Dead Chefs Society Code

We are a dinner club of culinary explorers and those who “live to eat”. We believe that the most impactful experiences we can have are those that involve food as an anchor. Through the lens of food, we learn about other cultures, we appreciate the artistry and creativity of its makers, we relate to other people…we can even learn more about ourselves.

We are focused on broadening our culinary horizons through unique and authentic experiences- exploring not only the regional cuisine of global locales, but also the creativity and inspiration of chefs as artists. We connect passionate eaters with new restaurants and cuisines through the people and traditions behind what we eat, helping restaurants showcase their fare to the uninitiated, but curious.

The world becomes smaller and our place in it bigger when we can recreate the spirit of travel through discovery, food, culture, and people all meeting at the intersection that is the communal table. Dead Chefs Society aims to provide the space within which these elements combine to give us an enriching experience and, well, a damn good time.

Dead Chefs Society is open to any and all young and less young.

When and where?

Once a month we will select a restaurant in Nassau, Suffolk, or Queens counties which specializes in authentic ethnic or regional cuisine or can deliver a themed experience. Three weeks before the dinner you will receive an invite with details about the event, a menu, and how to reserve your spot and pay for your plate. Dinner will typically be around 7:30pm on a Tuesday or Wednesday and end around 10/10:30 pm.

What are we eating and drinking?

Anything and everything! Diners should come with an open mind and a willingness to try something new. Our goal isn’t to be the next Fear Factor, but to be true and authentic to the region's eating and drinking culture. Very often the menu will include dishes not on the restaurant’s regular menu.

Adam and Josh will work with our hosts to pre-select the menu and everything will be eaten family-style so that we can experience the largest variety the restaurant has to offer. Sometimes the meals will include alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks When it’s not included we can make drink recommendations, but ordering, paying, and consuming non-included drinks will be your own responsibility.

Please note that the menu is set. No modification or ordering outside of the set menu can be accommodated. This includes modifications for allergies.

What does it cost?

We aim to keep the bill around $110 per person all inclusive of tip, tax, and often at least one alcoholic drink. At the event you will be responsible for paying a la carte for any drinks that aren’t already part of the package.

Membership

There’s no cost to be a member. To become one you need an existing member to recommend you for membership and need to attend at least one meal as a guest. If you can’t find someone to vouch for you, then fill out a membership petition.

The rules of membership are simple:

• You and your guest must be 21 year or older, no exceptions. There are several reasons for this:
  • We are trying to preserve an adults-night-out atmosphere for our guests.
  • Alcohol is often a part of the package and neither we, nor the restaurant, will be liable for serving underage patrons.
• Your payment will serve as your official RSVP
• You can only pay for 2 people per event, yourself and a guest, unless we explicitly state otherwise (which we at times when space permits).
• You must be respectful to the restaurant staff and guests. Act like a human.
• Please avoid controversial topics like politics, religion, etc.
  • Dead Chefs Society is an apolitical group. We believe the world would be a better place if we all just ate each other’s food. We will “travel” anywhere to seek that interconnectedness.
• You should try to try everything.
• We have a strict “no-asshole” policy and reserve the right to cancel your membership at any time.
• If you cancel too many times, we may cancel your membership

Ticket Lottery / RSVP

Here’s how it works…

Once an invite drops you’ll have until the day specified on the invite to submit the lottery form. At that time a temporary hold will be placed on your credit card for the full plate cost. After the RSVP window closes, tickets will be randomly assigned. If you win the lottery you will be automatically charged and sent a confirmation email. Everyone who doesn’t make the cut will be notified that they have been put on the waitlist and the hold on their card will be released with no charges (in some cases it can take up to 7 days for this to be reflected on your card). The waitlist will remain open even after the lottery has closed, just shoot us an email.

Sometimes we host the same dinner on multiple nights, and other times we gauge interest for a potential additional dinner. If the restaurant has the availability and there's enough demand, it will be on. You won't be allowed to attend both nights, however you'll have the option of say night 1, night 2, or either night. Obviously choosing either night will boost your chances of winning the lottery.

Regarding being waitlisted, while the lottery is random, we will do our best to ensure that nobody is waitlisted two consecutive months (but not necessarily events) by placing a greater weight on the next month’s lottery.

Please think of your reservation as a ticket, akin to a concert or show, albeit one that is refundable up until five days prior to the event, and as referenced in your “reminder” email one week prior to the event. More info on this below in “Cancellations and Refunds”.

Cancellations and Refunds

Please understand that we provide the restaurant a headcount so they can order ingredients and plan for staffing ahead of the event. To be fair to the restaurant who is closing their doors to the public, and with whom we are contracted to, we are unable to issue refunds within 5 days of the event, as referenced in the reminder email sent a week prior. Your plate is transferable to non-members if you can find someone to take your place, just please let us know their full name and email address prior to the event. We are also happy to try and find a replacement through our waitlist if we have one that night. Unfortunately we can’t make any promises beyond promising to do our best to fill your spot.

Please note that the credit card processing fee (usually around $3.50 per seat) is non-refundable regardless of the time of cancellation.

Guests

We encourage you to bring a friend. However, we have a limited number of seats available for each meal, so we kindly ask that you limit guests to only one per meal. Once that guest attends two meals, provided they’re a decent enough guy or gal, they can become a member.

Guests must be paid for at the time of event registration and their name must be indicated in the allotted space.

Seating

There are no assigned seats at our meetings. Early bird gets the worm… unless worms are on the menu, in which case you’ll have to wait for the worm just like the rest of us. Please understand that Josh and Adam have a lot going on at the start of these events and it’s difficult to start moving people around to find adjoining seats. It is for this reason we ask you to show up early.

What’s the name all about?

It’s a nod to the movie Dead Poets Society and the patron saint of our little club, Anthony Bourdain. The ethos of Dead Poets Society (and Mr. Bourdain) is, in our estimation, to encourage curiosity, break free of the mainstream and discover what the world has to offer, often better understanding our place in it in the process. It’s about living life to the fullest, while we’re able. What better way to accomplish this than with our taste buds? So stand on your chairs, recite recipes by Joël Robuchon, whatever you will... you're all members of Dead Chefs Society now.