Restaurant for prom night

I am a first time poster, hoping someone can recommend a place for about 10 girls to have a good time around the dinner table. They want to spend prom night at a restaurant as an alternative to the HS event.

They are looking for a casual, noisy place, no gourmet food.
Something under $50 a head fits their budget.
Oh yes, one of them is vegetarian, the rest like American food and are afraid to get adventurous.

Are they looking for a particular location?

If in the city, I think Grand Lux Cafe would fit the requirements. It's in the Cheesecake Factory family, located just off Michigan Avenue. It is noisy, casual, has a huge menu - which would suit the group. Another option would be Cheesecake Factory itself, then maybe they could hit the Signature Room Lounge for great views/mocktails?

Grand Lux Cafe
600 N. Michigan Avenue at Ontario
773.276.2500

Is this pre-Prom or post-Prom?

At Brasserie Jo

59 W. HUBBARD STREET
Chicago

they will have fun and be treated well. They will feel like adults there while being themselves.

The location is not important, I figured they will have the most choices in the city.

This is how they plan to spend the prom, neither -pre nor -post.
Just looked at Grand Lux Cafe's menu and it seems to be spot-on. Thanks for the recommendation.

Brasserie Jo also looks like a very good choice. I didn't see a vegetarian option on their menu, but the sidebar shows Moroccan Style Couscous on Wednesday nights. I'll call the restaurant to find out if they can make it available on a weekend night as well.

Things may have changed since I was that age, but I would have loved an adventure in lieu of Prom. I'd suggest San Soo Gap San, it's a late night place, so they can linger and it's a heckua lot of fun!

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=10345&hilit=San+Soo+Gap+San

$50 per head would cover a lot of food, perhaps they could start out with that and finish up with desert at Hot Chocolate?

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=3221&hilit=hot+chocolate

San Soo Gap San
5247 N Western Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 334-1589

Hot Chocolate
1747 N Damen Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 489-1747

You know, the Hot Chocolate idea is not bad. I think they would like that regardless of where they go for dinner.

Unfortunately the Korean restaurant is a bit adventurous for some of girls in this group.

mrpquter wrote:You know, the Hot Chocolate idea is not bad. I think they would like that regardless of where they go for dinner.

Unfortunately the Korean restaurant is a bit adventurous for some of girls in this group.

And I don't know many groups of ten Illinois high school girls who like their hair smelling like grilled pork belly for the rest of the evening. But for that matter, I don't really know many groups of ten Illinois high school girls.

mrpquter wrote:Brasserie Jo also looks like a very good choice. I didn't see a vegetarian option on their menu, but the sidebar shows Moroccan Style Couscous on Wednesday nights. I'll call the restaurant to find out if they can make it available on a weekend night as well.

Brasserie Jo actually does have a few vegetarian options on its dinner menu (link available here):

One of these appetizers could be combined with the first or third salad to make a very satisfying meal:
Onion Tarte Uncle Hansi (7.95)
Beer Cheese Beignet, Cabbage Remoulade (7.95)
Fondue Savoyard (8.95)

Additionally, the first three tartes flambées could stand alone as a meal for someone with a small appetite, or with a salad for a normal person

Finally, the following entrées would work for an ovo-lacto vegetarian:
Omelette, Spinach, Gruyere, Mushrooms, Petite Salade (14.95)
Baked French Macaroni and Cheese (15.95) (this one might have some ham or bacon in it, so it might not belong in this list)
Spinach Florentine Crepe (16.95)

My wife was a strict vegetarian (of the ovo-lacto variety) her entire life (until we got married, that is )...we used to go to Brasserie Jo once in a while, and she would order the onion tarte & the Belgian endive salad for dinner.

Santander wrote:

mrpquter wrote:You know, the Hot Chocolate idea is not bad. I think they would like that regardless of where they go for dinner.

Unfortunately the Korean restaurant is a bit adventurous for some of girls in this group.

And I don't know many groups of ten Illinois high school girls who like their hair smelling like grilled pork belly for the rest of the evening. But for that matter, I don't really know many groups of ten Illinois high school girls.

I probably didn't count as a typical Illinois high school girl even when I WAS an Illinois high school girl!

Glad the Hot Chocolate suggestion could work, though!

