London supper clubs struggle with soaring venue costs

Independent supper clubs are being priced out of hire spaces in London with some venues charging £10,000 a night to host a single event, two chef-comedians have warned.

 

Maria Georgiou and Rhiannon Butler (pictured above) started their supper club Mam Sham in 2017 and now host high-concept dinner parties for 200 people with all profits going to charity.

 

For four years Mam Sham held dinners in an events space in east London, but had to find a new home after it changed ownership last winter.

 

They used to pay £1,500 for event hire, but said the same space now costs £10,000 a night and requires a minimum bar spend of £5,000.

 

Georgiou said many venues had small businesses “in a bit of a chokehold” and that there was “always an extra cost” with hiring spaces, making it difficult for small supper clubs.

 

The pair have built a reputation for offering themed three-course meals, often collaborating with the likes of guest chefs from Supa Ya Ramen in Peckham and Acme Fire Cult in Dalston.

 

In 2021, these ticketed events were priced at £40 a head but rising costs has meant Mam Sham has had to raise prices to £48.

 

Butler said: “The cost of our tickets wouldn’t even cover the venue hire now. No way. Not a chance.”

 

In the past, Mam Sham held four ticketed events a year. The team have since halved their number of shows even though “the demand is there” and their event at Walthamstow’s Big Penny Social on 31 March sold out in one hour.

 

 

The pair now rely on corporate bookings and brand partnership events as sources of funding but said this would not have been possible without access to low-cost event spaces at the beginning of their career.

 

Butler told The Caterer that it had not been a “priority” for the government to make events spaces available for young, cash-strapped creatives, which has made venue-hunting more challenging.

 

She said many other supper clubs had scaled back on their events to meet high costs, with some hosting smaller sessions in cafés that are closed in the evening while bigger companies could afford larger spaces.

 

She added: “A lot of big companies have been the ones who have taken over events spaces. They’ve got the corporate price tag, so a lot of the independently run places are no longer independently run. The community spirit of those places has gone and the capital has been the incentive behind booking people in.”

 

Georgiou and Butler have written to local councils and Amy Lamé, London’s night czar, to ask for more support for late-night businesses seeking venue hire.

 

Lamé told The Caterer: “We are doing all we can to offer advice and support through our Culture and Community Spaces at Risk team and businesses can access practical resources and help through the London Business Hub, but we need the Government to step up and play its part in supporting the capital’s venues.

 

“Getting our world-leading hospitality industry back on its feet is not only vital for London, but the national economic recovery.”