Food Social!
- November 14, 2012 · 6:00 PM
*** It's a great day for some fun! See you tonight! ***
UPDATE #3: There are still 4 spots left, so you may claim a spot by arriving early with exact cash. Also, there are usually 13 no-shows for this event, so you just might be able to join us. Make sure to come early with exact cash.
UPDATE #2: That was quick. The early-bird price has ended and the ticket price is now $20. Looking forward to seeing you there!
UPDATE #1: There are 3 early bird spots left and the price will increase from $15 to 20 when the early bird spots are gone or before Wed. Nov. 7th (whichever comes first). To be fair to those who want to join in and are ready to make payment, I'll be removing those that haven't paid by Fri. Oct. 26th. So make payment to *truly* lock in your spot.
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Let's taste Finemondo's entire menu!
That's right, their entire menu! We're teaming up with RUNINOut, and we've made special arrangements with Finemondo for this event. They are offering us all 20, yes 20, dishes of pasta, meat, and fish for us to taste, to include Fettucine Al Nero, Tonno Al Pistacchio Su Fave, and Chicken Parmigiana. You *will* get full!
Additionally, they're extending their drink specials for us to include $4 special martini (of the day), $3.50 international and domestic beer, and $3.50 house special drinks! All the food is included in our ticket price (drinks are not)!
We've got an early bird special for this event of $15 (the price of just one entree alone)! The first 40 paid sign-ups, or those who pay before Wed. Nov. 7th get the early bird price! After that, the ticket price will go to $20. Secure your slot by rsvping yes AND making payment!
Also please know that your RSVP is not guaranteed unless we receive payment. When you pay, your online receipt is confirmation that we have received your payment.
Tell a friend, and come join us as we spend an awesome evening after a long day at work with others from our group tasting Finemondo's entire menu!
- J.T.
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Metro
Closest Metro is Metro Center (Red Line), I suggest Metro / cabbing it. I also recommend using wmata for travel planning. Don't forget to account for Metro and traffic delays.
Payment Instructions (Paypal account not required):
Please follow the instructions below for making payment. Payment at the door will be permitted only should the event not sell out. Most of our events do sell out, so we recommend you secure your spot online early.
- Select "Yes" under "Will you attend?"
- Enter the number of guests coming and click "rsvp"
- Verify correct dollar amount for number of people you're paying for, click "Pay Now" button
- If you don't have a Paypal account, click "Pay with a Debit or Credit Card"
- If you have a Paypal account, simply log in, and pay as you normally would via Paypal
Event Check-in
We will have a master list of all those that have paid. It’s not required, but you may print out your payment confirmation as a backup. When you check-in, your RSVP will be listed under the name of the Paypal or credit card account used to make payment. Typically, this is your LEGAL name as shown on your driver's license. Sometimes, it may be under a company name if you set up your Paypal or credit card account that way. If you are not sure what it is, just log into Paypal (it will say "Welcome, [your account name]" at the top) or your credit card account to find out. If you are RSVP'd under someone else's payment, please use that name for check-in.
Refund Policy & Ticket Resell
Since we paid in advance for this event, all sales are final unless the event is cancelled or rescheduled. Similar to a concert ticket or a football game ticket, you are free to sell your ticket to someone else if you are unable to attend. I suggest posting in the comment box for the event, that you have a ticket for sale. Work out payment between yourselves, and send us an email letting us know who will be taking your spot. Thanks for understanding. =)
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Chito
There's still spots left for tonite's dinner @Harry's Smokehouse, Pentagon City Mall: 7-8:30pm 15-20 Dishes (Large portions) Intimate setting with Chef next to kitchen. Free for 30s & 40s group. Can bring a guest. Email me if u can make it.
December 3
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Andrew Lewis
Chito, not sure how to send a PM from the phone app, so can this count as my email?
