Coffee, one hour
The lowest-stakes way to meet someone in a new city. Short, public, and easy to fit between everything else on your day.
Travelers & locals
Eat where the city actually eats — with the people who live there
There is no separate traveler product here, and that's the point. A visitor and a local join the exact same Meal Seeds, so a table is never “a tourist thing” — it's just dinner, and one of you happens to be from out of town.
Same tables as localsDinner, coffee, brunch, dessertOne-hour options
The problem with eating alone in a new city
Solo travelers end up on the tourist strip not because they want to, but because the good tables are hard to reach from outside.
What usually happens
- Dinner at the hotel, or takeaway in the room
- The restaurant with the most photos of food outside
- Great places skipped because a table for one feels bleak
- A whole trip without a single unplanned conversation
What a Meal Seed changes
- A real table at a real restaurant, chosen by people who live there
- Company that showed up for the food, not to be your guide
- A time-boxed commitment that fits around everything else
- Local knowledge you'd never get from a listicle
It doesn't have to be dinner
Every one of these is the same Meal Seed with a different day part — nothing separate to learn, nothing separate to browse.
Brunch on a slow morning
Weekend brunch tables tend to fill fastest, and they're the friendliest introduction to a neighbourhood.
Dessert after your plans
Already have theatre tickets or a work dinner? Plant a late dessert seed and keep the evening going.
The night you land
Mark yourself as visiting and plant a seed for arrival night — locals often take that seat precisely because it's someone new.
The dish you came for
Hotpot, dim sum, a tasting menu — the meals that need four people are exactly the ones solo travelers miss.
A table that fits your trip
Seeds carry a real date and time, so you only ever see tables that fit the days you're actually in town.
If you live here, this page is for you too
A table with a visitor at it is one of the easiest social evenings there is. They have no context, so you get to be the person who knows where to go — and you end up back at the restaurant you've been meaning to return to for a year.
- Mark your seed as welcoming visitors and it reaches people planning trips to your city
- You choose the venue, so you're never dragged to the tourist strip
- Nobody is anyone's guide — you're a diner at your own table, with no hosting duties
Traveler questions
Do I need to say I'm visiting?
It's optional, but useful. Seeds carry a local/visiting context so tables can welcome travelers explicitly instead of leaving it as a surprise.
What if my plans change mid-trip?
Leave the table before it locks, or fork the meal to a time that still works. Plans changing is normal and the product expects it.
Is this a language exchange or a tour?
No. It's a meal. People come for the restaurant, and the conversation happens because you're all eating the same thing.
Is it safe to meet strangers abroad?
Every table is at a publicly listed restaurant, everyone attests they're 18 or over, and chat is private to the table. Read the safety page before your first meal.
$4.99 one time · 30 calendar days · no auto-renewal · Not on sale yet
Read the Traveler Pass contract, Bill of Rights and cancellation noticeChanged your mind right after buying?
If New York's three-business-day cancellation right applies to your Traveler Pass, you can cancel without a fee and ask for a refund. This is separate from simply not using the pass.
Send a signed, dated notice by email to legal@toshareameal.com or by certified or registered mail to the address on our Contact page. Include your account email and purchase date. This works even if you can't sign in.
We'll reply to confirm we received it. A refund is only complete once our payment provider confirms it.
Draft notice — wording under review.
Common questions
Can I use ToShareAMeal while visiting NYC?
Yes. Travelers and locals use exactly the same Meal Seeds, so you can join a table for the nights you are in the city.
Do I need a monthly membership?
No. Browsing and joining tables do not require a paid plan, and there is no subscription for visitors.
What is the Traveler Pass?
The Traveler Pass is a one-time $4.99 purchase that unlocks traveler features for 30 days. It is not a subscription and does not renew.
Can I meet locals while traveling alone?
Yes — that is the usual case. Most seats are taken by individuals, and the people at the table typically live in the city.
Landing somewhere new?
Plant a seed for the night you arrive, or take a seat at a table that's already forming.