Hospitality Folks Make for GREAT Party-Planners
At the biggest restaurant trade show in the country, we partnered up with some of our besties and decided to do what we do best: throw a rootin’, tootin’ good party.
During this year’s National Restaurant Association Show, Science On Call joined forces with our brilliant co-hosts at Meez and Resy to throw a party we lovingly called:
🍝 Spaghetti (Mid)Western 🤠
A name that started as a pun quickly turned into a full-blown vibe. We took over the Broken Hearts Bar, brought in Chicago’s own Professor Pizza for on-demand slices, and boogied to the truly unforgettable Meg & The Wheelers. It was silly, and wonderful. It allowed for people to let their hair down, grab a drink and relax with other people who truly get hospitality.
A Peek Behind The Curtain…
Hospitality professionals have a superpower: we live in the details. I am making sure to do a special call-out to Meez’s Ursula Siker who was the real brains behind this whole operation. Thank you so much, Ursula! When we throw a party, we try to bring the energy and attention to detail to the pre-planning phase, so that when the day comes, everyone can sit back and enjoy the curated experience. Here’s what we paid attention to—and why it mattered to our team:
✨ 1. The Vibe (duh)
From spaghetti western films being projected on the walls, to the selection of the venue, paired with the on-theme band, and funny props; the space had to say: “THIS is Spaghetti Mid-Western.” Special shout-out to the amazing team at Broken Hearts Bar for making it all feel effortless. If you find yourself in Chicago, go check ‘em out on line dancing night!
🍕 2. The Food Matters
Our friends at Professor Pizza absolutely delivered—literally. Their pies became the heartbeat of the night. We saw strangers become friends while they waited for their orders to come out. The team’s culinary performance, donning cowboy hats was just the parmesan sprinkled on top. Professor Pizza was already a Chicago favorite (and one of Andy’s faves… check out Andy’s fanboy moment in the gallery when he met Tony, the actual Professor) and to have such an immediately iconic brand in our midst validated our sense that this was a near-historic event.
🧠 3. We’re All Just People Who Want to Eat Pizza & Boogie
And while we like to say ‘it was just a party’ - we were intentional with wanting to curate a fun, relaxed environment that felt different than the traditional conference networking event. After days of grueling hours, 20k+ steps on the conference floor, it felt like a gift to offer up our quirky, fun, vibey oasis. We still gathered restaurant operators, tech partners, and innovators; but we gave people permission to just be themselves. At the end of the day, we designed something WE would want to attend, and were thrilled with the response.
This Is What Community in Restaurant Tech Looks Like
We talk a lot about supporting restaurants at Science On Call. Sometimes that looks like AI-powered tech that takes 85% of tickets off your team’s plate (shameless plug! I had to! This is my job!) Other times? It looks like designing a party out of a fever dream that has the perfect amounts of fun theme, great people & hospitality.
📸 Want to see the night unfold?
Check out the full photo gallery here: Spaghetti (Mid)Western Party Photos
Huge Thanks To:
🍕 Pizza geniuses: Professor Pizza
🎸 Band of our dreams: Meg & The Wheelers
🍸 Venue & vibe masters: Broken Hearts Bar
If you missed it—don’t worry. We’ll catch you next time!
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