Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Scott.
Hi Lauren, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I grew up in Houston, and I have always loved art, culture, and great food! My parents both liked entertaining and cooking, and some of my happiest memories from my childhood are the cook-outs and parties we would host at our home. I went to Texas A&M to study mechanical engineering, but I knew I always had a love for hosting. I figured I would find a way to pursue my passion, when the time was right.
After I graduated in 2014 and started my job at an engineering firm, some of my coworkers and I were talking about wanting to visit some different restaurants around town. I suggested we all go together, and so Houston Dinner Club was born! We would venture out together once a month to try new places, and over time, we became closer as friends. Our monthly meeting became just as much about coming together as it was about trying a new menu. Once I started the Instagram account for HDC, I received occasional interest from people that were looking to join the Houston Dinner Club, but opening the club up to the public only seemed like a distant possibility.
Fast forward to 2020, COVID-19 hits, and the previously booming restaurant industry comes to a halt. People are not going out anymore or meeting people in the same ways they used to. As things started reopening, I started to receive more and more inquiries from restaurants looking to fill previously empty seats and people who were looking to find the community they had been missing. I started to consider what opening HDC up to the public would look like, and I saw how it could benefit many people in our city. In the summer of 2021, I began working with restaurants to plan dinner events that would allow the public to come together in a sophisticated, relaxed environment, try something new, experience community, and network in a new way.
To date, we have hosted four successful dinner events, we have restaurants lined up to host events into mid-2022, and we are planning a membership that we plan to roll out in 2022. I am still working full-time as a project manager, and so I have had to learn (and am still learning) how to balance my professional career and running HDC. It’s been fun to see the vision come to life while meeting so many interesting and wonderful people, though of course, we are still growing and perfecting our event model. I am excited to see what 2022 holds for Houston Dinner Club!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Smooth is relative! As I mentioned earlier, my background is engineering, I work full time at a company here in Houston, and I am new to managing events and growing a small business. One of the first things I did was hire a business consultant (Jenny Sanchez, TheFITista Consulting), which continues to be one of the best decisions I made early on. Jenny has been a wonderful partner, and I would encourage any new entrepreneur to find a business consultant that understands your vision and wants to help you succeed.
Although I know most of our guests have loved our first events, I am finding aspects of the dinners to improve upon at each event. Of course, I wish everything perfect from the start, but it takes time and a bit of trial and error to gather feedback and iron out the wrinkles. Trying new things at each dinner and seeing what worked and what didn’t (for both our restaurant hosts and our guests) was important as we shaped our event model. I am excited to see that people are having fun, enjoying trying something new, and giving our restaurant hosts feedback and continued business. We want to provide a welcoming, fun dining experience, and I am happy to see that people are coming back for more and that the community is growing.
We’ve been impressed with Houston Dinner Club, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Houston Dinner Club is a sophisticated and modern culinary experience. We provide a relaxing, enjoyable, and social environment for you to unwind and connect with others. Our aim is to create community and support Houston restaurants through shared dining experiences with friendly conversation, social networking, and delicious food. We love Houston, and we are excited to meet new people, build relationships, and celebrate the city’s restaurants over a wonderful meal together.
Each dinner event will be hosted at a different restaurant in the Houston area. The menu will be pre-set and available for our guests to see prior to purchasing the dinner ticket. The dinner ticket generally will be all-inclusive and include everything for the evening’s party, such food, a welcome cocktail, social hour snacks, and gratuity for us to show our appreciation to the restaurant staff. At some events, wine pairings or alcohol may be sold separately. These events are normally limited to about 30 participants. We welcome couples, groups of friends, and those flying solo! We encourage our guests to meet other attendees at our social hour, before being seated for the main course.
I love that the focus of Houston Dinner Club is on the community. We believe that meeting and talking to new people is important for personal development, community is important for mental health, and there is a special connection that occurs over a shared meal. We can make ourselves better and our community stronger by taking the time from our busy routines to relax and connect with others.
In 2022, we plan to roll out a membership option. Currently, our events are open to all, so come join us!
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
When it comes to hosting parties and entertaining, cookbooks can be a surprisingly great reference for tips and tricks, as well as menu ideas. There are so many great food-related shows on Netflix that I find inspiring, such as Chef’s Table.
For business and entrepreneurship, I am a part of a women entrepreneur-focused mentorship group through the FITista Jenny Sanchez, and I listen to Jason Stapleton “Wealth, Power and Influence” podcast for ideas for small-businesses in the context of current events and the economy. Sometimes, the news is not always easy to hear, but I find it provides food for thought and motivation to work hard.
I am always reading some book or another, but one of my favorites that I still recommend to others is “Nudge” by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein. It’s a great book for understanding how we make decisions and other behavioral economics principles. Here are some other books I am currently enjoying: “Suffer Strong” by Jay and Katherine Wolf; “Pearls of Wisdom” by Barbara Bush; and “Never Split the Difference” by Chris Ross and Tahl Raz.
Contact Info:
- Email: houdinnerclub@gmail.com
- Website: www.houdinnerclub.com
- Instagram: @houstondinnerclub
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HoustonDinnerClub
