sporting - Leisure Opportunities

RESTAURANTS
MIXED FLAVOURS
Julie Cramer takes a look at some innovative dining concepts
that are attracting attention in Europe and the US
■ Disappearing Dining Club venues have included a mini department store, a converted railway arch and an art gallery
Disappearing Dining Club
W
e like grand spaces,
raw spaces, old spaces,
new spaces, up high
in the air spaces, or
deep underground spaces,” claims
the website of the ‘secret’ eating concept
called the Disappearing Dining
Club. Tapping into the growing
popularity for innovative ‘pop-up’
concepts which appear in unexpected
places, thrill and entertain
their customers and then disappear
again, DDC is the culinary
equivalent of another Londonbased
entertainment concept
called Secret Cinema (see Leisure
Management 2011, Issue 3).
The company throws dinner and
dance parties in venues such as empty
warehouses, isolated rooftops and
secret gardens throughout the year, as
well as hosting private events, wedding
parties, and art and music shows. It
also maintains a semi-permanent dining
space which changes periodically
(a new venue is due to open in east
London in the next few months).
The DDC’s monthly Dinner Dance
offering is targeted at groups of
friends who want a unique and quality
dining experience while also having
the opportunity to meet and mingle
with new people. At a cost of around
£50 per head guests get a welcome
glass of bubbly and canapés, followed
by a four course meal.
A Scandinavian-inspired event
recently featured a menu of Ballotine
"It really builds the
anticipation if people have
to go through an old shop
or down an alley to find us"
of Gravad Lax with Smoked Cod’s
Roe & Guinness Bread, Roast Beef
Rib, Baltic Hot Pot & Edwin’s Mustard
Relish, followed by Lingonberry
Pannacotta. Another event was held
in a four-storey department store in
London's East End, where guests
ate a different dinner course on each
fl oor, while enjoying a range of music
and entertainment.
The company also offers a selection
of private dining rooms where it
can cater for a minimum of eight and
a maximum of 250 guests. These
random spaces are converted into
restaurants for the night, and could
be anything from basements and lofts
around London to converted takeaway
restaurants, clothes shops and
launderettes.
DDC is the brainchild of Stuart
Langley, who has a background in
bars, restaurants, private members’
clubs, events and festivals.
He says: “We held our first dinner
party in October 2010 and I invited
30 friends. For our second event,
those 30 friends brought 30 of their
friends, and for our third event, we
didn't know any of our guests.”
Since then, he says, the business
has gone from strength to
strength. Working with business partner
and Danish chef, Fred Bolin,
Langley now runs two regular monthly
events, and two to three private dining
experiences per week.
“We’re constantly searching for unusual
venues," says Langley. "It really
builds the anticipation if people have
to go through an old shop or down a
long alley to find us. Our business is
all about the food and the spaces,
and what happens when people come
together to share the experience.”
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Read Leisure Management online leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital ISSUE 2 2012 © cybertrek 2012