With private dining rooms and spaces available all over the UK, hiring one might be easier and more cost-effective than you think. For many of us, when we think of private dining we think of stuffy, boardroom-style private dining rooms or huge banqueting halls for gala dinners and such. This may have been the reality once upon a time but these days, restaurants and venues have private dining options of all shapes, sizes and prices. The difficulty, of course, is finding them, which is where SquareMeal comes in as the UK’s leading restaurant guide and directory for private dining rooms and event spaces.
Why hire a private dining room? There’s a long list of fantastic reasons why it's worth looking into a private room for your next event. Let's get the obvious out of the way - sometimes it’s just good to have a bit of privacy isn't it? Perhaps you’re having a gathering where you want to be able to chat in peace, or on the other end of the spectrum, maybe you’re a large, loud group and you’d rather not disturb other people! Either way, there are some occasions where you’re better off with a private room.
Private dining rooms have traditionally been popular with corporate bookers, as the extra privacy is appropriate for all sorts of work events, whether it’s business lunches, breakfast meets, networking events or client entertaining.
That extra privacy often comes with other beneficial extras too. Lots of private dining rooms are set up with AV equipment, for example - perfect if you’re planning a business meeting and a presentation. You might also find that you can put on your own music or arrange separate entertainment for the room - little perks that can make an occasion extra special.
They’re also great if you want to host a special event - a birthday celebration for example, or a baby shower. Lots of private dining rooms are flexible enough to host all sorts of different occasions, but because you’re in a restaurant you can rely on getting some good food into the bargain.
What is the average cost of private dining room hire?
Can I negotiate the price of a private dining room? How does the pricing structure work? Are private dining rooms always expensive? We've tackle all your burning questions.
This is a tricky question to answer with a simple number but as a rough guide, private dining rooms can be as cheap as £40 per head for a basic package, with a more curated fine dining menu costing £150 per head and beyond. The amount you could spend on private dining is almost limitless, with the largest gala dinner locations fetching exclusive hire fees in the five figure range.
In general there are three principle types of private dining room hire.
1. Minimum spend. This is the most common style of private dining room hire. A venue will charge a ‘minimum spend’ amount, where your final bill must reach a certain amount, otherwise you’ll have to pay the difference.
2. Hire charge. Some venues - generally those on the larger, more expensive side - will ask you to pay a ‘hire charge’ to hire the room, and then you pay your bill on top.
3. No minimum spend. These are less common, but there are some venues with private rooms that will hire them out without asking for a hire charge or a minimum spend. They tend to ask for a minimum group size, to try and guarantee that they’ll earn a certain amount from the room. This is more common in pubs with private rooms or venues with areas that can be made semi-private, for example.
It’s worth pointing out that room hire is often negotiable - venues would always prefer to have a private dining room full rather than empty, so you can often negotiate better deals on minimum spend or hire charge, especially on quieter days of the week.
If you’re hiring a private dining room in a good restaurant, you’re almost certainly looking at one of the first two options. That can sound expensive but depending on the size of the party, you might be surprised at how affordable a minimum spend private dining room can be. There are lots of private dining rooms that ask for a minimum spend amount that, when you break it down per guest, equates to a similar amount as you would expect to spend in the restaurant.
Take STK Rooftop Steakhouse & Bar in Stratford as an example. STK Stratford's 24-seater private dining room has a minimum spend over £800 at the time of writing. If you wanted to hire it for a dinner for 20 guests, that equates to around £40 a head, which is far less than you're likely to spend.
![stk stratford rooftop]()
STK Rooftop Steakhouse & Bar in Stratford
Other things you might want to consider
Give this little list a scan before you start planning your next private dinner...
Always take a look at the venue’s cancellation policy for private hire. Many venues will take a non-refundable deposit off you when you book, so make absolutely sure that you’re happy before you do this, otherwise you could lose your money if you have to cancel.
Consider the size of your group, the type of event, the ideal geographical location as well as the time and time of week, as these will all have an impact on how much you can expect to pay.
Although hiring a private dining room comes with lots of perks, most restaurants will limit your options when it comes to ordering off the menu. The vast majority of restaurants and venues have group menus or set menus for larger groups, which often reduces your ordering options compared to an a la carte for example. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing (some people actually prefer it) but it’s worth knowing about before you book your favourite restaurant only to realise that you can’t order all your favourite things.
Although private dining is a catch-all term, not all private dining rooms are completely private. Some spaces are advertised as ‘semi-private’, which usually means that the space is somewhat secluded from the main restaurant, but isn’t completely closed off. This could be a separate space around a corner that has some privacy, or a room behind a curtain. Some people prefer semi-private rooms as you get the atmosphere of the restaurant but you still have some extra privacy. Either way, you can always enquire as to whether a private dining space is genuinely private or if it’s semi-private.
Lots of restaurants and venues also offer exclusive hire as well, for the right price! If you’re planning a larger celebration or event and you want to feed a lot of people, exclusive hire is a great way of treating guests to something memorable. It also ensures that no-one else will be in the venue, so you get the entire place all to yourself.
![Private dining at the Houses of Parliament]()
Private dining at the Houses of Parliament
If you’re thinking about exclusive hire of a restaurant, the cost will have to cover the restaurant being closed for lunch or dinner; as a result this often comes with a considerable price tag, but the benefit is that you can get a great restaurant all to yourself.
Alternatively, there are plenty of other event venues that have in-house catering or will help you book an external caterer to handle the food. This is a great option if you want to host a dinner in an impressive venue, like one of London’s historic livery halls or the Houses of Parliament.
Feeling acquainted with booking a private dinner? Time for step two - how to plan a private dinner, including how to deal with dietaries, decoration, menu planning and more.