Beyond the plate: The rise of immersive supper clubs

ADinner party tabulate is no yearner simply a localize to eat. Across cities, supper clubs are reshaping how people experience food, turning meals into theatre and strangers into co-authors of the evening. What once began as intimate, chef-led gatherings has now evolved into community-building platforms that blend food with storytelling, performance, and elements of art and culture.What is a supper club, exactly?A supper club is a dining format that doubles as a social gathering. Typically, a chef hosts a limited number of guests in non-traditional spaces such as homes, studios, or unique venues. These experiences often feature a set menu, communal seating, and direct interaction with the chef. Although the concept has existed since the late 2010s in India, it has seen a revival of sorts post the Covid-19 pandemic.When food becomes storytellingThe Baithak Experience, which caters to Mumbai and Pune, is operated by Mandeep Kaur and her family. “We had a simple question: why should storytelling only happen on a stage or in a book? The moment we realised a meal could become a narrative was when we knew this was the supper club we wanted to create,” says Mandeep.Describing their concept, she adds, “Our first experience, Punjabi Virasat, was designed as a journey through different eras of Punjab, where each course represented a different chapter of its history and culture. More recently, Daawat-e-Dilli explored Old Delhi through its food, architecture, poetry and people.”She adds that the response has often been deeply emotional, as guests have “laughed, cried and shared personal stories” during the experience. “One guest described the experience as feeling nostalgic for a memory they had never even lived themselves,” she says.Breaking the rules of fine diningAt another end of the spectrum is Taste nahi aa raha hai, a theatrical supper club operated by Sandesh Pawar in cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Pune. Here, food is part of the performance, with each dish revealing a narrative turn or character choice.Explaining the concept, Sandesh says, “In today’s world of mindless consumption, we are losing taste in our lives. In our supper club, guests are nudged to be more than passive observers. They are invited to make choices that affect the sequence, sometimes even the menu, and those choices in turn alter narrative outcomes.” A similar spirit can be seen at Ver Roots, created by TV host cum Chef Sherie Mehtaa, where the focus shifts from food alone to human connection. Sherie explains, “Traditional fine dining has a very hush-hush vibe. Instead of seating guests in familiar groups, strangers are intentionally placed together in our supper club. The idea was to bring an experience for people to remember.”When cinema enters the dining roomFilm producer Amita Madhvani has created The Private Supper Salon, an immersive format that blends storytelling, cinema and dining into one experience.She says, “I’ve spent my life building worlds through storytelling. The twist was realising that cinema doesn’t have to live on a screen. What if people could walk into a story? What if the food, the room, the music, the guests and the conversations all became part of a narrative universe? I, along with my friends Prachi Thadani and Mona Dalal, we wanted to create an immersive cultural experience for guests.”