How to start a restaurant club with friends.

1. 1

   Start with 6 to 10 friends

   Small enough for one table and one conversation, and much easier to book than a big party. Not everyone makes every night, so a slightly longer member list is fine.

2. 2

   Pick a standing date

   Choose a rhythm people can plan around, like the first Friday of the month or the third Thursday. A standing date beats a new poll every time.

3. 3

   Take turns choosing the restaurant

   Let a different member pick each month, or rotate themes: pizza, tacos, a new neighborhood, a place nobody has tried. Whoever picks usually books.

4. 4

   Book the table early

   Reserve as soon as the date is set. Ask the restaurant about large groups: some want a headcount ahead of time, a deposit, or a set menu.

5. 5

   Set the seats to match the reservation

   Tell the restaurant how many are coming, then set the seats for that date to the same number. When the date is full, a waitlist keeps a cancelled seat from going empty.

6. 6

   Agree on the bill up front

   Everyone pays their own, or the check is split evenly. Say which in the invitation so nobody is surprised at the end of the night.

7. 7

   Keep it light

   Start on time, end at a kind hour, and choose places where a group can actually talk. People return to clubs that feel easy.

• One series. Set up weekly, every other week, monthly, or a weekday of the month like the first Friday. Add up to 52 dates. See recurring events on the homepage.
• A different restaurant each month. When you set up the series, every date has its own location that starts as your main one. Type that month's restaurant, and change a single date later with "This event only".
• Seats for each date. Set the seats to match the table you reserved. A full date shows "Full - Waitlist".
• One link. Friends get a single private link that lists every upcoming date with "N spots left" or "Full - Waitlist".
• Friends pick the nights. They RSVP only to the dates they can make, with no account and no app, and can add the date to their calendar.
• A waitlist that works. When someone cancels, the next person is offered the seat by email, and by text only if they opted in. They have two hours to claim it, then it moves down the list.
• Dietary notes and your own questions. Collect allergies with every RSVP, so you can tell the restaurant, and add questions of your own.
• Reminders. A week before and the day before, automatically.

You book the table; Cheers! handles who is coming. It does not make reservations or split the bill. Meeting at someone's home instead? Read the dinner club guide. Starting with a book group? See the book club app page.

• Start a dinner or supper clubA simple guide, and the RSVPs without the group chat.
• Book club appRSVPs, seat limits and a waitlist for a monthly book club.
• Friendsgiving with one linkAn invitation, a headcount and a "What are you bringing?" question.
• Partiful, Evite or SignUpGenius alternativeA fair comparison, with a link to each help page.
• How recurring events workOne invite, every date, and guests pick their nights.