Events
Private events at Kool Beanz
Rehearsal dinners, board lunches, wine tastings, fundraisers and birthdays — planned properly, with a menu written for the night rather than pulled off a shelf.
Why a daily-menu restaurant is good at events
Most restaurants find private events difficult because the kitchen is built around a fixed card, and a bespoke evening breaks the routine. Ours has no fixed card. Writing a menu from scratch is simply what this kitchen does before every service, so writing one for your thirty guests is not a special favour — it is Tuesday.
That is the practical reason to hold your event here. The other reason is the room itself: quiet, self-contained, hung with art, and completely separate from the noise of the main dining room.
What to think about before you call
You do not need answers to all of these, but having a view on them makes the first conversation much faster.
- Date and time — and whether you have any flexibility. Fridays and Saturdays in spring and December go first.
- Numbers — a realistic minimum and maximum. The Room works from 20 to 30.
- The shape of the evening — seated dinner, standing reception with passed plates, buffet, or a tasting with wine between courses.
- Budget per head — tell us honestly and we will design to it.
- Dietary requirements — vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, allergies. Better handled in the design than on the night.
- Anything you need in the room — a screen for a presentation, space for a cake, a table for a raffle, printed menus with a name on them.
Event types we know well
Rehearsal dinners and bridal luncheons
A private room, a menu chosen by the couple, and a kitchen that can handle the vegan cousin and the gluten-free maid of honour without anyone feeling like an afterthought.
Business dinners and presentations
Close to the Capitol and to Midtown offices, with the privacy to actually talk. Lunch formats can be tightened so people get back to their afternoon.
Wine tastings and pairing dinners
Bottles first, then a menu built around them. Our list has always favoured the unusual selection over the obvious one, which makes for a better tasting.
Fundraisers and charity evenings
We have hosted them for years — the St. Francis Wildlife event, complete with a live owl on the sponsor table, being one of the more memorable. Tell us what the evening needs to achieve and we will work with it.
Milestone birthdays, retirements and anniversaries
Thirty people, one long table, and a dessert course from the section that took this restaurant to a James Beard semifinal.
Gift cards
If you are looking for a present rather than a party, we do gift cards. Details here.
Event planning questions
What is the smallest party you will take?
In the main dining room, we book parties of 8 to 12. For The Room, the minimum is 20 guests and the maximum is 30.
Is there a set menu price?
There is no printed banquet package, because menus here are built for the event. Tell us your budget per head when you call and we will design within it — that tends to produce a better meal than choosing from three fixed tiers.
Can you cater an event somewhere else?
Our kitchen is small and busy, and the strength of this restaurant is food that comes off the pass and onto the table a few feet away. Call and ask — the answer depends entirely on the date and what you have in mind.
How do you handle dietary requirements for a group?
Tell us in advance and we will build them into the menu rather than treating them as exceptions on the night. See dietary and allergens.
What about drinks?
Wine and beer can be selected in advance to match the menu, including full tasting formats. Our list leans towards the esoteric, which makes for a more interesting evening.
Tell us about your event
One call to (850) 999-1372 gets you a date, a plan and a menu conversation.