What Exactly Is a Supper Club? (And Why Wisconsin Perfected It)

Walk into a Wisconsin supper club and you will feel it before you taste it.

The low hum of conversation, the clink of ice in a brandy old fashioned, the promise of prime rib that takes its time. A supper club is not just a restaurant. It is a ritual. And for more than 175 years, the Red Circle Inn has been showing diners how ritual becomes culture.

Origins of the Supper Club

Supper clubs began in the 1930s as social outposts, often rural, where guests could linger over a full evening of food and entertainment. In Wisconsin they took on a distinct character. Here, a supper club meant hearty meals, generous drinks, and a sense of community that made every guest feel like a regular. It was less about dining quickly and more about settling in for the night.

The Wisconsin Touch

Relish trays became a calling card, along with baskets of warm bread and brandy old fashioneds mixed strong. A supper club was often family-run, which gave it a warmth and personality that chain restaurants could never match. In Wisconsin, the culture of gathering after work or after church naturally fit into the supper club rhythm. People came not just to eat but to belong.

Red Circle Inn’s Role

The Red Circle Inn predates the supper club movement, yet it fits perfectly into the tradition. By the time the phrase “supper club” gained traction, the Inn had already been delivering its essence for decades: a relaxed atmosphere, generous portions, and evenings that stretch into conversation. From the Pabst era to today, the Red Circle Inn has embodied the ideals of the supper club before they were named.

Why it Still Matters

In an age of fast dining and quick service, the supper club feels almost radical. It asks guests to slow down, order a cocktail at the bar, and enjoy multiple courses over several hours. It reminds people that a meal can be the centerpiece of the day, not a break in between errands. At Red Circle Inn, that sense of time and connection remains the heart of the experience.

To ask “what is a supper club” is to ask “what makes Wisconsin Wisconsin.” It is tradition, comfort, and a welcome that stretches across generations. At the Red Circle Inn, the answer has been unfolding for more than a century and a half. Here, the supper club is not a trend. It is the way supper was always meant to be enjoyed.

"A supper club is not just a restaurant. It is a ritual. And for more than 175 years, the Red Circle Inn has been showing diners how ritual becomes culture."