My immediate reaction was Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba. I know you said not adventurous, but I think the flavors and choices at Cafe B-B-R, in fact at any of the Lettuce Entertain You restaurants, are nothing terribly exotic. Potato salad. Shrimp and garlic. Meatballs in tomato sauce. There are certainly better places for tapas in Chicago, but my view is that often quality and authenticity go hand in hand. So yes, Cafe BBR may not be the best, but it is far from the most authentic, which is exactly why I'm suggesting it.
Tapas is super fun as a group, and I think the autonomy it offers as far as quantity and selection would be refreshing to a group of high schoolers who might not get to make all the calls when they go out to eat with their parents. The ability to draw out the pacing as much as you like would be another plus. This can also accommodate the veg in the group, as most of the cold choices pass. For a friend's birthday recently, a group of 10-15 girls (early 20s) went and had a boisterous, enjoyable time. Plus, send them with an iPod with "Time of Your Life" by Green Day or Semisonic's "Closing Time" for right before they leave, and it'll be like they were at the prom the whole time.

Do they plan on getting glammed up in prom-like clothes/girls out on the town night? Or are they doing the anti-prom/dress down be comfortable night?

This would help determine choices as well...

Most of the recommendations in this thread could work, and I'll give a little perspective from industry experience that might make the girls' experience as pleasant as possible. Unless you go to a suburban chain restaurant known for family-friendliness, a group of 10 high school girls is very likely to be met with an "Oh crap, I'm getting stuck with this horror" mindset by the server. Please save judgment about how horrible this is since the girls are paying customers like everyone else, and it's the server's job anyway, etc., etc. The bottom line is that this is how it is, and a disgruntled server can ruin the party's enjoyment. So, here are some simple steps to take to help them have a good time:

- Tell them to bring cash, including small bills.
- Tell them not to request separate checks. When the bill comes, if the math team captain is there, have her calculate a 25% tip (rounding up if you have to), then divide the total by 10. Everyone should be prepared to provide exactly what she owes.
- When you make the reservation, explain what the group is, and tell the person that you understand the difficulty this kind of group can cause for the server. Ask the person to inform the server in advance that he/she will be getting a 25% tip. More if he/ she does a particularly good job.

my daughter is a junior in high school and she and her group of friends have dined several times at lux bar on rush street. it generally was to celebrate someone's birthday, and they have always really enjoyed themselves. i imagine restaurants in this area are accustomed to serving young adults with some money to spend and don't tend to treat them like second class citizens.

Kennyz, I really appreciate the advice you gave about handling the money and being nice to the server. I can see where such a group can be a pain if they're not being considerate.

Khaopaat, thank you for the detailed veggie suggestions for Brasserie Jo. If they end up going there I think I'll just print it out for them

Kennyz wrote:- Tell them to bring cash, including small bills.
- Tell them not to request separate checks. When the bill comes, if the math team captain is there, have her calculate a 25% tip (rounding up if you have to), then divide the total by 10. Everyone should be prepared to provide exactly what she owes.
- When you make the reservation, explain what the group is, and tell the person that you understand the difficulty this kind of group can cause for the server. Ask the person to inform the server in advance that he/she will be getting a 25% tip. More if he/ she does a particularly good job.

And aim for a restaurant where you can easily eat for $40 so that they have money for the tips.

By the way, most restaurants are assessing an 18% required tip for 8+ people.

What my brother does for the proms for his kids is that he throws a FORMAL dinner for sixteen for the folks that don't want to head off to the prom. They spend the prom time at his house and then head to the after-prom at midnight.

We took our 15-year old goddaughter out to Blue Man Group in March. Went to Cafe Baba-Reeba prior to the show and she really enjoyed it. After the show, we went to Hot Chocolate... this was a snowy Sunday night, so they weren't very crowded. She took a look at the menu and we could tell she wasn't comfortable with it. With that in mind, we decided to go to Grand Lux Cafe instead. It was absolutely perfect for her... we were seated at table by the window overlooking Michigan Avenue. It was picture perfect, the server was wonderful as was the food. I would think Michigan Avenue and the immediate area would be much more exciting than the Bucktown/Wicker Park area for a group of teenagers.

Whatever they decide on, hope they enjoy a memorable evening!