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What Is SocialEats?
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SocialEats is a collection of 'open' dinner parties, run by hosts with a passion for food and entertaining. Hosts prepare and share a meal with guests who show up with an appetite. Anyone is invited to attend. It's a great place to meet new and interesting people and enjoy a great meal.
SocialEats is a forum for people to meet and enjoy a meal together in a comfortable social environment.
- Is my host a professional chef?
The events are hosted by everyday people like you and me. They do it because they love entertaining, and enjoy meeting new people.
- Is it safe?
We take several steps to ensure the safety at SocialEats dinners. We want our dinners to be fun and an enjoyable experience. We want people to come back as well as to host dinners of their own.
- No event takes place if there are fewer than 3 guests attending. If you are signed up for an event with fewer than 3 people, the day before you will receive an e-mail telling you the event has been canceled. Everyone singed up to these events will be fully reimbursed.
- All of the hosts are screened. Each and every host has had to prove themselves worthy of being a SocialEats host. This means that the host cooks well, and their apartment where they are hosting the event is clean, and safe.
- Listen to your mother - "Don't go out alone." Tell a friend to sign up with you and go together.
- If you want to be absolutely sure, pick a host who has a good track record. All hosts have a ratings page - you can see how many events the host has held, and what people think of that host.
- What will my host serve?
Each dinner is different. Each host is different. Check out the event details for a specific event.
- How much does it cost?
Each event has it's own price based upon what the host wants to prepare and serve.
- How long have you been doing this?
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This originally started in the fall of 2003 when Ben Marcus decided to meet new people and serve them dinner in his back yard on the Upper West Side. The dinners generated so much interest, he built a web site to manage his guests. It then occurred to him that he should allow other people to host events and let the dinner "social scene" grow.
- Why do people do this?
Guests do it because they want a good meal and to meet new people.
Hosts do it for the same reason.
- Why don't I see the exact location on the Event Details Page?
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The location of the SocialEats Dinner is hidden unless you sign up to attend the event.
You will get an e-mail the evening before the event. In this e-mail we give you the location, and directions on how to get thee. You will also receive the nickname and a brief description of each of the guests to help start conversation.
We withhold this information until the day before to prevent party crashers and to protect the privacy of the host.
The exact location of the event is mailed to all attendees at 6PM the night before the event happens.
- Do you serve Alcohol?
It depends on the host and it depends on the event. Check the event description.
Because a host may choose to serve alcohol, all guests must be at least 21 years old.
- How do I host an event?
We are always looking for new hosts.
See the hosting page for more details
- How old do I need to be to go to an event?
You must be at least 21 years old to attend an event.
- What if I cannot attend an event I signed up for?
You can cancel your reservation for any event up to 48 hours
before the event begins. There is a $5.00 per person cancellation fee.
You cannot cancel your reservation within 48 hours of the
event. To cancel your reservation, send an e-mail to socialeats@socialeats.com. Make sure to mention your nickname, the name of the event you are attending, and the host's nickname.
- Is this some kind of Religious cult?
Absolutely not. SocialEats is a non denominational institution. While some events may have a religious theme, corresponding to a holiday or time of year, by means of decor or style of food, hosts are prohibited from using a SocialEats event as a forum for recruitment of religious institutions or religious causes. Any instance of this should be reported to socialeats@socialeats.com immediately.
- Will the host try to sell me something?
No. SocialEats is a forum for people to meet and share a meal with each other. Hosts are not permitted to use dinners for commercial purposes outside of serving dinner.
- Is SocialEats a Dating Service?
No it is not. SocialEats is a social service. It allows a forum for interesting, sophistocated people to meet and share a meal in a comfortable environment.
- Why don't I see any events for tonight?
In order to give the host enough time to prepare, and to let them know the number of guests coming to thier event, you must sign up for an event by 6:00PM EST the day before the event occurs. At 6:00PM the night before, the event is closed out and is removed from the list of upcoming events.
- What is the average age of SocialEats members?
Most of our members are aged in their 20's, 30's and 40's. New members of all ages are signing up every day.
- I just created an account - why can't I sign up to an event?
It's probably because you haven't activated your account yet. After you sign up, we send you an activation e-mail. Sometimes this e-mail takes up to 15 minutes to arrive.
- I am a new user, but I have not received my activation e-mail - what happened?
Sometimes the activation e-mail takes up to 15 minutes to arrive. If you never received your activation e-mail, please send an e-mail to socialeats@socialeats.com
- How do I contact someone at SocialEats?
You can reach us at the following e-mail address:
socialeats@socialeats.com.
