Dinner downtown for a professional group? (Greenville: professionals, restaurant, cost)

[CUIE92]

Any suggestions for places downtown for a dinner for a group of middle-age professionals in town for a conference? Not looking for stuffy sit down meal at tables. Something more casual where it is more social in nature or open. Cost is somewhat of a factor too (looked at a box for the Drive game with catering and it was too much). Group is around 25 people.

[shamrocker]

Depending on the budget, Rio Grille might be a great place to go. It's a place that serves lots of Brazillian BBQ and a salad bar. It was definitely the most interesting place I've had dinner at in Greenville.

[ckeegan]

Obviously the answer to your question is completely dependant on what type of person you are. The first thing that actually came to mind was Barley's Taproom, since they have a room up front which could be closed off to supress some of the noise. The pizza is really good, and it's not necessarily a sit down type of meal. Maybe a little too casual though.

[Art123]

Originally Posted by CUIE92

Any suggestions for places downtown for a dinner for a group of middle-age professionals in town for a conference? Not looking for stuffy sit down meal at tables. Something more casual where it is more social in nature or open. Cost is somewhat of a factor too (looked at a box for the Drive game with catering and it was too much). Group is around 25 people.

It's not "stuffy," but you do sit down at a table to eat at The Lazy Goat. The food menu and presentation are great for groups, imho. They also have a nice bar area and a view of the Reedy. You could stand and eat in that part, I suppose. Or on their great patio outside.

Are you looking for a restaurant, or a space and a caterer?

[Gaelcat]

We have a holiday dinner/party every year at Brick Street Cafe. It has a great atmosphere and they are used to big groups. We normally have around 50 people. There are tables but it's more of a social, mingling type of dinner. We've done a fixed menu and a buffet, both well-received. There's a bar so people can get drinks if they choose. And it's very close to the ballpark. So dinner before or after a game might be an option.
Another, much less expensive, option is Saffron's Sidewalk cafe. We had our rehearsal dinner there and it was great. We had barbecue, sides and a keg from Thomas Creek. They were very easy to work with in terms of coming up with a menu, offering a lot of choices. We went with BBQ to give our out-of-country guests a southern experience. We had the whole patio outside, which is wonderful during nice weather.