Latest news with #TastingCollective
Axios
08-04-2025
- Business
- Axios
Exclusive: Members-only dining club coming to Detroit
A national dining club that partners with innovative local restaurants is coming to Detroit. The big picture: New York-based Tasting Collective works with top chefs to host off-menu five-course meals in their restaurants on days when they're generally slower or closed. Vecino, which recently won the Free Press Restaurant of the Year award, will host the first event on April 22. Coeur in Ferndale and Leña in Brush Park will follow in May and June. State of play: The events are a test kitchen for the chefs, who can experiment with recipes, share stories and answer questions. Pitched as the "anti-Yelp," the evenings include cards for diners to give constructive feedback on each course. The latest: Detroit is the 18th city for Tasting Collective, which launched in 2016. How it works: A $165 membership is required to buy tickets for Tasting Collective events — though the first 500 Detroit members can join for $99. Tickets open three weeks before each event, and customers can see menus before booking. From there, tickets are $75. Members can bring up to three guests for $95 per guest. Tasting Collective tries to make the events accessible and makes its money off the membership fees, CEO Nat Gelb tells Axios. Members can also get perks at partner restaurants outside events such as discounts. Zoom in: Hosting events on slow or closed days was a big plus for Vecino owner Adriana Jimenez, she tells Axios. It can be tough to close the restaurant for an event on a busy Friday or Saturday. Innovation is a big theme for Tasting Collective. Vecino, which opened last year, keeps 20% tried and tested favorites on its menu and 80% of the menu changes based on seasonality and creativity, according to Jimenez. What they're saying: Tasting Collective targets independent restaurants that push boundaries and are geared toward fine dining, but not "super stuffy old-school white tablecloth," Gelb says. He adds that Detroit was one of the few cities where the company heard from locals asking when Tasting Collective was coming. What's next: The April 22 Vecino event, an " Ode to Mexico City" with executive chef Edgar Torres, is now available with seatings at 5:15pm and 7:45pm.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Members-only dining club will expand to the Twin Cities
A members-only dining club is coming to the Twin Cities. Tasting Collective, a New York-based club that hosts private meals in 18 other cities, is heading to Minnesota, arranging five-course diners at some of the most talked-about local restaurants. The first dinner will take place at Bûcheron in Minneapolis' Kingfield neighborhood. It'll follow that up with events at Hyacinth in St. Paul and Oro by Nixta in Northeast Minneapolis to kick off its entry into Minnesota. Each of its five-course meals will run $75 per person, which looks like a deal. However, there are also membership fees. (Members can bring up to three non-members, but they'll have to pay $20 more than members at each dinner.) Memberships cost $165 per person per year — except when there are promotions — with proceeds going to restaurants that host the tasting events. Tasting Collective offers members at least one dining experience each month. The dinners aren't typically what you'll find on the restaurants' standard menu, offering a unique experience at dining hubs that may be familiar to regulars. Additionally, chefs step out of the kitchen to discuss dishes and the stories behind them with club members. Tasting Collective also hosts clubs in Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York City, and elsewhere. The Twin Cities club will start at Bûcheron with chef and co-owner Adam Ritter on Feb. 25 and March 5.
Axios
06-02-2025
- Business
- Axios
Scoop: Members-only dining club coming to buzzy Twin Cities restaurants
An exclusive national dining club is partnering with some of the metro's buzziest restaurants for off-the menu five-course meals that could run guests less than $100 per person. The big picture: Bûcheron, Hyacinth and Oro by Nixta will host the first three events by Tasting Collective, a New York-based dining club that partners with local chefs at top restaurants to serve five-course meals at $75 per person before tax and tip. Marketed as the "anti-Yelp," the events offer chefs a chance to test out new recipes while obtaining constructive, collaborative feedback from diners in private, Tasting Collective CEO Nat Gelb told Axios. The company, launched in 2016, operates in 18 other cities. How it works: To gain access to the events, guests must be a member of Tasting Collective (normally $165 per year outside of promotions). All proceeds from ticketed events go directly to the restaurants, Gelb said. The club will hold at least one dining event per month — typically on nights restaurants would otherwise be closed — and diners have access to the menu before purchasing tickets. Members can also bring up to three guests for $95 per person. What they're saying:"We definitely aren't the kind of place with the same set menu, and this gives us a chance to share new dishes and the stories behind them with people who are really excited about food," said Jeanie Janas Ritter, co-owner of Bûcheron. What to expect: Chefs will join diners around three times throughout the five-course meal to share details on dishes, and guests are given comment cards to weigh in on each item. Many dinners will have communal seating if the space allows, though patrons can request private or smaller tables. Drinks are priced a la carte, but wine pairings are available at some events, including Bûcheron's, Ritter confirmed. Stop by: Memberships to Tasting Collective are open now, with the first event to be held at Bûcheron Feb. 25. The first 500 to sign up in the Twin Cities get a lifetime discounted rate of $99 a year and access to events in 18 other cities, Gelb said.
