Top Special Dining Experiences to Reserve Today

Sometimes guests want to enjoy a nice sit-down dinner. Other times, they want to experience something more. Today's diners crave memories, stories, and shareable moments. Offering unique experiences for guests can be an effective way to get new guests through your door and expand your revenue streams.

From chef's table experiences to interactive cooking classes, the "experiential dining" movement is reshaping how restaurants connect with their guests. In this article, we’ll explore why restaurants embrace the experience trend and showcase successful examples that delight guests across the industry today.

Let’s dive in.

Why offer special experiences?

To meet the demand of diners in 2024

Incorporating unique experiences into your restaurant's offerings is more than a trend, it’s something that can add value to your business. These special experiences can help you stand out in a crowded market where diners have endless options at their fingertips.

When guests book an experience at your restaurant, they're looking for more than just great food. They want to feel special, learn something new, or share a memorable evening. Maybe they're celebrating a milestone birthday, planning a corporate team event, or simply seeking a break from their routine dining habits.

To increase your revenue

From a business perspective, experiences can help you maximize your space during off-peak hours and create new revenue streams. A cooking class on a quiet Monday evening or a wine-tasting event during the afternoon lull can turn traditionally slow periods into profitable opportunities. Plus, these events often command premium pricing, helping boost your average ticket size.

To bring in new guests

But perhaps most importantly, unique experiences create buzz. When guests have an extraordinary time at your restaurant, they're more likely to share their experience on social media, tell their friends, and come back for more. Despite new online resources, 24% of restaurant goers are still using word of mouth to discover new restaurants. This word-of-mouth marketing is invaluable for attracting new guests and building a loyal following.

Top special dining experiences today

Now that we’ve established why offering special experiences is important, let’s talk about what phenomenal examples are out there.

Here are some of the best restaurant dining experiences the industry offers in 2024.

Shibumi – Los Angeles, CA

Shibumi is an intimate 40-seat Japanese Michelin-starred restaurant and bar located in the heart of Downtown LA.  Guests are invited to enjoy a unique and rare selection of beverages paired with seasonal offerings. The program begins with the highest quality local, organic, and sustainable ingredients. Then, it finishes with a skillful arrangement on handmade ceramics atop a 400-year-old cypress counter.

The Kitchen Table at The Modern – New York, NY

The Kitchen Table at The Modern inside NYC’s MoMA offers a front-row seat into the heart of the restaurant’s kitchen for up to four guests. This experience includes an enhanced tasting menu by Executive Chef Thomas Allan. From this exclusive perch, guests can take in the buzzing activity of The Modern’s world-class kitchen while their dining experience unfolds before their eyes.

12 Chairs Cafe – New York, NY

“We’ll have the hummus with a nice-size of party on the side?”

12 Chairs Cafe is an Israeli restaurant with 2 NYC locations, one in SoHo and one in Williamsburg. The menu includes small plates, hot entrees, brunch, and much more. However, this eatery is most known for its late-night dinner dance party scene. Guests can book a late-night res to enjoy a fantastic dinner that ends with music, dancing, and plenty of elevated surfaces.

One great thing about this experience is it’s at no additional cost to the business. 12 Chairs simply provides a good time for their guests!

Bacchanal Buffet – Las Vegas, NV

Calling all foodies! This experience is an OpenTable 2024 Diner’s Choice Award Winning restaurant. At the newly renovated Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace Las Vegas, guests can explore dozens of cuisines and hundreds of perfectly prepared offerings from specialty chefs. With food prepared right in front of guests in open kitchens, it’s like having your pick of nine high-end Las Vegas restaurants all in one.

Pummarola – Miami, FL

Eating pizza is fun, making it and then eating it is even better. Pummarola, located in Miami, FL, offers a pizza-making class that teaches their guests how to make Neapolitan-style pizza from scratch, using the recipes and techniques they grew up with in Naples, Italy. The staff here provides the aprons, chef's hats, and ingredients — guests only need to arrive.

This experience includes your Beverage of choice (wine, beer, or soda), hands-on instruction from master pizza makers, take-home pizza dough, and your personal pizza of course!

Sweet Maple – San Francisco

This amazing California brunch spot serves bottomless mimosa until 1:30pm on weekdays and until 2:00pm on weekends. They also offer unique creations for guests to enjoy such as their Tiffany Mimosa (Blue Curacao, Brut), Bitter Mimosa (fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, Brut), and a Mango-Tajin Mimosa (mango puree, Tajin, Brut).

There’s nothing better than a good ol’ American brunch and offering promotions like bottomless mimosas, dollar oysters, or unlimited brunch cocktails is an effective way to get guests through the door.

House – Brooklyn, NY

House, located in Brooklyn, NY, serves French-Japanese multi-course tasting menus. This tasting counter has a farm-to-table approach with a seasonally changing menu. This hotspot has become one of the hardest reservations to snag, as guests love the experience.

