Family Reunions At Claudia Sanders Dinner House

A family reunion at Claudia Sanders Dinner House is built around the family-style service the restaurant was founded on in 1968. Platters of fried chicken, sugar-cured country ham, and scratch-made vegetables come to the table for everyone to share, with unlimited refills on vegetables and homemade yeast rolls.

The setting carries the heritage of a restaurant beside the historic Blackwood Hall home, with Kentucky horse-country décor, fireplaces, and the warm, unhurried service that lets a family settle in and visit. It is the kind of meal that feels like Sunday dinner at a grandparent's table — platters passed down the line, everyone reaching for their favorite vegetable, and the rolls never running out.

Menus are customized to your group and can include family-style platters, a buffet, or a plated dinner. Homemade pies and cobblers are available for dessert, and the full bar serves beer, wine, and cocktails for adult family members. Because the venue has welcomed families since 1968, many reunions here feel like a tradition carried forward across generations.

Family reunions here suit multi-generational gatherings that want a sit-down meal rather than a park shelter or a crowded restaurant. It works for both small extended families and large reunions that fill a room with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. The private rooms keep the celebration contained, and the family-style format encourages everyone to share the meal together.

Families from Louisville, Southern Indiana, and across Kentucky often choose Shelbyville for a central gathering point. The venue welcomes large groups and tour buses, making it easy for relatives traveling together to arrive as one party. The divisible Colonel's Quarters means a 60-person reunion and a 400-person gathering both fit without the room feeling empty or overcrowded.

Choose a room based on your family size and whether you want a seated meal or a buffet.

For a reunion, the Kentucky Room (up to 150) with its fireplace and family-room feel is a popular choice. The Colonel's Quarters can hold up to 450 for a large extended family, and the divisible layout lets us fit mid-size reunions comfortably. The Thoroughbred and Saddlebred Rooms suit a smaller branch of the family that wants a private dinner.

We offer several service formats so the reunion matches your family size and style.

Family-style service is the natural choice for a reunion — platters passed down the table keep the meal social and true to the Dinner House. A buffet also works well for larger groups, and a plated dinner suits a more formal gathering. Every format includes the same scratch-made Southern food served in the dining room.

Family-style meals include unlimited refills on scratch-made vegetables and homemade yeast rolls. Homemade pies, cobblers, and Claudia's Kentucky Pie are available for dessert. The full bar serves beer, wine, and cocktails, with beverage service priced by the drink or by the bottle.

Family-style service is what the Dinner House was built for — it is the format the restaurant was founded on in 1968. Platters of food come to the table for everyone to share, with unlimited refills on the eight scratch-made vegetables and the homemade yeast rolls. It is the kind of meal that turns a reunion into a real gathering, where everyone passes dishes and visits across the table rather than eating in isolation.

Menus draw from the same scratch-made Southern food served in the dining room — fried chicken, sugar-cured Kentucky country ham, the Kentucky Hot Brown, chicken livers, steaks and chops, eight family-style vegetables, and homemade pies. See the full menu and the carry-out menu for the dishes that can anchor your event.

The eight scratch-made vegetables include baked apple, Harvard beets, country-style green beans, corn pudding, creamed spinach, breaded stewed tomatoes, real Idaho mashed potatoes with milk gravy, collard greens, and macaroni and cheese. Choosing four of them comes with every family dinner, and the unlimited refills mean no one leaves the table hungry.

Planning starts with a call to (502) 633-5600 or a message through the contact form. Tell us your reunion date, family size, and any food preferences, and we will help you choose a room and build a menu.

Because every event is customized, we do not publish per-person pricing online. Tell us your date, guest count, and the style of service you want, and we will send menu options and pricing. There is no obligation, and we are happy to walk through the rooms and the menu before you decide.

Because reunions often include relatives traveling from across the region, we can help you choose a date and time that works within our posted hours and the travel schedules of your family. If branches of the family are arriving by bus or in a caravan, let us know so we can plan the parking and the seating.

Before the reunion, confirm your guest count, menu selections, and any dietary needs. If family members are arriving in groups or by bus, let us know so we can plan the parking and seating.

• ✓Arrive early to settle the room and greet family.
• ✓Our staff sets up the family-style platters, tables, and service equipment.
• ✓Unlimited refills on vegetables and homemade yeast rolls.
• ✓Homemade pies and cobblers are available for dessert.
• ✓The full bar serves beer, wine, and cocktails for adult family members.

On the day, our team handles service and cleanup so the family can focus on visiting. The private room keeps the reunion separate from the dining room, giving the family space to share photos, stories, and a long meal together.

Claudia Sanders Dinner House is at 3202 Shelbyville Rd (U.S. 60), Shelbyville, Kentucky 40065, east of Louisville. Guests from Louisville, Southern Indiana, and across Kentucky often gather here, and the Kentucky horse-country setting gives the occasion a sense of place. Parking is on site, and tour buses are welcome.

Claudia Sanders Dinner House is open Wednesday through Friday from 11 AM to 8 PM and Saturday and Sunday from 8 AM to 8 PM, with breakfast served on weekends. The venue is closed Monday and Tuesday. Holiday hours may differ — call (502) 633-5600 to confirm.

Family reunions often take place on a weekend afternoon or evening, with a long family-style meal. Weekend breakfast and brunch service starts at 8 AM on Saturday and Sunday for morning gatherings, and the venue's Saturday and Sunday hours — from 8 AM to 8 PM — give flexibility for an afternoon or evening reunion.

Receptions are based on a per-person price for food, beverage by the drink or bottle, and any other special services requested, with a minimum of 50 guests. A Basic Reception includes skirted service tables with serving equipment, china or glass plates, forks, napkins, and tables and chairs for your guests. All other services are at an additional charge.

For reunions below the 50-guest reception minimum, ask about a private-room family-style dinner — we can often host smaller families with a reserved room and a customized menu, with the same unlimited vegetables and rolls that define the family-style tradition.