Curated dinners with strangers every Friday.
You fill out a personality questionnaire, buy a ticket, and get matched with a small group of strangers for dinner at a curated NYC restaurant every Friday at 7 PM — no planning, no awkward coordination, just show up.
How it works
Head to wasmeant.com and create an account. You'll fill out a personality questionnaire covering your interests, values, and social energy — takes about 10 minutes. Once your profile is complete, purchase a one-time dinner ticket ($18.99). Then pick which Friday dates work for you and start the group search. WasMeant's algorithm builds a balanced group of four people with compatible personalities. You'll get the restaurant name and details by email once your group is confirmed — usually 24 hours before. Show up Friday at 7 PM, sit down, and spend the evening with three strangers at a curated spot in Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Williamsburg.
What to love
Algorithmic matching based on a real personality questionnaire — not random groupings. Small groups of four keep conversations intimate and comfortable. No app download required — sign up and manage everything on the website. Pay-per-dinner model with no subscription or auto-renewal. Restaurant selection is curated for atmosphere, not hype.
Who it's for
People who moved to New York and want to meet people outside their work bubble. Introverts who prefer a small group dinner over a loud bar or networking event. Solo twenty- and thirty-somethings who are tired of apps and want real conversation. Anyone who likes good food and craves the kind of spontaneous connection that used to happen naturally.
Reality check
NYC only — if you're not in New York, you're out of luck. Friday-only schedule at 7 PM is rigid if your weekends are unpredictable. Ticket price covers coordination only — you still pay for your own meal and drinks. Relatively new platform, so the matching pool may be smaller than established competitors.
Søren's Take
WasMeant feels like the scrappy, NYC-native answer to Timeleft. The premise is nearly identical — personality-matched dinners with strangers — but the execution is more intimate: groups of four instead of six, and a deliberate focus on one city done well rather than scaling everywhere at once. The Friday-at-7-PM ritual is a nice counterpoint to Timeleft's Wednesday format. The biggest limitation is obvious: it's NYC only. But if you live in New York and want a low-pressure way to meet genuinely interesting people over dinner, this is worth a ticket.
