We get a lot of emails that start with "I'm not sure how this works." Fair. Booking a bar for a party is one of those things nobody explains until you've done it once. Here's what we tell people.
1. Get an honest headcount
Not the invite list. The number of people who will actually show. For a 30th birthday that's usually 60 to 70 percent of the invites. Venues price food and drink packages per person, so this number drives everything. If you're between two numbers, book for the lower one; adding a few plates on the night is easy.
2. Pick a time, not just a date
A 2-hour window on a Saturday night is the most expensive thing you can book anywhere. A 3 PM to 6 PM Saturday, or a Thursday evening, is often half the price for the same room and the same drinks. At L'Wren the afternoon option is a $35 per person 90-minute open bar from 2:30 to 6 PM, which is hard to beat for a shower or a team outing.
3. Decide: food, drinks, or both
Most parties want both, and packages make it painless. Ours look like this:
- Tasting menu, $25 per person: pick four bites (wings, sliders, ribs, tostadas, fish tacos, salmon, mac n cheese bites, watermelon salad) and they come out family-style.
- Beer and wine open bar, $40 per person for two hours.
- Cocktail open bar, $45 per person for two hours, house spirits plus two specialty cocktails.
- Premium cocktail open bar, $60 per person for two hours.
So a 20-person birthday with the tasting menu and the cocktail package lands at $70 a head before tax and gratuity, and everyone eats and drinks for two hours without anyone opening a tab. If you'd rather skip the package and let guests pay their own way, say so. Plenty of parties do that too.
4. Ask the one question
"Is the space private, or reserved?" They're different. Private means the room is yours. Reserved means you have tables in a bar that's open to the public. Both are fine, but you want to know which one you're paying for. At L'Wren the back room can be yours outright, or we can hold tables up front for a smaller group.
5. Confirm the boring things
- Can you bring a cake? (Yes.)
- Can you decorate? (Yes, within reason. No confetti. Everyone says no confetti.)
- Is there a minimum spend or a deposit? (Ask. Every venue is different.)
- What happens if a few people are late? (Packages run on the clock; we'll start when you tell us to.)
6. Book it two to three weeks out
Weekends in October, December and June go first. Weeknights are flexible almost year-round. Send the date, headcount and occasion through the inquiry form or straight to lwrenbar@gmail.com and we'll come back with availability and a suggestion.
A bonus idea
Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights there's a stand-up comedy show in the back room, run by Sunset Park Comedy Club. A group of 10 or 20 at a comedy show, with happy hour drinks before, is a great birthday that requires almost no planning. Show dates and tickets.