Reception Dinner At Restaurant?

We're using a restaurant for a reception with 25 people. I think it's much more cost effective for us, since a lot of caterers I looked at required a minimum number of people that we definitely couldn't reach. We can pick our own menu, so that's definitely a plus. I would say the only con might be not being able to decorate as much as you would like, but I think this depends on the restaurant's policies.

A restaurant might have a hard time holding 75 people, unless they have a banquet room. They may also charge you a food and beverage minimum. With the number of guests you might find it cheaper to go the traditional route for a wedding reception.

You can get a large restaurant meeting room and even have the ceremony there! Thats what we were going to do until 1)the only restaraunt had a funky layout and was too small and 2)we found our awesome mansion where we could bring in a caterer to make the meal we wanted and it ended up being cheaper for the two...

I think a restaurant for 75 people will be hard- but not out of the question. Just do a late afternoon meal, because they won't be able to accomodate you at dinner time.

Pros:

Free use of room.

More meal options (set menu of 4-5 entrees, etc)

Free linens, plates, serving staff and minimal decor required- if any.

Cons:

No music, dancing/DJ stuff. Usually have to settle for house sound, but not always.

Thanks ladies responses definitely appreciated. I actually found a nice restaurant that has a private party room that accomodates up to 150 ppl. My concern is privacy and menu limitations when using a restaurant. Right now all venues are an option just having a hard time finding that perfect one.

I'm using a restaurant for my "reception" of 40-45 guests. The place we're using, Maggiano's Little Italy, has the entire upstairs dedicated to private dinning with multiple ballrooms. This was the best option for me because the package was all inclusive. And most places that have a food and bev minimum don't charge a room rental fee. If you don't make the minimum, you just have to pay extra to rent the room.

What I learned when looking for a restaurant (and I looked at TONS) is:

1-Decide if dancing is really all that important to you. Most restaurants, even those with separate dining rooms will not allow amplified music. Not unless you rent out the whole kit-n-kaboodle. We're going to have a playlist for background music, but there won't be music playing for people to like get up and get their groove on. We'll still have the planned dances though (first, father-daughter, mother-son, etc.)

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2- Our place had a bunch of different packages to fit almost any budget. From just food to open bar and cake included. Try to find someplace that has a bit of flexibility so you don't end up paying for stuff you don't want or need (coffee and tea service) and getting charged for stuff you DO want (read: booze).

3- Tables, chairs, linens, INCLUDED! Yay! Definite money save there. Depending on the decor you don't have to go crazy on the centerpieces either. Candles will do just fine in most cases.

4- If they don't have a PDR (private dining room) make sure to ask about noise. If you know your group will be loud and/of roudy, make sure they know that so they can place you in a secluded area.

5- Don't sleep on a consumption bar when at a restaurant. Most people only have 2-3 drinks when they're sitting down eating (as oppose to getting their boogie on out on the dancefloor and sweating out their buzz) so you can save money by not opting for the open bar.

6- Most placing that are used to hosting private functions have a separate menu but usually you have to ask for it; they don't always post it on their site.

That's my advice :-). I'm extremely happy with my decision to do a restaurant dinner instead of a "traditional" reception. I was able to cut my reception budget in HALF and got more food, an open bar, wine with dinner, a sparkling wine toast AND my wedding cake by a Food Network challenge baker included in my package. Without having to pay for linens, plates, etc. Good luck!

Cheapskate_Nik thanks, I saw magiano's on my list of options however FH isn't big on Italian food. So that eliminated. I am currently waiting to hear back from a place here that is a steak house but in their private dining room allows more customization than most like decor, music and even ice sculptures if I'd like. I think FH hit it dead on with his restaurant idea.

@Cheapskate_Nik I also noticed We're getting married on your 1 year anniversary.

At my first wedding, we had 80 people. We took over a whole small restaurant for it.

At my second wedding, we had only a dozen people. We used the private dining room of a restaurant for the luncheon after the ceremony. We then had a much bigger at-home reception that was not in a restaurant.

I really like the convenience factor of a restaurant. You know up front exactly what the price is, and that covers venue, food, drink, linens, flatware, glassware, etc. A restaurant has to look appealing 365 days a year, so you don't even need to deal with decorations. At my second wedding, we were even able to arrange things such as having our guests able to decide which entrees they wanted on the spot, instead of having to commit to them way ahead of time.

I didn't even notice that! :-) Yay 10.21 brides unite!

Hope it works out with the steakhouse place. I looooove Italian food. More garlic please!! ;-) Maggianos just had THE best package in my area. Keep me updated!

We're using a restaurant at our DW for about 25 people. You may need to contact the restaurant you're thinking of and ask whether they can accommodate 75. It's not a huge wedding guest list but it is a big party for a restaurant to cover. The big challenge is for them to bring out all the food at about the same time. On a regular night, it's staggered. So talk to any restaurant you are thinking of individually. You may end up with fees that include more than just the food bill because they will need extra staffing both for the kitchen and for service in the dining area.

We are also thinking about using a restaurant for the reception as well

Different restaurants have different rules/options... so check. We've been asked to provide entertainment at different venues, including restaurants. most of the time they are OK with us doing the entertainment, and we are very good about controlling our sound levels to avoid conflicts with other restaurant patrons.

Good luck... hope it works out great for you!

Yes, my FH and I just had to up our wedding to next year vs 2020 so were doing a restaurant and we'll do the BIG reception at a later time..so now just trying to find a nice restaurant in Atlanta,GA to have it after the ceremony.

My FH's cousin and his wife eloped and then had a reception at a restauraunt. They just rented out the upper level and had a plated dinner for everyone. It turned out fine

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