December 3
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Chito
This Monday (Dec 3) will be our 2nd and final complementary Food Tasting event @Harry's Smokehouse Pentagon City Mall: https://www.facebook.com/events/...
Please RSVP only if you can make it. Limit is 20 -- there'll be plenty of free food. Note: the price for food will be waived for our group. Thank-youNovember 28
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jinghong li
Chito,
That sounds great! Please count me in for this Wednesday's dinner.
Thanks,
Melissa
November 19
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Chito
If you're in town for Thanksgiving or want to fuel up before heading out, we'll setup our first event this Wed evening @Cedar DC: https://www.facebook.com/events/...
Because many of you may not be in town, we'll setup a second event at another restaurant after Thanksgiving. But if you are in town, please try to make the Cedar event. We do not want any food to go to waste. BTW, You're welcome to attend both events, so come.
All the food is completely free. Thanks
1 · November 17
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Chito
For those who can't make it tonight, I'll setup a free dinner at Chinatown Express in Dec. It will be a weekday night from 4-5:30pm and we can seat up to 20. If enough people like this idea, I'll go ahead and pick a date and I'll create a Facebook event page. The Restaurant will serve about 15 different entree dishes and we can all share family-style. Will keep you posted. Know this is a small compensation for the disaster last night. Thanks for your support and we are open to any more ideas you may have.
3 · November 15
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Nancy
That sounds like a great idea! Would love to participate. In spite of the food problems at Finemondo I had a GREAT time! I met lots of interesting people, ultimately it is the people who make such events & I thought it was a really good group. Live & learn! I know you will do better next time!
1 · November 16
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Chito
I'm sorry for the lack of service and food. I organized the event w/ Finemondo and I take full responsibility for them not being prepared. There are no excuses. I hope you understand that this was not what we had expected. Some of you like our idea -- we were told that there would be several plates of each dish (instead of just 1) I hope you will continue to put full faith and support in our group. Thanks for coming and appreciate your feedback.
November 15
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Chito
Absolutely Theresa, Event starts at 6:30. We won't eat until 7. Come if you can. But don't feel pressed if traffic is bad. [masked]
November 15
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Michael A.
Thanks Chito. I'm Mike and just couldn't get in. So I ate the $20 and went elsewhere. Appreciate the gesture of the next event free - suggestion...why is everything in chinatown or the penn quarter? Impossible to get to for most people, especially at rush hour on week days. Why not a suburban location with free parking? Just a thought.
1 · November 16
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A former member
Not all bad not great either. Still had a good time. Thanks
November 15
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John L.
It's simple, really - set a fixed number of spots from the beginning, communicate that number to the restaurant, negotiate the price and how many dishes, etc in advance. Let people know how many dishes they should expect for that number of people, and let them decide whether that's worth $20. Transparent and honest. Why don't they do it and kept raising the total spots available without telling us exactly what we were in for? Well, you know the answer.
November 15
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Victor Armas
As you could see by yourself JT, there were not enough tables, plates and food for all the assistants. Any way, we have to learn for our mistakes, so next time.
November 15
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Chito
Thanks for your feedback. We're having another event tonight: 6:30-8:00pm at Burma Restaurant. If you RSVP to me, I'll get you a free sit-down dinner with our group. This may be convenient if you work near Chinatown. Pls let me know so I can tell the Chef. https://www.facebook.com/events/...
1 · November 15
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Pol
Great meetup. Disconnect on food. To make a food event successful (food-wise), either run it the same way and advertise it as "limited appetizers" -or- negotiate how much food / many dishes per member with the restaurant. Only informing the restaurant of the number of people attending doesn't help because it leaves the amount of food per person up to the restaurant. Hope that makes sense?
November 15
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Abby Love
The restaurant was totally unprepared for last night. Nevertheless, the food was tasty and I had fun! From the comments, it wasn't what people expected; but, thanks for putting the event together JT.
