How I Turned a Modest Following into a Real-Life Community
When I started my supper club in December 2023, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew I wanted more friends, I wanted to promote my blog, and maybe get some content along the way. I knew I wanted to create a space for adventurous eaters in Austin, but I had no idea if it would grow, or if Austinites would accept the idea.
With 400 followers on the Eating Out Austin Instagram Page, I started a new chapter of content: Anyone want to have dinner with me?
The Secret Formula: How Did Supper Club Work?
Each week, I came up with an obscure theme that four local Austin restaurants qualified for. Themes could be any abstract idea, and trust me, I had people help me.
Themes ranged from “Rooftops” and “Chicken” to “Guy Fieri Was Here,” and even “The Color Pink.”
Once I had my list of four restaurants that matched the week’s theme, I’d put them up on my Instagram Stories for my community to vote on. The restaurant with the most votes was the spot we’d all meet up at.
It was fun because everyone got to participate, and it kept things spontaneous—people never knew exactly where we’d end up until the votes were in!
The marketing funnel in my head was simple: start by viewing the story, then engage by voting, and eventually join us in person. Once you were there, the charm of my friends made sure you’d stick around as a lifelong follower of my business. I had been working in marketing full time for 6 months and I was ready to put that experience to good use.
Season 1: Finding Our Groove
Our first meetup was at a brewery, and two of my old friends showed up. We spent a couple of hours chopping it up, and it felt like an easy start. By Week 2, my friends were bringing their friends. We tried a Christmas-themed bar, and everyone encouraged me to keep it going.
Week 3 was the real turning point. We did rooftops, and for the first time, people who had found the club through the Eating Out Austin instagram page actually showed up! One new member skipped his running club to join us, and another new member joined mid-way through; she’d just moved to Austin last month! It was everything I hoped for— Supper Club had touched the lives of 2 random strangers and I felt like all of my goals had been achieved. I had no idea over 60 people would end up coming over the next 22 meetups.
Over the weeks, we explored everything from vegan spots to burger joints and even an embarrassing breakfast-for-dinner night that, ironically, ended up being at a place that didn’t serve breakfast at dinnertime at all. Whoops! My bad! Luckily my members laughed about it & it ended up being a burger deal night at Hillside Farmacy. I was carrying a small sign that said “Ask Me How I Eat Out Austin” & then I forgot my sign at one end of the restaurant, and a staff member at Hillside Farmacy brought it over to me out of a crowd of people – I love that he knew it was mine hahahaha
We even had a rep from Tru Fru show up with freebies—an unexpected bonus that one member pointed out to me could be something we could monetize in the future. I love when members throw a business idea at me.
Season 1’s Highlight Moments
A few weeks truly stand out:
- The Fusion week, where Kim told me afterward how inspired she was by everyone’s excitement—it felt like she finally understood what I’d been feeling all along.
- The Pizza week at Via 313, where the group bonded over wiener dog races at Skinny’s beforehand, and then after, when a couple members hit the bars, they ran into our Via 313 waiter and they all continued bar hopping together.
- Winery week, where we hung out from when Supper Club started at 7 until past midnight, and then ended up at a free comedy show at Lucky Duck. Open Mic Comedy can be unpredictable, but it was a great platform for talking to each other and connecting.
Our biggest turnout yet was Nasha. The week before, our meetup day of Wednesday fell on Valentine’s Day and we had 4 people total, and that pushed me to post about Supper Club in a couple more Facebook Groups. Nasha week was a reaction to the slow week before – and it turns out I did a really good job of getting the word out! We had people just keep coming, to the point where we had the whole patio full of around 25 people. The owner, Mahesh, came out to say hi and ask what was going on? My friends Emily & Kim chatted him up, told him about the club, the business, and me, and he offered a future $100 tab at Nasha for the organizer team. It was everything I imagined—a massive group of people, all staying late, all having an amazing time together.
Season 2: Growing Closer
Season 2 brought us even more adventures—hot dogs, sushi, boba, and “nudes week” (noodles). Each week, we built something bigger, found new favorite spots, and brought more members into the mix. We gained an audience online, and were offered partnerships with local spots, like businesses giving us discounts just for showing up as a group.
We had new faces every week while also starting to see a core group of regulars that made every meetup feel like seeing friends.
Season 2’s Highlight Moments
- Nudes Week at Patrizi’s: This one was stress-free for some reason. Maybe it was the half-price wine bottles or the giant plates of pasta, but everyone was in such a good mood. Afterward, we even partied at Schoolhouse Pub. It was exactly the kind of night I wanted for the club—great food, fun conversation, and people sticking around just because they didn’t want it to end.
- Soul Food at Whip My Soul: This one was way up north, but we still had a small, tight-knit group come through. This might be my favorite place we tried this season (it’s so hard to choose – every week is special to me) because the community is so strong here. It reminds me of the community around Inka Chicken. As soon as I announced that’s where we were going on Instagram – I was flooded with DMs from loyal customers, excited for us to try it.
- Dim Sum Week at Dumpling World: The group was huge this week—twelve people! Max even brought a friend, and a food blogger joined us, which was awesome. The restaurant had menus ready for us, and the owner introduced herself. One of the guys even promised her some free chocolate samples, which had us all laughing.
- Hot Dogs at Frazier’s: The Austin Eater put down a bar tab for us and bought us jello shots, which was so sweet. We had a mix of old and new friends, and it was just one of those perfect nights. Emily and I somehow won at pool again, continuing our lucky streak.
The best part of Season 2? Seeing everyone grow closer. We had so many spontaneous afterparties at the bars and restaurants nearby our meetups too. From late-night talks on the back patio at Lucky Duck to after-hours live music at Still Austin, it was about so much more than the food.
The End of an Era
Growing Pains: Why Supper Club’s Spontaneity Became Unsustainable
By the end of 22 Supper Clubs, my consistent weekly group had grown to consistently include 15-20 people, and over 75 different people had attended at least once.
While the last-minute decision of the polls was a lot of fun when it was just a small group of 5, managing larger numbers became a logistical nightmare. Choosing a restaurant just days before the event wasn’t feasible anymore, especially since many venues started to need a heads-up to accommodate us. I work at a restaurant myself, and the last thing I want to do is make someone’s job harder: I just want to bring y’all more business.
I also wanted to start collaborating more with these venues. I felt it was time to be more intentional about our partnerships to make things smoother for everyone involved. I also started getting direct messages from venues asking for my events – and I realized the stepping stone that I was looking for when I started Supper Club may have materialized, and I had reached my goal. It’s time to do bigger and better things 🙂
