The complete guest book
14 stories · Newest first
Booking a Client Dinner Near Union Square
A planner's guide to booking an evening client dinner near Union Square: sizing the group, choosing a quiet table over a private room, and which restaurants to call.
Harriet Vance · 7 minBe seated →Sep 10
Holiday Party Restaurant NYC: How Early to Book a Room
A planner's timeline for locking in a private room for a December office party in Gramercy, Union Square, and Flatiron before dates disappear.
Harriet Vance · 5 minBe seated →Sep 8
Corporate Event Restaurants in Manhattan: Italian Rooms Near Gramercy and Flatiron
A planner's guide to Italian restaurants near Gramercy, Union Square, and Flatiron with private rooms suited to team dinners and company celebrations.
Harriet Vance · 7 minBe seated →Sep 2
No Private Dining Inquiry Form Asks About Allergies. Raise Them Anyway.
Of six Manhattan venues checked, one publishes an allergy commitment and none of the five inquiry forms ask about dietary needs. Where that puts the conversation, and how to move it earlier.
Harriet Vance · 6 minBe seated →Aug 19
Your Headcount Will Change. Plan the Contract Around That.
Capacity, minimum and guaranteed count are three different numbers. The guarantee is where an overestimated headcount turns into a bill. Nine questions to send before you sign.
Harriet Vance · 6 minBe seated →Aug 17
Booking a Private Room for a Dinner With a Presentation
Almost no Manhattan restaurant publishes its AV. The handful that do, what they actually say, and the nine questions that settle a presentation dinner before you sign.
Harriet Vance · 9 minBe seated →Aug 15
Private Dining in Flatiron NYC: What Three Rooms Publish
Three Flatiron venues with real private dining programs, their published capacities, and what to send in your first email to each events manager.
Harriet Vance · 4 minBe seated →Aug 11
Private Dining NYC: How Far Ahead to Book a Room
Nobody publishes a private dining NYC booking window, so book against the seating instead: capacities, early versus late slots, estimating a minimum.
Harriet Vance · 8 minBe seated →Aug 9December Is Priced as a Separate Season. What That Means for Your Holiday Booking.
Two Manhattan restaurants publish December private dining minimums up to 50% above the rest of the year. What the published terms reveal about when to commit.
Harriet Vance · 7 minBe seated →Aug 5
Rehearsal dinner restaurants in NYC: how to choose
How to size a rehearsal dinner room, when semi-private is enough, and the questions to send in your first email to an events manager.
Harriet Vance · 8 minBe seated →Aug 5
How to book a business lunch near Union Square
Which rooms near Union Square take a booking for a working lunch, what to ask about noise and table turn, and how to be out for a 1pm meeting.
Harriet Vance · 8 minBe seated →Aug 3Private dining in Gramercy: how to compare rooms
Which Gramercy and Flatiron rooms to ask about for a private dinner, and the capacity, minimum and privacy questions to send in your first email.
Harriet Vance · 6 minBe seated →Jul 28Private dining near Union Square: published capacities
Seven venues near Union Square, sorted by the seated capacity each one prints, and how to get the minimum that almost none of them publish.
Harriet Vance · 8 minBe seated →Jul 26How to plan a private dinner in NYC: what to ask first
What a food and beverage minimum really covers, what "private" means at each venue, and what to get in writing before you sign anything.
Harriet Vance · 7 minBe seated →One reported story, monthly
New reporting from the private rooms of New York — costs, lead times, and the seating charts that worked. One email a month, nothing else.
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