November 15
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Michele
The food social at an area restaurant at a fixed price with happy hour drink specials is a great concept. A lot of people were interested in attending, and I think expectations were higher than the final delivery.
If this was organized with the sole intention of just making as much money as possible, then there is no reason to conduct any sort of after action review to make improvements. However, if the organizers can figure out where the glitches developed, then I would trust J.T. with a similar event.
Why not arrange a fixed price happy hour menu with less menu options but more food? What restaurant would turn down a guaranteed number of customers?
November 15
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John L.
I hear a lot of people saying "Big f*ing deal. Move on!". And they are right. :) Lesson learned and let's move on with our lives!
Looking forward to more great events for this group! Again, thanks everybody who signed up and bothered to show up!
November 15
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Karen
Thanks for the event JT. It was a good idea but the restaurant was woefully unprepared - short on staff for beverages and short on food and the wait inbetween them bringing out more tiny plates was lonnnnng. I highly doubt I'll attend another event like this one. As always, the people in the group are fabulous and I enjoyed meeting new people!
November 15
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J.T.
John, your comments have been heard, taken well, and are appreciated (as well as everyone else's). As background, I teamed up with the RUNINOut for this event (as they have the restaurant connections) and have hosted this event on their own numerous times before. This gave me confidence. RUNINOut reached out to me, and it sounded like a fun event to host for our group. As far as the challenges we faced for the one we did at Vapiano for our 20s & 30s Group, I took down notes based on people's feedback and passed them along to RUNINOut, for this event. I always like to try new events for our group out. Most of the times they work out well, sometimes they don't. If they don't, we do our best to try to learn from them, and hope it goes better the second time. This obviously didn't happen for this event, so I probably won't try another Food Social event again. I'll likely just stick to all the other events I know we do well at, at least for a while.
November 15
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J.T.
As far as your dishes comment, we agreed to pay the restaurant for any additional dishes as the signups increased. We also made them aware of the headcount every step of the way up to the event date.
Re: being "for-profit," we charge for events to cover the cost of the event itself, as well as to help cover our group operating expenses. We do have a life outside of Meetup, so we've hired assistants to help us run and manage our group. They post events, promote events, send out emails, send out newsletters, manage payments, manage guest lists, manage sponsor ads, upload photos, manage our Facebook (and other) accounts, to name just a few of their responsibilities. Running a group this large, with as many varied events as we put together for our members, is no small feat. Do the math on a staff of 5 @ even $10 / hour, and you'll quickly see the expenses necessary to keep this group going on a yearly basis.
November 15
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J.T.
Re: "pissing people off," trust me, that's the last thing I wish to do. To balance things out about our group, in addition to providing a sense of community for our groups, to date, we've raised over $90,000 for local charities in the DC metro area. See below for detailed results. Matter of fact, since we've benefited so many causes, I've looked into the possibility of becoming a full non-profit organization ourselves.
http://www.20sand30sg...
http://www.30sand40sg...
http://www.20sand30sa... I hope this gives you a better sense of what we are about. Again, thanks to everyone that provided their feedback, I very much appreciate them.
November 15
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John L.
I went to the exact same “Food Social” for 20s & 30s (not 30s and 40s) going out group at a different venue. And guess what? Exactly the same thing happened. A lot of people went home hungry that night too. I really thought that they were genuinely unprepared last time, so I gave them the benefit of doubt. I should have known better. Yes, the restaurant was unprepared, but it’s not the restaurant’s fault. People need to know how this thing is run.
Yes, I want this event company make money, for it is a for-profit company, and I have no desire to torpedo this company. All I’m saying is that there should be a better way to make money other than pissing people off.
I had a good time meeting everyone. Great group of people. Thanks everybody!
November 15
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John L.
Just know that a for-profit company is behind this “Food Social”. Just know that the total available spots for this event were never fixed from the beginning. As more people signed up, they opened up a few more spots, little by little. Seeing only a few spots left, people are naturally gonna go, “Wow, only a few spots are left. I GOTTA get my ticket for this event before it’s sold out.” As more people signed up, they opened up more spots, while the amount they paid to the restaurant was probably fixed in advance. Pretty clever, actually, if you think about it.
