This summer, Toronto will host the first of many outdoor celebrations, combining the joys of dinner parties and the onset of summer.
The Longest Dinner Table, advertised as a way to gather safely outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic, will celebrate the arrival of summer with dinner party fun. The event, hosted by Toronto's Street Eats Market, Ice Cream Fest and Yorkdale's Drive-Thru Food Truck Festival creator Philip Suos, will feature outdoor parties at over 100 locations in Ontario.
Holding the status of Toronto's first-ever massive dinner party, guests can expect a one-of-a-kind experience, with concepts like Tinuno's longest Kamayan dining table and personalized gift bags containing local artisan items. And, since each venue will offer its own uniquely designed three to six-course prix fixe menu, no two experiences will be the same.
On top of that, guests can choose to dine in any location they prefer, from the beach to the streets of Downtown Toronto.
Being the first of its kind, Toronto's largest dinner party will have tables stretched further than the eyes can see, with no upward limit. Simply put, the more reservations a restaurant receives, the more tables it will have.
Although, as Suos notes, this is not merely a competition to see just how long the average dining table can be.
"I really want to help as many restaurateurs, chefs, caterers and food businesses as possible who are suffering right now," he said. "Having done food festivals, events and markets throughout the entire pandemic, I wanted to take all that knowledge and come up with a fun way for guests to experience dining, but in the safest way possible during these challenging times."
Along with preparing contact-tracing forms and developing socially-distanced seating plans, Suos is working closely with Toronto's BIAs, restaurant owners and city officials to make sure every event hosted will adhere to public health and provincial guidelines, making this dining experience one that is not only enjoyable, but also safe.
With time, he hopes that Ontario's plan to reopen will allow more and more participants to attend events like these, thereby boosting the city's restaurant industry. Until then, Suos hopes this initiative will offer local restaurateurs the much-needed assistance they require.
Although much remains tentative, one thing is certain: you should stay tuned to their Instagram, where they will be sharing more information about bookings, locations and vendors––including the link to buy tickets, which will be posted on July 1 with prices ranging from $30 to $120 on average.
