On a wintry Tuesday night, Cyril Devine met up with twenty-three other food lovers for dinner at Xilantro, the popular upscale Mexican restaurant and Tequila Bar. “I had never met half the people who showed up before this night,” Cyril told me. But dining on burritos, enchiladas and sipping a little tequila proved to be a bonding experience for all. “Everybody in the group is so friendly. Every night is a pleasurable experience when you’re with good company,” Cyril explained.
Cyril is one of the assistant organizers of the Philly Suburbs Dining Out Meetup, a loose-knit group that coordinates interesting dining experiences throughout the city and the surrounding counties. Anyone can join the group for free to get updates on upcoming events. Those that RSVP and attend an event are simply asked to give a $2 fee to the organizer for their work.
Andy Meehan has been the leader of the Philadelphia Suburbs Dining Group since 2009. The original group was focused on Bucks County, but Andy expanded the dining experiences and the group’s reach. He researched how a popular dining group in North Carolina used the Meetup website to facilitate a community of foodies, and followed their lead. Andy eventually found assistant organizers, and the group now consists of more than 1,200 diners. Since 2006, they’ve dined out more than 600 times.
Since joining in September 2012, Chris Lumpkin has organized more than 60 dinners with the meetup. He lists his favorite meal as being at La Locanda this past December. Chris is also fond of the great dinners he has had at the Dilworthtown Inn. “I like the opportunity to meet engaging and lively people who share my love of food and going out to eat,” Chris told me.
Once a person signs up on the Philadelphia Suburbs Dining Meetup, they start receiving email notifications about upcoming events. When an interesting restaurant pops up on a night that fits your schedule, simply RSVP.
Chris’s advice for newcomers? “Dinners tend to fill up quickly when they are posted and then a wait list is created. I tell newbies that though they may get on the wait list, have patience. People do cancel and when they do, a wait-listed person will move into the open spot. I also suggest newcomers read the group’s policies and download the meetup app.” Group members attending an event often send updates through the app if they are running late or have to cancel.
While Andy and his wife Johnine dine out with the group three or four times a month, many of the group members are single. I asked Andy if any matches had been made through the years. “While there are many more singles at the events, we’re not billed as a singles group. There are plenty of those on meetup and elsewhere. More interestingly, have been the very solid friendships formed between women, and also mixed groups of friends that have come out of shared interests. This has been by far the greatest reward for running the group — knowing that people who we would never have met have become friends with each other and with us as a result.”
When dining with a large group, dealing with the check can often be an issue, but Andy explained that the organizers ensure the restaurant is prepared with separate checks. “It’s the only thing we ask — and very occasionally when we have tried to go to a restaurant that won’t do it, it became a problem for the organizer. We have no problem with the large-party gratuity being added, though.”
One of the best dining experiences Andy has enjoyed has been Mile High Steak House. “The owner truly saw our group as a business opportunity to serve well — rather than an annoyance. He set up an event with us for 50 + people. We have done several of these with him, as well as numerous happy hours at his bar because he treated us so well.”
Andy, who is British, has a few other dining standouts from throughout the years. “From a pure foodie standpoint, Birchrunville probably is, but I have a soft spot for The Whip Tavern where we have a tradition of going every Memorial Day weekend every year.”
What events are on the horizon? Chris is looking forward to trying two new places in the coming months. “I’d like to give the Orangery at Glen Isle in Downingtown a try and I’m looking forward to doing dinner at a place called Half Moon in Kennett Square,” he explained. “I hear they have quite a selection of wild game there.”
To learn more about the Philadelphia Suburbs Dining Out Meetup, check out their mission statement and sign up to start dining and meeting new people.
