FAQs
How much does it cost to be a member of Chance Dinners.
How do I pay for a dinner?
Are you a Dating Service/Matchmaker?
Will the same people be at each dinner?
What if I want to meet the people in the group, but am not interested in lavish, multi-course dinners?
What if I’m a vegetarian?
What if I don't drink?
What are the people in the group like/what do they do?
Will I like everyone?
How much does it cost to be a member of Chance Dinners?
Being a member of Chance Dinners is FREE.
Diners can secure their spot for a dinner by purchasing an advance, will-call ticket through Brown Paper Tickets. There is no need to set up any kind of account, and diners can pay any way they like.
Are you a Dating Service/Matchmaker?
No. While it’s true that several couples have grown out of the Chance beach house---including actual marriages---I never matched these people up, and in many cases would have never guessed that those couples would end up blissfully happy together. What I have done since 2004 is put together large groups of fun, considerate people who love to eat. Food is a great filter and people who love to cook and eat tend to be creative, sensuous and interesting, so our call for serious epicures has been a great way to put sympatico people together. Also, my years running the beach house lowered my tolerance for City divas and other difficult people, and I have no problem cutting them loose. So there's the magic formula: Putting together, fun, interesting, easy-going single people who love to eat.
Will the same people be at each dinner?
Not even close, Bud. Every effort is made so that each dinner has the largest number of people meeting one another for the first time.
What if I want to meet the people in the group, but am not interested in lavish, multi-course dinners?
This is like telling a scuba instructor that you’re really interested in diving, but you’d prefer not to get wet. You probably wouldn't enjoy Chance Dinners because you wouldn't, at bare minimum, have enjoyed an amazing meal. Try speed dating or go try kissing the quasi-Christian asses over at eHarmony.
First, my condolences. Second, most chefs have no problem providing great substitutes for meat courses, only we won’t know in advance what those substitutes are, so as long as you are ready to be pleasantly surprised at the same price, we are more than happy to accommodate you.
Then, as Sinatra famously noted, this is as good as you’re going to feel all day. It is also no problem to sign up at a reduced rate. Most of our dinners have set pairings, but we break down the cost, allowing diners to opt out of the pairings.
What are the people in the group like/what do they do?
That's a tough question to answer. It's certainly true that a very high percentage of our members have never killed a guy with a shovel. Also, they live locally and tend to work in creative fields, but not exclusively. People do all sorts of things, but their professions, really, are irrelevant. More importantly, we share an epicurean philosophy that there comes a time in the day when you stop thinking about work and start thinking about having a cocktail and something great to eat for dinner.
When I was a boy, my father gave me some excellent advice: No matter where you go, there’s always going to be at least one asshole, and you’re going to have to deal with him. This is almost always true, so you might possibly encounter one simmering asshole at any given dinner. Nevertheless, I'm proud to report that every Chance Dinner has been asshole free, although I'm sure it's just a matter of time before an unruly diner provides some amazing conversation material. But as we've learned at the Chance beach house, when you have a great group of fun, considerate people, the difficult and/or annoying quickly grow frustrated by their inability to develop traction. Once such people show their true colors, they will not be invited back. People in our group are overwhelmingly fun, curious and interesting. Additionally, we encourage diners to provide feedback about the restaurants, chefs and other diners. Any diner who is repeatedly flagged will be removed from the group.