I had the pleasure of planning a summer rooftop brunch at Little Goat in Chicago for a group of business school alumni! The event brought together alumni from class years that spanned across different decades, and the attendees had a wide range of career backgrounds. There were also several friends and family members that attended. Below are 4 tips for hosting a great rooftop brunch:
1. Unique Venue – Rooftop
You definitely want to find a unique rooftop brunch venue. I love finding hidden gems that most people haven’t experienced before. The rooftop at Little Goat was perfect! Tons of people had been to the restaurant, but their rooftop deck is a hidden gem! The rooftop has a wonderful indoor/outdoor set-up, so you can seamlessly move between the two. We started off inside and then headed out to the beautiful rooftop patio to sit back, eat, drink, and enjoy the beautiful summer Chicago weather!
2. Interactive Element – Cooking Demonstration
A great way to break the ice is to feature an interactive activity. I’m all about incorporating unique culinary experiences into my events, so when I heard we could do a cooking demonstration I jumped on it! Chef David Avila on the Little Goat culinary team led a wonderful demonstration on how to make crepes and other brunch favorites. Afterwards, we sampled the creations and enjoyed the food on the rooftop deck!
3. Awesome Food
It should go without saying that the food at a brunch should be great! We enjoyed the spread of pancakes, mini quiche, meats, and tons of other fun brunch items. It was a beautiful day in Chicago, so we were able to relax on the rooftop under the warm sun and blue skies!
4. Signature Brunch Cocktails
What’s brunch without cocktails like mimosas and bellinis?! Given this was Little Goat, I wanted to see what type of signature cocktails we could have that added some element of fun/surprise to the normal line up. They have a lovely Moscow Goat (instead of a Moscow Mule) that was the perfect addition to the cocktail list! Their bar was absolutely gorgeous too!
Event Planning: Elevated Occasions
Photography: Charissa Johnson Photography
Venue & Catering: Little Goat