This Year's Hottest Brands Are Also the Most Secretive

Above the seven full-size courts of New York's Basketball City sports facility, 90 strangers enjoy a six-course dinner cooked in a temporary kitchen. Nothing resembles what you'd expect from court-side dining, from the whole roasted kabocha squash to the hen-of-the-wood mushroom puree to the parsnip parfait yogurt dessert.

The diners, who provide Chef Andrew Black feedback on note cards following each course, are members of Dinner Lab, a new underground dining club. Originally launched in New Orleans in 2012, Dinner Lab is in the process of expanding to 10 cities across the U.S

Unlike your typical fast growing startup, however, Dinner Lab puts zero emphasis on marketing; it lacks both a budget and a plan. As the young company moves into new markets, it relies entirely on its members to share their experiences with like-minded friends. Read more...