1 · November 15
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Allison T.
Nice idea, but poorly executed by the restaurant. Met some nice people, but this was an expensive night for me with not much to show for it. Parking, babysitter, dinner at another restaurant because I couldn't get close to the food table. $15 to enter the restaurant? I could do that for free anytime.
November 15
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A former member
This was my first meetup with this group. Great people and I really enjoy this part of the evening's festivities.
November 15
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A former member
I agree with some of the comments below. The people were great but the food availability and distribution was poor and disappointing. I never did get anything and found the $20 cost a waste of money.
Hopefully if you plan another event it will better able to accommodate a large crowd and keep the food flowing.November 15
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A former member
I felt tricked by this event. When I read that we would be able to taste various items on the menu I assumed it was a tasting event where there would be food and conversation. Instead, this was a happy hour where you paid too much money for not enough food. Several of us left to go eat at the restaurant on the corner because we were all under the same mistaken impression about what type of event this was going to be. We walked out of this event feeling like it was a money grab; but by whom is the question? An explanation is definitely needed as this left a bad "taste" in my mouth about the group in general. It gets two stars only because I met some great people and I had a great time once we left.
November 15
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Holly
J.T., I appreciate the hard work You put into organizing last night's food social. I know that coordinating with local vendors can sometimes be tricky. However, this was my first meetup with this group & I actually recruited 2 friends to attend as guests. I was extremely disappointed at last night's event-- not with the attendees, the group was excellent-- but with what I, and my guests, received for $20. One of my friends waited in line for food for over an hour, and did not receive any before giving up and leaving. Those of us that did get food, were only given a chance for a small sample of one item during our entire evening of line-waiting. On top of that, we did not receive $5 martinis; my Manhattan alone was $15. So for $35 total + parking & gas; last night was a disappointment at almost comical levels. While we made the best of it by joking it must have really been a social psychological experiment of Communistic lifestyle, in all seriousness, I would like to hear from you
November 15
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Holly
(Sorry, word limit reached above) ...I would like to hear from you on the matter of how you thought last night went, was it What you were expecting from the venue, and if those of us in attendance will be receiving a discount on a future paid event with the group. I guess I am just wondering, since it was My first meetup with the group, if this is the norm, or if something unexpected happened last night. Again, great group of people and much appreciation for all that you do to bring us together! :-). Best, Holly
2 · November 15
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Adam
Disappointing food situation. The restaurant was totally unprepared for the amount of people and they have lost my business.
November 15
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A former member
The people and the ambiance was great but the service was such a letdown. If the food wasn't as great, it would've been a waste of money
November 15
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A former member
It was difficult to socialize when you're in line for 1 1/2 hours then only get a few scraps when you finally get to the food table. No bread (until end of the evening), salad, fruit, cheese or anything else either.
November 14
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Jean
This was my first large MeetUp for this group. Really nice people. Poor food service. New friends left disappointed. Good luck in your next event.
November 14
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Allison Foley
Event very poorly organized. Not enough food for the people at the event, and I waited in line for more than an hour before getting to the front, where I had the choice of one piece of beef (? not sure, there was no label on the food), or waiting another 20 minutes for the next course.
November 14
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Sherri
Unfortunately, I didn't get to try any of the food. But, met a great group of people which made the whole experience worth it.
November 14
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J.T.
Great group of people that made it out, and the little food I did get to try was good. Unfortunately, the restaurant was wholly unprepared for our group's size, despite us making it clear to the restaurant the number of people they were to expect. Please keep the feedback coming, both negative and positive, I'll be sure to pass our member's comments along. Thank you!
November 14
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James M
Venue is waste of money-understaffed and the food situation was a joke!!!!! Somebody made money off my $20. However, enjoyed the people!
