In the current world we’re all so busy – sometimes we’re too busy to get out and make new friends. I know I’ve been guilty of that work work work and no time to play. Then I realize I have nobody to play with and only myself to blame. I love making new friends and I love eating out.
For those of you in the United States, Blendabout.com has come to your rescue if you’re anything like me. The concept of the site is that you register, create a profile and either suggest your favorite restaurants, find your friends on blendabout or plan a dinner with up to 5 new people at a local eating establishment. This is not a dating site. It’s a friends site. I think this is a winner idea.
You’re thinking, why??
Well, we don’t have blendabout in Australia (yet) but recently I got a Twitter message from a wonderful couple who said, “We have a favourite Thai restaurant and we’d love to meet you for dinner one night.” Now several weeks later we are all good friends. You never know if you’ll like your dinner companions but hey, it’s a great night out.
BlendAbout has all sorts of tools to use to schedule your outings, including a calendar where you can let other people know what days you’d be available for a group meal. When you pop in dates in the calendar, you could get invited to all sorts of wonderful places. You also get to select a financial commitment for the meals you want to share and the restaurants that will be returned in your searches.
I met Kate Spivac, the founder and CEO of Blendabout on Twitter and she invited me to go to her site and have a look around and tell her my impressions. She’s a fellow food lover and a big Twitter user so I figured it wouldn’t be wasting my time. If you’re not in the United States, it’s not for you yet. This is NOT a sponsored post, btw. Just my own ideas.
I entered in the zipcode of my hometown in Maine in order to join and when I did a local search there were no restaurants. Central Maine is thinly populated but they do eat. The closest recommendation was in Boston – a 3 hour drive.
Folks, help Kate and her team out by joining blendabout.com and suggest your favorite restaurants. You can even add photos of the restaurant or the food. So many of you do restaurant reviews that you’d already have photos. The restaurants will be grateful and Kate will become my new best friend. LOL
Blendabout is free to join but there is a monthly subscription if you decide you’d like to take it to the next level and actually meet people for dinner. There are two reasons for this. The first is because anyone who pays a fee is probably going to show up because they’re serious about wanting to go out. The second is, it costs a shitload of money to develop a site like this and who can afford to do it for nothing? It’s only $7.99 a month if you join for 6 months. What better way to make new friends than over good food and wine?
[quiet rant] I get so hacked off when people complain that all things on the net should be free. Yes, please, work long hours day after day, pay the server bill, the software bill and provide it all to me for nothing – that’s the way it should be. I’d bet that not one of the complainers would work for nothing. [/quiet rant]
Once you create your profile on BlendAbout.com, their patent-pending software technology matches you to people you’d likely get along with because you have common interests. Only one user needs to be a paying subscriber so even if you can’t fork over the dough, you still have a chance at finding new dinner companions.
Happy Dining!
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
another network to gather foodies around? It will probably gain more popularity soon : )
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It’s a great concept, there’s something similar in Sydney called Social Dinner Club where everyone meets up at a particular restaurant, and the chef along with a special guest explain the cuisine and the culture of the restaurant. It’s a lot of fun!
JasmyneTea recently posted..Red Rooster, Harlem, New York, NY USA
I love that concept. Nothing like that up on the Sunshine Coast or I’d be right in there.
Lovely to see you. Kate says they’re coming to Australia one day soon.
This sounds so cool! I love finding local restaurants that other foodies think are worth discovering!
Baking Serendipity recently posted..Cake Batter and White Chocolate Rice Krispies
What a fun idea! And I bet you’d get to meet some really interesting people that way too
Sounds like a good program my friend – can never meet too many foodies
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Choc Chip Uru recently posted..Picnic Time!
I’ll have to check this out. Sounds like fun!
It’s a lot of fun!Its a great kind of concept also…I like eating in a local restaurant..
Laura recently posted..Meine Erlebnisse
Wow! Another great concept. And to think I am learning about it from someone who is in Australia! Talk about the globe being a delicious melting pot!
I am going to check this one out. Thanks Maureen! As I said, you are an information hotwire! (pun intended :p)
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Dear Maureen, It is incredible how these networks get people together. Really fabulous.
Thank you for visiting.
Your blog looks just wonderful as does your excellent recipes. They really are beautiful.
Blessings dear friend. Catherine xoxo
Kate is a lovely lady and friend. She was one of the first people on Twitter who followed me, befriended me, and she was the first to add me to a Group. I was so excited. She is always so freindly and helpful. She is beautiful inside and out.
Great profile, Maureen.
Sounds a great idea. Need to watch out for one in the UK! (If my diet would let me…)
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