Frequently Asked Questions

Take a look at the holidays programme. Then follow the booking instructions, and..well... that's it!

Have a great time!

There's no better place to get to know people well than on holiday. With a Dinner Dates holiday you immediately become part of a group of people with the same desire to have a great experience. There will always be people for you to be with, to enjoy sightseeing, drinks in the evening or chatting by the pool. But you have the choice to spend your time as you please - you can take part in all the group activities, or you can do your own thing. You have a base and the choice is yours.

Each holiday is led by a Dinner Dates host who helps members get to know each other and put them at ease. Your host will be with you from the first day to the last, arranging restaurants, social activities and excursions and helping you to make sure your holiday is as enjoyable as possible.

If you have more questions about our holidays, call and we'll tell you more. Any of the Dinner Dates team will be able to help you. Phone us on 08450 006 007, or email us at info@dinnerdates.com.

As with our events, a Dinner Dates holiday gives you the advantages of freedom, flexibility and choice without any of the hassle. You can leave the flights, accommodation, tours and entertainment to us, while you get on with the business of enjoying yourself and meeting new people.

You are very welcome to invite guests (subject to availability) to our events. They would need to fill in our Dinner Dates Guest Form and send this plus a photo by post or email to us, before we can book them in. Guests pay an extra £10 and may only attend an event once as a guest before deciding whether or not they wish to become a member of Dinner Dates.

Yes, depending on the event and we'll tell you what it is when you book into one. Obviously party dresses at a clay pigeon shoot aren't quite the thing, in the same way that jeans at Covent Garden are out of place. As for balls, the code is black tie for men and long, elegant dresses for women.

Variety is the spice of life but all our members have a couple of things in common. Firstly, they're single and they all want the chance to explore new places with new friends, in a relaxed and comfortable environment.

Secondly, most of our members are busy, professional people and busy people often don't have time to break out of their social comfort zone and make the effort to meet new people.

We have numerous 'try-out' requests and if we were to agree to them, there would be no room left at our events for our Dinner Dates members. However if you know a current member of Dinner Dates, you may come along with them once as their guest to an event before deciding to join. You would be charged the price for the event plus a £10 guest fee.

Very. We never release members' details unless they ask us to. If we leave you a message it will be to call back a member of our staff by individual name and telephone number. When we answer our telephone we give our individual names and when we send mail to you we use plain envelopes.

Of course not. Under the surface, most of us are nervous when we're among strangers. That's why we greet you personally, make you feel welcome and introduce you to fellow guests. Once you know the others in the room are not strangers, and when you realise that they are just as nervous about meeting new people as you are, reservations soon melt away.

At every dinner party and ball we make sure that we have equal numbers of both sexes. For other events this may not always be possible but we do our best to keep the numbers balanced.

The cost of each event is given in the monthly diaries. Prices are all-inclusive - for example a dinner price covers a pre-dinner drink, three-course meal with wine, coffee, VAT and service.

There is a one-off registration fee of £199.20, which means you are entitled to attend as many Dinner Dates events as you like for as long as you wish. You are also required to complete, sign and return to us a Standing Order form for £11; this is our monthly update fee, which covers the costs of our programme of events service

If the opportunity doesn't arise to make arrangements over dinner, that's not a problem. We'll phone you after each event to ask if there's anyone you would like to meet anyone again. If there is, we'll telephone that person, and if they agree, we'll call you back with their telephone number.

No one has any else's details unless they decide to give them out themselves or they ask us to do so.

We don't believe in matchmaking. Dating is a numbers game. The more people you meet, and the more fun you're having, the more chance you'll have of meeting and attracting the right person. And as a Dinner Dates member you'll have plenty of opportunity to meet lots of new people at a whole range of parties, events and holidays. So although we will never promise to introduce you to your future partner, over the years hundreds of people have directly or indirectly met their partners through us.

Although we organise at least two dinner parties a week, we also offer buffets, theatre evenings, visits to art galleries, museums and historical buildings, sporting events, holidays, and black-tie balls for up to three hundred guests.

Find out what's going on by checking our monthly diaries.

Dinner parties start with a drinks reception, where you're introduced to everyone. You'll then join other guests at tables of eight, with place cards to show you where to sit. After the main course the men swap places to pre-assigned seats on different tables. This means that you'll sit next to four people of the opposite sex during dinner. After dinner guests are free to socialise until the early hours.

The first thing is that we provide events to remember - ones that you'll look forward to and look back on as special occasions. Our dinner parties, black-tie balls and buffets are held in well-known, fashionable restaurants, hotels and exclusive private members' clubs. They all provide a high standard of food and service, and most have live music or a disco for those who want to dance

Variety - once you're a member, you can attend as many functions as you like.

Meeting people - equal numbers of men and women at each dinner event.

Personal service - you'll be greeted personally at each event, made to feel welcome and introduced to your fellow guests. The Dinner Dates host is there to make sure that everyone has a great time and deal with any queries.

Security - our format provides peace of mind. We never release any of our members' details unless they tell us to.

Discretion - if we leave a message for you it will be to call back a member of our staff by individual name and telephone number. No mention of Dinner Dates is ever made, and we never identify ourselves as Dinner Dates when we answer our office telephone calls.