The dinner club with a twist
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.
Early invites
Be alerted when new events are added, 48-hours before ticket sales are available to the public.
Lower ticket cost
Members pay less than non members for all events.
Join the Community
Be connected to each other and become part of the local and global Dinner Mates Community.
Grow with us
Get in on the ground floor and help build a membership that you love.
Locked in price
You are locked in at this low price as long as you stay an active member.
Say goodbye to eating alone!
With Dinner Mates Club, you will always find people to eat with.
The joy of sharing a meal
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.
Who is Dinner Mates Club for?
This is for you if you...
Are new to town and want to meet people
Want to try out that new restaurant on the corner but don't want to go by yourself
Are a foodie
Miss throwing dinner parties
Are hungry for some spicy conversation with like minded folk
Love being a part of building something amazing
Want to make a difference
Meet your Founder!
Laurel Chiten
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, and 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.
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.
Here's some of what you get as a Member
Invitation to prix fix event each month
Members are invited to a premium private dining event at a restaurant every month. We take over the whole restaurant so we have the space to ourselves!
Access to the exclusive member site
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. Site will be updated frequently.
Connect with the community via our private app (coming soon!)
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!
Your ideas are encouraged!
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!
Host your own dinner parties
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 and the administration details for you. All you have to do enjoy being a host.
Create impact
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.
Virtual Cooking Events
As a member, you are invited to join any of our Virtual Livestream Cooking Events at a reduced price.
BONUS: Surprise pop up events!
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!
