Don't mess with success

1 bottle per person, but raise the minimum to $xxx?
Raise the minimum to $50? $75? Higher?
Raise the minimum and still allow a bonus bottle?

The current formula seems to be working well, IM(nsh)O. We're drinking a lot of great juice. If there's a bit of leftover, so be it. Variety is the _____ of _____. Minimums are already high enough to insure quality (save a corked bottle, etc.) Raising the minimum is going to make the evening $200 a head. While some already spend that, or spend a lot to fly in for dinner , 24 bottles of fancy wine are going to lead to disappointment! (In fact, I had a bottle of disappointment with dinner last week.) Not to mention that with our buy in minimum, we're already drinking things that would range from nearly $100 to $$$ on restaurant menus.

New location?

Bad idea (again, IMnshO) and I know I could muster up a minyan!

Assigned seats? Have themed tables?

4 years running, I've yet to catch cooties or leave with another undesirable ailment. Besides, you've successfully been able to avoid sitting near me.
If you really want to sit near me, all you have to do is ask As far as themes, that would be that each table has a lot of wine, and delicious food.

Have 3 tables, all with different price points? This way all the $35 people can sit together, and all the $75 people can sit together. All this while still sharing with each table.

Recipe for disaster.

This event provides a great way to have a great meal at an "NYC Reasonable Price" and taking that away would cause some potential first-timers to not even consider attending. I've met a lot of nice people over the past 4 years, and believe that some wouldn't have attended if the exclusivity factor was too high. I've also tasted probably in excess of 100 wines, and I can only recall 2 occasions where I had wished I'd have taken an airplane vomit bag to the dinner.

Ok, I'm done with this morning's humble thoughts.