We’ve reached the point in food culture where news of a “Private Dining Society” is met with a half-cocked brow and meager mutterings of interest. We’ve seen the clandestine food experience grilled, broiled, braised, beaten and basted into redundancy. So, what could change that ever so predictable trope? What could get us excited again? Well, how about putting that thing on the road, slap a few secret passwords on it, attach some World Class Chef’s like, I’dunno, say . . . Marcus Samuelson to the proceedings and make the whole thing free, courtesy of Patrón Tequila?

Would that get our juices going?

Yes, yes it would.

Patrón Secret Dining Society was created to give diners a unique experience where food pairings with brilliant mixologist concoctions are the focus of the meal. Access is exclusive only to members of Patrón Social Club, which you can put a membership bid in for at their site.. . . . which is open to the public. In other words, it's not really that much of a secret. Especially not when their projecting signage onto the side of the building, announcing their arrival. Something about this says "attempt" more than execution.

What Patrón seems to have missed is that the merits of the "secret dining society" experience obviously rest in the secretive aspect. While we're excited about the gratis high-end meal and spirits we'd normally have to shell out the big bucks for, we can't help but feel a bit let down in way of brand intergration. No nuance. No subtly.

With signage and branding stretching it's fingers into every level of promotion, it comes off as garish, obtuse and completely at odds with the spirit of privacy and exclusivity. One would hope that the branding be handing more gently as they roll their bus of indulgence through out the country this summer.

Let's call this one a draw.

Links to Consider:

http://patronsocialclub.com/