takedown!

[beyond-pale.livejournal.com]

I've been in touch with the guy who runs the brooklyn-based Chili Takedown, an Iron-Chef-style bake sale/competition (there have also been Bacon Takedowns, Cookie Takedowns, etc.) about bringing this to Boston. It's amazing! Their last even featured bacon ice cream and coverage by Good Morning America!

The problem is that Boston food-handling and service regulations seem to be a bit stricter than NYC. He's looking for a bar-venue with a 250+ capacity and liquor license. My restaurant-industry contacts (all Boston-city-based) say that all food has to be prepared in professional health-inspected kitchens. This leaves us with either the Cyclorama or Dilboy VFW Hall, and I'm not sure he's willing to pay a $5000+ rental fee. And I really want this to come to the Boston area!

So, does anyone know if maybe Somerville/Allston/Cambridge has less strict regulations than Boston proper? Or any suggestions of how to arrange this with a genuine bar venue?

Comments

[ron_newman]

I can't think of a restaurant in Somerville that seats 250 people, though. Maybe the Mount Vernon, or the S&S in Inman Square (Cambridge)?

Can the VFW hold that many people?

[kpht.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to figure out why the Dilboy would be $5k. That seems like, far more exorbitant than I could possibly imagine.

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

It really is. It was far less when I rented it.

[perich.livejournal.com]

Unrelated note: how much, and on what terms?

[davelew.livejournal.com]

I have a friend who asked about renting the Dilboy. Although it clearly doesn't seat 250, he said you could rent the main room for a couple hundred dollars if your guests bought a minimum number of drinks at the cash bar.

[obie119.livejournal.com]

The most you can get in there without a police detail is 110, IIRC.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Sounds like the Dilboy isn't big enough for your needs, but I doubt the Cyclorama is $5000. Artsy groups rent it and they don't have that kind of money. I'd give them a call.

Alternately, you should consider whether an event like this would draw 250+ people in Boston, especially for a 1st time event. The smaller capacity of the Dilboy (110) might be more realistic, and it can be rented for just a few hundred dollars.

[dianamp04.livejournal.com]

I actually priced it for a nonprofit event I wanted to hold, and their price was somewhere around $5,000 from what I remember. I have a feeling those artsy groups have sponsors paying for the space or something.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Yes, the Cyclorama is really expensive for private functions. They may have to offer non-profit groups a lower rate, but that's not going to help the original poster here.

Keeping it Somerville sounds good to me

[ribguy.livejournal.com]

check out the Armory. I know they just opened it to the public last week and there is a LARGE space in the back. I am not sure if there is a commercial kitchen. do people sell their goods? or is it a taste off? if they are selling good you are going to run into a bunch of permitting and insurance issues. I know when I have competed at things in the past we were forbidden from selling, if we wanted to sell we had to have an inspection, etc. a go around might be a fee at the door to cover overhead and it is all you can eat (samples).
But I am liking this Idea.

Re: Keeping it Somerville sounds good to me

[ron_newman]

The Armory most definitely does not have a kitchen. This was a major sticking point between the developers and nearby residents, for reasons that I still find mysterious.

I don't think the Cyclorama or Dilboy have kitchens either, so I'm a bit confused now about what you're looking for.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

You can't sell food that people make at home in an establishment that has a restaurant license.

An event where you charge admission, and people bring food they made at home, might sail under the radar. Or not.

This leaves us with either the Cyclorama or Dilboy VFW Hall, and I'm not sure he's willing to pay a $5000+ rental fee.

I don't know who told you that the rental fee was $5,000 plus for Dilboy, but they were off by an order of magnitude. The Cyclorama is that much, but its capacity is over 1,000, so that would be a silly place to hold an event for a couple of hundred people.