‘97
GARDEN

Moving through the years we became the guys who loved creating moments and experiences out of nothing. We loved the laughs, the thrill of not knowing how we could impact someone’s day for the better, and we made it part of our day to do that. When we got into college, nothing was more exciting to us than dining out. The experience was so fulfilling that we began to make that happen in our college apartment – every Thursday night we would invite up to 50 people, friends and strangers, to eat whatever we could make. We added music, entertainment, and found ways to make our friends have the greatest time they ever could. We offered opulence by simply letting everyone have whatever they wanted: freedom to be, excitement in the way of energy and music, and generous hospitality. And very importantly, it had to be fun and creative. Our friends never knew what the Thursday night dinners would be like – we improvised weekly, and neither did we. And it was always on us.

There was a special feeling about being able to create excitement and entertainment for others. This was the beginning of our venture into hospitality without even knowing it. Looking back, the feeling of bringing people together – making others feel included and cared for – made Thursdays a hit where everyone was messaging to get a reservation. We played with the ideas of highs and lows in food quality and low friction in expectations. Above all it was accessible and available to everyone. Without knowing it, we had started our own little version of a supper club and we called it 97 Garden.