diff --git a/src/app/party.coffee b/src/app/party.coffee
index bff81e883b..87b091cb20 100644
--- a/src/app/party.coffee
+++ b/src/app/party.coffee
@@ -161,9 +161,12 @@ module.exports.app = (appExports, model, app) ->
 
   sendChat = (path, input) ->
     chat = model.at path
+    text = model.get input
+    # Check for non-whitespace characters
+    return unless /\S/.test text
     chat.unshift
       id: model.id()
-      text: model.get(input)
+      text: text
       user: helpers.username(model.get('_user.auth'), model.get('_user.profile.name'))
       timestamp: +new Date
     model.set(input, '')
@@ -177,6 +180,10 @@ module.exports.app = (appExports, model, app) ->
     model.setNull '_tavern.chat', {messages:[]} #we can remove this later, first time run only
     sendChat('_tavern.chat.messages', '_tavernMessage')
 
+  appExports.tavernMessageKeyup = (e, el, next) ->
+    return next() unless e.keyCode is 13
+    appExports.tavernSendChat()
+
   app.on 'render', (ctx) ->
     $('#party-tab-link').on 'shown', (e) ->
       messages = model.get('_party.chat')
diff --git a/views/app/game-pane.html b/views/app/game-pane.html
index fdd159a979..8bc8760a63 100644
--- a/views/app/game-pane.html
+++ b/views/app/game-pane.html
@@ -86,10 +86,10 @@
         <div class='span6'>
             <h3>Tavern Talk & LFG</h3>
             <form x-bind='submit:tavernSendChat'>
-                <textarea>{_tavernMessage}</textarea><br/>
+                <textarea x-bind='keyup:tavernMessageKeyup'>{_tavernMessage}</textarea><br/>
                 <input class=btn type=submit value=Submit />
             </form>
-            <ul class='unstyled'>
+            <ul class='unstyled tavern-chat'>
                 {#each _tavern.chat.messages as :message}
                     <li>
                         <hr/>