At the height of the Gilded Age in 1893, New York City abounded with nearly 120 social clubs. Their 24,000 members gathered to dine, drink, and socialize. AsKing’s Handbook of New York Citynoted: “The desirable clubs are usually full to their limit.”

than a century later, private dining clubs are flourishing again. But this time, they aren’t confined to New York — they’ve proliferated in virtually every major city, from Richmond and New Orleans to Dallas, Chicago, and San Francisco. Some clubs have thrived for decades; many others are newly built for a wave of well-heeled diners seeking refuge from the cutthroat reservation wars at popular restaurants.

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Younger, wealthier, and hungry for exclusivity

Who is joining these clubs? According to R.J. Hottovy, head of analytical research at Placer.ai, the first requirement is straightforward: “The first characteristic is that they have money,” he says. Wealthy members want “ exclusive events” than public restaurants can offer.

Donald Grimes, an economic specialist at the University of Michigan, points to the rapid rise in the spending power of affluent consumers. In 1970, the top 1% of Americans accounted for 7.4% of all after-tax national income, according to data compiled for Food & Wine. By 2000, that share had doubled to 15%. As of 2021, it reached 37.4%. “The growing wealth among the affluent is what is driving luxury spending,” Grimes says.

Hottovy adds that the customer base is also getting younger. Upper-income millennials in their 30s and 40s now form a key market. “There’s been a movement to make these clubs appeal to a younger audience,” he says. “They’re benefitting from baby boomers aging out.”

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Modern clubs are also accessible than their predecessors. “You had to be invited, and you had to be a man,” says author Elizabeth Williams, an expert on New Orleans culture. “There were staff members to make sure women did not win.” By contrast, with the new wave, “Anyone who has the money can get in,” she says.

Price tags, from modest to massive

Membership costs vary dramatically based on a club’s location, size, and amenities. In New York, the Core Club — a lavishly appointed space at Fifth Avenue and 56th Street — reportedly costs between $15,000 and $100,000 per year, according to Time Out New York.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is Common House, which operates clubs in New Orleans, Richmond, Charlottesville, and Chattanooga. Initiation fees start at $250 in New Orleans, where members must spend $200 a month. In Richmond, the cost is $500 with a $150 monthly minimum, says Grayson Gavras, creative strategist at the New Orleans location.

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Despite those relatively modest fees, membership is capped. Across its four clubs, Common House limits total membership to 3,500. “We want it to be comfortable, with seats at the table for everyone,” Gavras says.

In New York specifically, the private-club revival has taken on its own glossy, hyper-curated flavor. Spots like Zero Bond, Casa Cipriani, and ZZ’s Club aren’t just dining rooms with velvet ropes — they’re fully built lifestyle ecosystems designed to signal taste, access, and cultural fluency.

The city’s marquee private clubs operate as much on exclusivity and privacy as on aesthetics. Zero Bond, for instance, has become a reliable venue for dealmaking and discreet socializing, helped along by a strict no-photos policy and an annual price tag that can climb well north of $4,000 once initiation fees are factored in. Cipriani Housewhich charges a reported $3,900 to $5,000 a year depending on membership type, offers a formal, old-world environment — complete with dress codes and a clientele that values the buffer it provides from the city’s hyper-public dining culture. ZZ’s Clubfrom Major Food Group, represents among the most rarefied tier: initiation fees run into the tens of thousands, much like the older Union Club.

What ties these clubs together isn’t simply exclusivity — it’s the promise of frictionless indulgence. Members aren’t competing for tables the way they would at impossible tables such as Carbone or Torrisi; they’re guaranteed an environment engineered around them, whether that means caviar service at midnight or a place to quietly meet investors over a martini. AsVoguerecently noted, the private-club boom has become as much about personal branding as hospitality, offering spaces that function as social sanctuaries, status symbols, and curated micro-communities all at once.

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A club for locals, not tourists

In New Orleans — where the club sits in the Warehouse District — members can dine solo, share tables with friends, or join a communal table. Grab-and-go meals are also popular. Visitors during working hours have “asked for less of the full-dining experience and convenience,” says executive chef Eason Barksdale.

Evenings bring a full three-course dinner accented with global flavors. “I’m a global chef,” says Barksdale, who previously worked with legendary New Orleans restaurateur Susan Spicer before opening his own restaurant, Bijou Restaurant and Bar, which closed in 2024. Because members can get classic New Orleans dishes anywhere, they come to Common House for something different. “It’s refreshing for them not to have shrimp remoulade,” Barksdale says. “It’s for locals, not for tourists. There aren’t many places for locals.”

Gavras adds that many members are recent transplants accustomed to clubs in other cities and seeking community. “We’re very, very different from old New Orleans,” he says. Many members recently moved there from cities with dining clubs and felt adrift as they tried to get a foothold in New Orleans’ traditional social scene.

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The club has begun hosting guest dinners with chefs like Jason Goodenough of theGoodenough Supper Club.

Common House is part of Sonataa global network of than 90 dining and private clubs. Members gain access to clubs in Singapore, London, Milan, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and New York. “Once you join, you have club power,” Gavras says.

When clubs aren’t exclusive enough

For some people, even private dining clubs don’t offer enough exclusivity. They want chefs cooking for them personally — at home or while they travel. Enter Chef2Nitea platform launched by Miami real estate entrepreneurKelly Lyles Verstappen.

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Verstappen, who handles short-term and luxury rental properties, saw a recurring need among her clients. “One of the questions I received most often from guests was, do you have a private chef?” she says. “I realized I didn’t have enough chefs.” After several years of development, Chef2Nite soft-launched in January and officially launched in May.

“People like to entertain at home now,” she says. “It’s intimate. You don’t have to deal with the hustle and bustle of the crowds. You don’t have to deal with a waiter with attitude.” Hiring a chef lets hosts enjoy their guests without worrying about cooking or cleanup.

A marketplace built for chefs

By November, Chef2Nite had signed up 500 chefs nationwide, with joining daily. “They love the platform, they love that they don’t have to pay an upfront fee, or a membership fee, or an inquiry fee. They don’t have to pay a fee” for booking leads, Verstappen says. “Chefs are completely in control of their business.”

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Chefs list their specialties, types of events they can create, accolades, and bios, allowing clients to browse and vet them. “This is their storefront,” Verstappen says. “They regulate their business through our platform.” Some chefs work exclusively in private dining; others moonlight from restaurant roles. About 50 events were booked in the platform’s first official months.

Once a client and chef agree on pricing, the app secures the transaction, collects the fee, and pays the chef up front. “They don’t have to worry about securing the payment,” afterward, she says. Bookings can be made up to a year in advance.

Chefs have hosted everything from omakase dinners and hibachi nights to backyard barbecues, bachelorette parties, poolside brunches, anniversary dinners for 20, and intimate meals for two.

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A booming private dining market

Verstappen believes demand will only grow. According to Intelo Market, the private dining market is worth $12.4 billion globally, with the U.S. accounting for about $5 billion. The firm projects the worldwide market will reach $27.5 billion by 2033.

Even as the broader economy weakens, the high-end dining sector is holding firm. “For a lot of these people, it’s not about the money. It’s about the experience,” Verstappen says.