How to Organize a Supper Club

April / May 2021
Starting a Supper Club
Most people I know are craving to spend time with family and friends. It has been 14 months of Covid-19 restrictions. My Supper Club group has not had a formal gathering during this time but we have had lots of outdoor get-togethers. If you have ever thought about starting a Supper Club now might be a good time to do it (if everyone is vaccinated of course)! 

Supper Club is an important part of my family’s life. I have participated in various Supper Clubs for 21 years. The people, location, and “rules” have evolved but the sole purpose has never changed: spending quality time with friends on a regular basis.

It all started when a good friend, Sharla, in Gulf Breeze, Florida suggested we start a girl’s and kids Thursday night get together at her home. Sharla had the nicest house of the bunch; it was very conducive to FUN!  She had a beautiful swimming pool connected to her living room via a wall of sliding glass doors. We socialized, with cocktails in hand, while our young kids burned off energy swimming and playing.  It was a welcome release for all of us. My friend’s and I talked about our week: the good, bad, and the ugly. Each week we rotated bringing an entrée and on occasion our husband’s would join us and other friends.  We looked forward to it week after week. Lives change through the years and eventually our Supper Club fizzled out. We continued to get together sporadically; however, it was never quite as special. 

My family moved from Florida to Georgia in the summer of 2003. Some of our neighbors invited us into their Neighborhood Supper Club in Athens, Georgia. Again, lives change, people move and eventually that Supper Club dissolved.  However, a few of the original families still get together, month after month (not in 2020 because of COVID). We are 1 of 5 families that continue to meet. These families are so special to us.

Our kids have grown up together through our Supper Club gatherings. Our kids attend different schools and live in different neighborhoods but they all enjoy and look forward to our Supper Club dinners. They often ask their parents, “When is Supper Club?” That really warms our hearts.

I almost cancelled, one of our most memorable Supper Club dinners that my family hosted. I had hurt my back the day before. I was in a lot of pain and considered cancelling but my son, Connor, begged me not to. I am so glad that we did not cancel it. It was one of the best parties ever and we started a new tradition: sharing old photos of yourself from High School or younger. Many of us laughed so hard we were crying and I think someone in the group may have experienced incontinence. 

Our Supper Club is unpretentious. We meet at people’s homes, parks, restaurants, bowling alleys, pumpkin patches, and any other venue that sounds inviting. The goal of our Supper Club is to meet and spend time together, the place and the food is really secondary. We invited two new families to join our group several years ago. The decision to add new families was not decided lightly; it was given a lot of thought and discussion. There was more food to purchase and more kids running around but we are so glad for the companionship.

Let’s talk about how to get started with a Supper Club:

• Someone has to Coordinate it
• Talk to potential members to see if they have an interest
• Decide how many members or families you want in the group
• Decide how often your group will meet
• Decide where your group will meet
• Decide what type of Supper Club you want:
  • Gourmet
  • Themed
  • Informal
  • Kids or Adult Only (you may want kids at a different members home than the host with a sitter while your Supper Club meets)
  • Separate meals for adults and kids or do they have they share the same meal
  • Host makes all the food or just the entrée and other members bring side dishes

A Coordinator is vital to the success of any Supper Club. Look for one that is ready, willing, and able, to jump in and handle the details. One person has to be the planner and the communicator for the group. I send out a schedule for the year and families sign up for the month they want to host. This initial schedule may change but having a schedule helps our club stay committed. Here is additional information about starting your own Supper Club(s) and there is an App.

The fun times continue in our group; we look forward to many more gatherings.
 
Adele Tusson-Gross
Supper Club Coordinator, Daily Money Manager, Professional Organizer & Downsizer
Simple Solution Organizing LLC
www.simplesolutionorganizing.com

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