The Supper Club, Then & Now

The first supper club took shape in 1930s Beverly Hills, founded by Milwaukee native Lawrence Frank at a moment when the country was ready to exhale. Prohibition had ended, doors reopened, and people were eager—almost hungry—for the simple pleasure of gathering again.

These early supper clubs were more than dining rooms. They were places where evenings unfolded slowly and beautifully: live music drifting through the room, tables dressed and waiting, and guests arriving in their finest. It was an opportunity to show off your best date-night dress and suit. Over the course of the evening. whiskey sours and gin and tonics were poured freely, conversation deepened, and supper stretched long into the night. Dinner was never the destination; it was the beginning.

Supper clubs offered something rare even then—a reason to stay. To savor, To be fully present.

Today, the supper club is undergoing a revival, taking on a slightly different meaning. Modern gatherings are often smaller and more intentional, hosted in private settings where the table becomes the center of the evening. Guests share a thoughtfully prepared menu, dine communally, and are invited to connect with one another. Strangers arrive as guests, and more often than not, leave feeling like old friends.

At its core, the supper club has always held the same promise: a place for gathecreated for gathering, where hospitality lives in the details, and the experience lingers long after the last glass is set down.