Contributed by Ann Martin
With so many new eateries constantly popping up, it is hard to make the round to try them all out. And sometimes by time you get around to trying out a new restaurant, unfortunately sometimes they may be no longer in business. If you have a group of friends that enjoys dining out as much as you, why not form a dining out group or club? Here a few reasons for forming a dining out group and few suggestions on how to form one.
Why Form a Dining Out Group?
- As I mentioned with so many restaurants opening, it is quite difficult to try them all out. By forming a dining our group, even if you are not able to make it to a new restaurant yourself, you are able to get feedback from the others in your group.
- Also, it is quite nice to share a meal out with friends, especially if they consider themselves “foodies”. Trying out assorted cuisines, sampling fine foods and wines truly opens up your senses and your view of the culinary world.
- Everyone has their own tastes, preferences and opinions and because of that uniqueness it is quite entertaining to share those with others, especially when it involves food and drink.
- It is also a wonderful way to experience culture. There are more and more ethnic restaurants opening and this is an exciting opportunity to see how other people in the world prepare their meals.
- Venturing out of your comfort zone and wanting to enjoy a variety of dining experiences and cuisines, will make an impact on what you cook and how you experiment in your kitchen.
How to Form a Dining Out Group
- Discuss the idea of forming a dining out group with family and friends. See who may be interested in forming one. Extend the invitation for them to bring a friend as well.
- Once the group is formed, decide how you would like to proceed. Here are some questions to pose to the group with regards to how to run the club:
- Which restaurants should we frequent? New restaurants? Well established restaurants?
- Should we dine just for lunch or for dinner as well?
- Should everyone rate each restaurant?
- If rating the restaurants, what should the criteria be? (atmosphere, quality of service, presentation of the food, quality of the food, etc.)
- If rating restaurants is not in the cards, should we hold a meeting to discuss our opinions and thoughts?
- Once your group is firmly established, make it known to the restaurants you’ll be frequenting, as they may pull out some additional stops to make your dining experience extraordinary.
- Your group may decide to start a blog or submit their experience to the restaurant website or newspaper. Either way, enjoy a fine dining experience with your new dining our group!
Ann Martin is a freelance writer for Dinnerware Center, which is an online store specializing in dinnerware, tableware and flatware such as the Oneida flatware and WMF flatware sets. Ann also is a contributor writer for other home and food websites. Not only does she enjoy sharing her experiences within the culinary world with her readers, but enjoys travelling the world to sample that ethnic cuisine!
