South Bend, Indiana is Notre Dame — and Notre Dame creates one of the most concentrated and in-demand graduation dinner markets in the entire Midwest. The Grotto, Touchdown Jesus (the Word of Life mural), the Basilica, the Hesburgh Library, and the entire Notre Dame campus experience reaches its apex each May at Commencement, when forty thousand families descend on St. Joseph County looking for a dinner that matches the occasion. The College Football Hall of Fame, the East Race Waterway, Howard Park, Four Winds Field, and the Studebaker National Museum all contribute to a South Bend cultural identity that takes its celebrations seriously — and graduation is the most serious one.
Our private hibachi chef service is built for the Notre Dame graduation dinner challenge and every other South Bend milestone that surrounds it. A Commencement dinner for forty-two family members from seven states at a South Bend property on the May Saturday when every restaurant in St. Joseph County was fully committed — the chef arrives with dual stations and runs two hours of live teppanyaki performance for the whole family, together. A corporate team appreciation dinner for a downtown South Bend company, the East Race corridor property, the Howard Park-adjacent venue, the St. Joseph River neighborhood. The chef arrives fully equipped and manages everything through complete cleanup.
Notre Dame Commencement graduation dinners book 6–8 weeks ahead — this is our most in-demand date in all of Northern Indiana and one of the highest-demand dates in the state. Standard South Bend events: 2–3 weeks. Serving South Bend and all of St. Joseph County — Mishawaka, Granger, Goshen, Niles, and surrounding Northern Indiana communities. Starting at $60/adult, $30/child, $600 event minimum.