November 14
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Robert Brown
Hi Erik and Elizabeth, I've been at customer sites all day so sorry for the slow response. Douglas picked this up. Thanks.
November 14
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Robert Brown
Hi Erik and Elizabeth, I've been at customer sites all day so sorry for the slow response. Douglas picked this up. Thanks.
November 14
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Stacey
My babysitter had to have emergency surgery so my ticket is available if anyone still needs a ticket. Please let me know. Thanks!
November 14
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Paola
I have to work until late so my ticket is available if someone wants to purchase it for $15. Please, let me know. Thanks!
November 12
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JamaicanGail
I will not be able to make this event and so my ticket is available for purchase for $15. Let me know if you are interested. Thanks.
1 · November 11
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A former member
I have an extra ticket, if anyone wants to buy it. $15.
November 7
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A former member
Ticket is taken, given to Johanna Lund
November 10
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Robert Brown
My first MeetUp too. Looking forward to meeting everyone (or, since it's such a big group, at least some of you :-)
November 7
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105 attended
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Pol
25 Going Out Points!
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Allison T.
20 Going Out Points!
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Michele
25 Going Out Points!
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Adam
22 Going Out Points!
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Allison Foley
20 Going Out Points!
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James M
20 Going Out Points!
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Michelle DiDonato +1
30s & 40s Rockstar 2 - 70 Going Out Points!
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Walter Gans
30s & 40s Rockstar 2 - 94 Going Out Points!
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Mogi
20 Going Out Points!
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Millie
30s & 40s Rockstar 2 - 66 Going Out Points!
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Rachel Melick
20 Going Out Points!
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HB
30s & 40s Rockstar 1 - 45 Going Out Points!
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MP
30s & 40s Superstar 1 - 135 Going Out Points!
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Ann Marie
21 Going Out Points!
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Natalie Flack
20 Going Out Points!
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Joe S
20 Going Out Points!
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Grace
30s & 40s Rockstar 1 - 47 Going Out Points!
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John
30s & 40s Superstar 1 - 101 Going Out Points!
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Kristina
20 Going Out Points!
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Lo Yu
20 Going Out Points!
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Ken
20 Going Out Points!
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Bo
30s & 40s Rockstar 1 - 57 Going Out Points!
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Reagan
20 Going Out Points!
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Lise
20 Going Out Points!
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Emilia
21 Going Out Points!
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Corbin
30s & 40s Rockstar 1 - 60 Going Out Points!
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Roberta
30s & 40s Rockstar 2 - 71 Going Out Points!
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Jason
30s & 40s Superstar 2 - 196 Going Out Points!
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Mike
20 Going Out Points!
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Ronn
1 Going Out Points!
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Michael A.
20 Going Out Points!
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Paola
20 Going Out Points!
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Lori
30s & 40s Rockstar 1 - 41 Going Out Points!
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Naomi
21 Going Out Points!
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preK
30s & 40s Superstar 1 - 247 Going Out Points!
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Esther
30s & 40s Superstar 1 - 110 Going Out Points!
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Nate
30s & 40s Rockstar 1 - 40 Going Out Points!
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brian
2 Going Out Points!
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John L.
30s & 40s Rockstar 1 - 51 Going Out Points!
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Cindy
20 Going Out Points!
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Marcus
20 Going Out Points!
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Karen
20 Going Out Points!
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Brian T
30s & 40s Rockstar 1 - 40 Going Out Points!
Your organizer's refund policy for Food Social!
Refunds offered if:
- the Meetup is cancelled
- the Meetup is rescheduled
Additional notes: Since we paid in advance for this event, all sales are final unless the event is cancelled or rescheduled. Similar to a concert ticket, you are free to sell your ticket to someone else if you cannot attend. Send us an email with who will take your spot.
Payments you make go to the organizer, not to Meetup. You must make refund requests to the organizer.
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