for the old Hollywood-inspired receptions, make the room glisten with crystal chandeliers, black-and-gold motifs, and an explosion of monochromatic bouquets. Private dining teams work with their clients to ensure that their client's vision comes to life.

Bring out your personal flavor

Nothing can be more bespoke than a private dining experience that offers food of your own picking. It is more than ordering from the already-set-up menu; guests have the capability to add a little more something to the current offerings. This, of course, with guidance from the in-house dining team. If they are a patron, some of these choices may come from the guest’s usual favorites. However, it is best to create new moods and tastes by sampling more of the restaurant’s offerings. Beautiful wine pairings, specially-made desserts, and seasonal menus can be pulled in upon request. All of this creates a wonderful bespoke private dining experience that is simply inimitable.

Service also adds to the atmosphere. Sit-down meals will require the dining team to prepare the meals and serve them simultaneously. The friendlier buffet-style dinners must be equally handled with perfection, ensuring that the food is contained safely and at the right temperature, to avoid affecting its make and flavor. The staff must be diligent and ready to please, able to handle different circumstances that may arise during the event, and ensuring that all things run as smoothly as possible. 

Consider the seating options

Restaurants have seating configurations by default, and with reason. Some private dining in New York likes to keep their seating arrangement as is, which may affect the seating capability of the room. When it comes to the number of seated guests, flexibility is important, which is why here at Union Square Café, we offer different seating options made to accommodate a wide variety of guests and preferences. Our Park & Irving Room accommodates up to 40 seated guests as they revel with the cocktails in the nearby Parlor Bay. For our full restaurant buyouts, we offer the main hall that can seat up to 90 guests. This can be extended for up to 150 people for a partially seated, cocktail-style event.

The Bottom Line

What makes private dining in NYC completely bespoke? It’s the atmosphere. It’s the food. It’s the service. It’s the little things that the dining team can adjust for you to ensure that everything sits right with your vision, from the décor, the audio-visual setup, to the extra chair required to seat a special guest. It takes a special kind of research to find that perfect private dining in NYC. But once you find it, that space becomes a second home you want to return to. ###