Bogota Pop Ups
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens at a dining event?
How much must I pay to attend?
Can I see the menu in advance? What if I don't like the food?
Why must I bring my own drink?
Do I have to share my drinks with the other guests?
What kind of people come to this event?
What about sanitation? Do you have a certificate? Is this legal?
How do I know that you won't just keep my money and disappear?
What is this network you're talking about?
How can I host my own pop up dinner?
Do you offer other services such as cooking classes or catering?
Can I order cakes/macarons/pasta/jam from you?
Q. What happens at a dinner?
A. Each event is different, and the invitation and confirmation email will include all the detailed information. Let us share a typical dinner evenng at Andres and Sara Lisa's house: the guests arrive at the time specified in the invitation (we do not operate on “Colombian time” :). You receive a welcome drink, and get introduced to the other guests. If the weather permits, you sip your aperitivo and snack on some pre-dinner goodies on the balcony while you get to know your companions for the evening. The sun sets at about 6pm, bathing you in warm light and providing a beautiful view of the city. In case of cold or rain, we light the fireplace and mingle inside.
The first course is served at 7.00. You drink the wine or other drink you brought or get a bottle of our house wine for a donation. In total, we serve between 4 and 9 courses during a dinner, depending on the dishes and combinations.
Q. How do I sign up to attend?
A. To receive an invitation, sign up with your email here. Once you get invited, we operate on first come first served basis. Write us with the number of spaces you would like, let us know how you heard about us, and inform us of any food allergies or restrictions. We will then confirm availability and instructions for making the payment. Your spot is not reserved until we receive your payment. Finally, you will be asked to send us a short paragraph about yourself - what you love, what makes you laugh - this is for us to facilitate introductions between guests when you arrive.
Q. How much must I pay to attend?
A. This varies depending on the event, but on average the suggested donation for a dinner is of COP 80,000 per person. For more, see below.
Q. Can I see the menu in advance? What if I don't like the food?
A. Generally, we do not publish the menu in advance so as to stay flexible to the supply of fresh products in our local markets. We do however provide information about the central theme of the dinner and a list of key tastes and ingredients you are likely to find on your plate. If you have an aversion to any of the listed, wait until next month and see if it fits your personal tastes better. You can also send us any special requests and dietary restrictions by email, and we will let you know if we are able to adapt the menu to your needs. Make sure not to make a payment until you have received confirmation that we are able to adapt the menu,
Q. Why would I pay to eat a menu I don't know in advance with strangers instead of going to a restaurant, picking what I want to eat and spending time with my friends? Or cooking at home with some of my friends?
A. Spending your time with your good friends is wonderful. So is an excellent restaurant. And we believe that little is as pleasing as a home cooked meal in a comfortable environment. BogotaPopUps has elements of these things. Some days, you might want to try something new. Those are the days where we come in.
BogotaPopUps is about providing a different experience. If you are interested in meeting new people, get exposed to new ideas and cultures, and perhaps step outside of your comfort zone, we are the place to go. Every event is different, and unpredictable (even for us). The experience depends a lot on you, your attitude, and your openness to other people, foods, and ideas. Come alone or with a friend or partner, and discover some of the secrets this city has to offer.
Q. Why must I bring my own drink?
A. Our chefs often do not to include drinks in their dinners to keep costs down, and to cater to different tastes: people differ widely in what and how much they want to drink. Many people like being able to bring their own drinks, and we wanted to allow for that. Often there will be red and white wine available for a donation: this is specified in the invitation for each event.
Q. Do I have to share my drinks with the other guests?
A. This is not expected, but you may if you feel like it.
Q. What kind of people come to this event?
A. See People
Q. Isn't COP 80,000 a bit much?
A. 80,000 is a lot of money and we’d love to be able to operate at lower costs and thus bring together a more diverse group of people.
However it is still less than you would pay in a restaurant for the equivalent meal. We serve several courses and we insist on only using the best ingredients. Everything is homemade from scratch, which takes a lot of time (Sara gets up at 6 am several days of the week to be able to test-cook a dish before going to work). We are not a restaurant, and still have to buy all our food at retail prices.
For all these reasons, the suggested donation is the best we can do. We hope that as we learn and scale, we’ll be able to lower costs. In the meantime, please let us know if you have any ideas or proposals to be able to operate at lower costs.
Q. What about sanitation? Do you have a certificate? Is this legal?
A. We do work with the highest standards of sanitation. However, we are not a restaurant and we do not have permits. We are a individuals who are opening up their house and hearts to strangers and who will prepare a meal for you, for a donation.
Q. How do I know that you won't just keep my money and disappear?
A. We promise we won't!! We are real people, feel free to check out our linkedin, or facebook profiles, published articles and work, and google us to see what embarrassing results come up. Also, we’re happy to meet for coffee, chat, and prove our realness. Ask for references from the people you heard about us from. If there’s still any doubt, please get in touch.
Q. What about safety?
A. Especially in Bogota, this is an important concern. We live in a building with strong security. For now, we work by referrals: we ask each guest how they heard about us, and check their identity through that person. Hopefully, later on there will be some credit card based verification.
Q. What is this network you're talking about?
A. We're aiming to become the AirBnB of dinners in Bogota. We've had a lot of success with our events, have a quickly growing network of diners. There is a real interest from people living in and visiting Bogota in attending Pop Up dinners. Hence, we have and continue identifying other passionate chefs and cooks to host their own pop ups - in their homes, in museums, farms, stores, parks... creativity is the limit. Read more here.
Q. How can I host my own pop up dinner?
A. If you're a talented cook or chef, are good with people, and are committed to providing a unique, delicious and fun experience to your guests, get in touch with us at bogotapopups@gmail.com. We an offer you access to our growing network of diners, a streamlined invitations and booking process, administrative advice, plus the opportunity to make a little bit of money off your passion, while meeting wonderful individuals. We'd love to hear from you and see how we could work together.
Q. Do you offer other services such as cooking classes or catering?
A. Sara Lisa and Andres, the founders of BogotaPopUps, do offer catering or cooking classes for groups up to 15 people. We also occasionally hold cooking-class pop-up dinners, where diners first learn to cook the dishes together and then enjoy the fruits of their labour. Please see our section on other services for more information, or get in touch by writing to bogotapopups@gmail.com
Q. Can I order cakes/macarons/fresh pasta/jam from you?
A. Sara Lisa and Andres offer these services on an ad-hoc basis. We'd love to hear what you need and make you something custom-made and amazing. Get in touch with us for more details: bogotapopups@gmail.com