Dinner Lab Supper Club Plans Storefront Restaurant

Fans of the wildly popular Dinner Lab supper club — which started in New Orleans and has since popped up in 10 cities across the country — may no longer have to trek to pop-ups in factories, churches, and piers to get their high-end meals. According to a report from Nashville Scene, the club has designs on opening a brick-and-mortar spot in one of their 10 current cities, and all the big decisions will be crowd-sourced.

Here's how it will work: Members at each of the 10 Dinner Lab locations around the country will sample food from a different chef every week for 11 weeks. Chefs will also get a chance to discuss their background during a happy hour. Using feedback from its members, Dinner Lab will select one of the featured chefs to open their very own restaurant.

Since Dinner Lab largely features on-the-rise sous-chefs who generally don't create their own menus, there's sure to be some considerable up-and-coming talent in the competition. However, it remains to be seen whether the Dinner Lab project can transcend the underground dining scene, where much of its popularity is drawn from the appeal of semi-secret, exclusive eating. The most recent Dinner Lab supper club popped up in Chicago on April 10.

Adam D'Arpino is the Restaurants Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDArpino.