Private Dining Made Easy by Colorado Restaurants

By Jennefer Weeks

There is so much to focus on when planning a meeting or conference in Colorado, especially when you want to throw in an off-site lunch or dinner to mix things up for attendees. Many Colorado restaurants have terrific indoor and outdoor settings for guests to enjoy, along with incredible culinary creations. Some make it possible to have cocktail hour in the beautiful setting of the mountains while others have wonderful views of downtown Denver.

Cheyenne Mountain Resort's Mountain View Restaurant in Colorado Springs.

Cheyenne Mountain Resort’s Mountain View Restaurant offers mountain views in Colorado Springs.

Private Dining 101

  • Open Table is a great website for selecting a restaurant near your hotel or conference. Open Table, opentable.com, is easy to navigate, and you can find out what restaurants provide private dining spaces. Plus, you can send an RFP right to the restaurants you are interested in.
  • Food and beverage minimums seem scary but they help a restaurant value its space versus if they were to seat that space for regular dining guests.
  • Room fees are easier to understand because you know what the rate will be right from the start.
  • Guaranteed guest counts are extremely important to the restaurant as they help to determine how much food to order for your event.
  • A la carte menu orders are allowed by some restaurants.
  • Preselecting a menu with a few choices for guests to choose from may be a possibility.
  • Preselecting guest choices ahead of time can be an option, and the restaurant will have escort cards at each place setting so staff will know what each guest will be enjoying.
  • One selection for each course sometimes is preferred, and all of your guests will be enjoying the same items.
Private dining option at The Fort in Morrison.

Private dining option at The Fort in Morrison.

All of these scenarios will be based on the size of your party and the size of the kitchen at the restaurant you select. At The Palm, in almost all cases, we do not charge a minimum or room fee but do require a minimum guest count for the particular space you are renting and the guarantee that you and your guests will be ordering food and beverage. We offer preset menus at different price points to parties of more than 25 guests.

Back dining room at The Palm in Denver.

Back dining room at The Palm in Denver.

Skyline Room at The Palm in Denver.

Skyline Room at The Palm in Denver.

Keep in mind that there is a rhyme or reason for a restaurant to offer these different options. Restaurants want guests to leave happy, full and desiring to return again and again after their experience.

The Remedy, new at Four Seasons Resort & Residences Vail, has private spaces to enjoy food and beverage.

The Remedy, new at Four Seasons Resort & Residences Vail, has private spaces to enjoy food and beverage.

So have fun and enjoy the process of choosing an off-site restaurant for your meeting or conference in Colorado, where you will find an eclectic array of foods from steaks and seafood to ethnic foods and everything in between.

Jennefer Weeks began work as sales manager at Denver’s The Palm in June 2015 and has worked in the restaurant industry for 20 years. She was born and raised outside of Philadelphia and moved to Colorado in 1997. In December 2012, Weeks was chosen as Destination Colorado’s Individual Peak Performer of the Year award recipient.