A Place for Meals and Deals

Five members of the Regency Club talk about the advantages of conducting business and pleasure at the private dining club.

LARRY THOMPSON, motion picture and television producer and personal manager: “It’s the most un-Hollywood place in Los Angeles. You go to get done what you have to get done. People at the Polo Lounge talk about making deals, and people at the Regency Club make deals. I recently took Elizabeth Dole there--I’m co-chairing the entertainment committee to elect Bob Dole for president--and we had dinner in one of the private rooms. No one knew we were there. There’s no-table hopping. No one’s there to hustle anyone.”

ELI BROAD, chairman and chief executive officer, Kaufman & Broad Inc.: “I like it for business breakfasts--(breakfast) starts at 7. If I have five people in from out of town and we’re not going to meet in the office, it’s a comfortable place to meet. I see other CEOs there and they see me, but I don’t go there to be seen or meet other people. It’s not a place where you walk over and schmooze with people over cocktails.”

JERRY PERENCHIO, chairman, Chartwell Communications: “I’d rather have a business lunch there than at most restaurants. The tables are so far apart that nobody can overhear your conversation, and you can’t overhear anyone else’s. There may be someone talking about a new wing on something at UCLA at one table, while somebody else is talking about--who knows? I see doctors, lawyers, educators. The other thing I like is it’s a formal place. It’s nice for a change to wear a coat and tie.”

MICHAEL MCCARTY, owner, Michael’s restaurant in Santa Monica: “I’m a great fan of super-professional nouvelle cuisine , the real thing. In fact, that’s where I had my bachelor party three years ago. I go to the club for the special dinners they have when the great chefs from Europe come in and cook. They’re always sold out, and they’re fabulous.”

PAIGERENSE, editor-in-chief of Architectural Digest: “As a woman, when I entertain, it’s wonderful to have a club because there’s no question about the bill. The people I’m taking out to dinner or lunch, particularly when they’re here from Europe or New York, know all the restaurants, and this is a little bit different. The interior designers I have taken there--who are not the kindest critics--like it very, very much.”