Making friends and building community over food is the core mission of Dinner Mates.
It is never just about the food, but about sharing meals together, being part of a community and creating sustainable and lasting connections with new friends.
Be alerted when new events are added, 48-hours before ticket sales are available to the public.
Members pay less than non members for all in person events.ย
Be connected to each other and become part of the local and global Dinner Mates Community.ย
Get in on the ground floor and help build a membership that you love.
You are locked in at this low price as long as you stay an active member.
With Dinner Mates Club, you will always find people to eat with.
Whether you prefer to stay in your neighborhood or explore other areas, you can always reach out to other members and share a meal with them. No longer do you have to sit at the bar alone looking at your mobile phone.
Founder
Laurel Chiten was an award winning independent filmmaker for over 30 years (Blind Dog Films). She was also a foodie and lived in Manhattan.
One summer day in 2019, she walked into a restaurant around from where she lived, andย had a vision of people in her neighborhood sitting around a table eating together.
That was it! The idea of Dinner Mates was born! She dropped her film career, made a 180 degree turn to make this dream come to life. It took off like a rocket.
But when the pandemic hit, Dinner Mates took a pause. During the pandemic Laurel moved to Portland ME and started up Dinner Mates again.ย
Dinner Mates was created to bring people together, to make a difference in our personal lives, and our world.
Our mission is: Break Bread, Make Friends, Build Community.
One meal at a time.
Once you sign up as a member, you will be given access to the member only part of our website where you can purchase tickets, and learn about other activities and information. This will be updated frequently.
We are partnering with a company who has created an app designed for building community. Once you join, you can create your own profile and can search and connect with all the other members with similar interests, set up your own dining events, dialogue with each other about restaurants, food, shared topics, and more!
Being a founding member you will be able to offer ideas and suggestions all the time! Rest assured your ideas will be read and implemented if at all possible. As a member you will help design and shape Dinner Mates, for not only this area, but set the standard for other locations. It all starts here in Portland!
Who doesn't love a good dinner party! As a member you can set up your own party. Choose the menu, the price, the number of attendees, etc. Try out a new recipe, create a theme dinner, make a simple supper or a gourmet elegant party.
Dinner Mates platform will do all the ticketing for you, and you will get all your costs covered.
Want to create events to raise money for your favorite charity? Every event is set up to collect donations. Want to focus on discussing a particular topic or raise awareness about a cause? You can design your own small private events.
As a member, you are invited to join any of our Virtual Livestream Cooking Events at a reduced price.
Portland is a foodie town filled with great restaurants and eating activities. You just never know what exciting event might be added to the calendar at the last minute. Well... just for fun! Most will have limited spaces. Some might be Members Only. As a member, you will be alerted immediately and get first dibs on signing up!
$19/month
For now, yes. But the ticket price will be higher, for non-members. Approximately $15-$20 more per event.
Yes! You can always cancel, no questions asked. Your membership will automatically cancel after the month is over, depending on when you request the cancellation.ย
Once you sign up, you will be invited into the private membership site. You can manage your membership there, including cancellation, changing your password, address, etc.ย
Of course! You are always welcome to rejoin, but the price will be higher.
No! Most people come alone and find it an inclusive atmosphere and easy to get into a lively conversation. The mission of Dinner Mates is to create a comfortable space for members to make new friends while sharing a meal.ย
All events are open to members first. If an event still has availability, it will be open to non members. Non members must pay an additional price.ย
Members cannot reserve tickets for non-members.
Great question! We are going to do our best to accommodate all members, to make sure they can get into the events as long as they sign up within the 48 hour window before the event is announced to the public.ย
If the demand is there, if we continue to grow we will add more events.ย
Every restaurant tries to accommodate dietary needs, but it depends on the restaurant. ie: If it is a seafood restaurant, it is hard to offer vegan options.ย
Absolutely! That is the idea of becoming a Founding Member and getting in on the ground floor! The website will have an easy way to submit your ideas. We welcome your feedback!
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