Barsecco – Miami, FL

Barsecco is a stylish restaurant & lounge with an ambiance that transforms from bright and open to sensual and inviting by night. Guests join them every weekend for an unforgettable brunch, where they combine delicious food, lively entertainment, and a vibrant atmosphere.

To create the perfect party brunch, Barsecco offers unlimited mimosas to accompany guests’ meals.

Pinstripes – Georgetown, DC

This restaurant has no shortage of specials, as they have promotions every day. On Mondays, Pinstripes offers bottomless spaghetti, meatballs, and chopped salad. On Tuesdays, guests can enjoy $10 bistro burgers and $15 buckets of beer. Every Wednesday, kids eat for free! On Thursdays, they offer half-priced handcrafted cocktails. Each Friday features half-priced bottles of wine. And lastly, Saturdays & Sundays Pinstripes offers a boozy weekend brunch.

So many reasons to try out this restaurant on any day of the week!

R Kitchen – Charleston, SC

R Kitchen is designed to give chefs the freedom to play with food as they see fit without the constraints of a set menu. Since they love making adjustments as they go, menus are not available to guests prior to check-in. R Kitchen provides a five-course tasting menu that is recreated every day by combining seasonal ingredients with the inspiration and imagination of their chefs.

HaeJangChon – Los Angeles, CA

HaeJangChon was established as an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ restaurant in 2002. Located west of Downtown LA and south of Hollywood, this Koreatown restaurant is a great spot for all special occasions, date nights, or to just grab lunch. HaeJangChon is one of the highest-rated and best-reviewed businesses on Yelp.

Guests love making their own all-you-can-eat platter!

Nori Nori – Atlanta, GA

Nori Nori is a Japanese buffet located in Atlanta, GA. This restaurant believes that guests should not be forced to sacrifice quality for quantity. Here they have a unique buffet menu that consists of both modern and traditional Japanese dishes. All of their food items are freshly prepared and artfully displayed, which their guests enjoy in the comfort of their warm and attentive service. Yum!

An all-you-can-eat buffet that only serves the highest quality menu items definitely stands out to guests.

NICO – Charleston, SC

Everyone loves oysters, but have you ever learned to shuck them yourself? At NICO, guests learn how to shuck an oyster and all about the various methods used to farm these delicious morsels. During this 2 hours hands-on class, guests enjoy 1 dozen carefully curated oysters paired with 2 glasses of wine. They also send you home with a copy of The NICO Oyster Hunt.

Teaching guests how to do something your staff are experts on is an easy and profitable option. Also, your staff will likely have fun!

Asta – Boston, MA

Asta serves the people of Boston tasting menus only. Although this menu is ever-changing, they still bring back their infamous fried chicken and biscuit sandwiches, a fan favorite, every now and then. Overall, this is a great experience for foodies and those who love a good wine pairing.

Uchi - Dallas, TX

Uchi, "house" in Japanese, is founded by James Beard Award‑winning Chef Tyson Cole. A delicate balance of elevated food and impeccable service, Uchi offers non‑traditional Japanese cuisine with signature tastings, sushi, and a seasonal omakase.

Uchi offers a maki rolling class. Guests can learn the art of maki rolling in a chef-led experience where they learn all the tips and tricks from professionals. Following the class, guests enjoy a nine-course tasting menu full of seasonal special Uchi classics.

How to offer experiences at your restaurant

Offering special experiences doesn't mean you need to completely overhaul your restaurant's operations. Begin small and focus on what makes your restaurant unique. Maybe your chef has an amazing way with pasta, or your bar team creates incredible craft cocktails. Use these strengths as your foundation.

First, look at your space and schedule. Are there times when certain areas of your restaurant aren't being fully utilized? That empty private dining room could host intimate cooking classes, while your bar area might be perfect for mixology workshops before opening hours.

Next, think about your target audience. What kinds of experiences would excite your current guests and attract new ones? Survey your regulars or check your social media comments. If you notice lots of wine enthusiasts among your guests, a monthly wine-pairing dinner could be your sweet spot.

Start with a test run. Choose one experience and promote it to your email list and social media followers. Keep it simple and gather feedback. What did guests love? What could be improved? Use these insights to refine your offering before adding more options to your lineup.

Remember to train your staff thoroughly. Make sure they understand the unique elements of each experience and can confidently guide guests through them. Their enthusiasm will help create the special atmosphere you're aiming for.

Stand out from your competition

Incorporating these special dining experiences into your restaurant offerings is a fantastic way to stand out from the competition. Consider including classes, late-night parties, and bottomless deals in your reservations. If your business uses OpenTable, this article serves as a guide to add experiences to your reservation offerings.

Lastly, make sure to market your new, incredible offerings. Toast’s Marketing Suite includes email marketing, loyalty, and more. Toast customers generate up to $2,800 in a single campaign using our automated email program. No expertise is required. Request a demo today.