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Forget online, Pittsburgh singles can meet mates through Dinner for 8
Bill Cartiff and Nan Cohen have founded Dinner for 8, a subscription series of custom-dinner events for Pittsburgh-area singles to expand their social scene.
“Dinner is a place for getting acquainted, finding common ground and interests and enjoying the collegiality of having a meal. We aim to provide an environment in which friendships and social connections can form — away from technology, texting, and phone notifications,” Cohen says.
This new interactive networking program brings together eight single, divorced or widowed individuals who meet for dinner and conversation at a Pittsburgh restaurant.
Attendees are matched after a background check and a personal review of their profiles by Dinner for 8 team members.
“This personalized, hands-on matching approach differs from other services that use computer algorithms to prescribe connections,” Cartiff says.
In the ’90s, Cartiff offered a similar program while working as singles director at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill. He has more than two decades of experience organizing and leading tour groups for singles.
Cohen hosts the radio show “Dealing With Divorce” on KDKA-AM (1020) and KQV-AM (1410) and is the author of “Dealing With Divorce: Reality Revealed,” which guides readers through the personal and logistical aspects of relationship building and family dynamics.
The Dinner for 8 team selects the guests, the date and a mid-to-high range restaurant, such as Burgatory or Altius. Invitations are sent two to four weeks before the event. Each guest orders and pays individually for his or her meal.
Cartiff and Cohen host a 30-minute cocktail reception that begins each dinner. This enables them to get to introduce the participants and better create the guest lists for future dinners.
Registration has begun for membership packages for four, six or 10 dinners and events.
Included is discounted admission for special events as well as a discount on optional private one-on-one self-help counseling sessions on how to prepare for and understand the challenges and emotions of being single.
Those who enroll by Aug. 31 will have an additional dinner opportunity added to their package.
Details: 412-888-9220 or dinnerfor8pgh.com
Alice T. Carter is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412-320-7808,acarter@tribweb.com or via Twitter @ATCarter_Trib.
Read more: http://triblive.com/aande/diningout/8652651-74/dinner-cohen-cartiff#ixzz3iQs2zWjM
Dinner for 8 