Lets keep this short and simple. The next 6 Tuesday nights you need to eat dinner. The next 6 Tuesday nights I'm making dinner.
This seems like an easy problem to solve. Grab your friends, families, significant others, and insignificant others and make your way to 5505 Bon Air Circle, Nashville, TN 37209. Dinner will be served at 7:15. Feel free to show up any time after 5:00.
If you are coming, please let me know by 10am on Tuesday. You can let me know using:
Email:
Phone: 918-557-1900 (call or text - if you text be sure to include your name)
Twitter: @pgraddy
Facebook: facebook.com/pgraddy
Q. No problems are that simple, I've got some questions.
A. I figured you would.
Q. What are the actual dates you are referring to when you say "the next 6 Tuesday nights".
A. February 21, February 28, March 6, March 13, March 20, March 27 of the year 2012.
Q. Will you be doing it after March 27th?
A. I'm kind of doing a test run to see how things go. Ask me again on March 27th.
Q. Are you going to bug me about this every week?
A. No, I'm letting people know about the first one by sending out invites but after that I'll probably post on my personal site, Facebook, and Twitter but I won't send out invitations (unless of course, you are signed up for the email list at pgraddy.com).
Q. If I come to one, are you expecting me to show up every Tuesday?
A. Definitely not. I'll just be happy that you came out for one. I realize schedules can be crazy. You may come out and decide you never want to come back; you won't hurt my feelings. Well...maybe a little bit, but I'll wipe the tears away before anybody sees.
Lets be honest, when you go check out an event that happens on a regular basis, there can be this unspoken pressure to come back the following week. Almost as if you come once, you're expected to come the next week. Then there's the awkwardness that if you don't come the next week but run into the person who put it on, they ask why you didn't show up and you feel compelled to make an excuse rather than tell them bluntly you didn't enjoy the event or you didn't really click with the people who showed up.
I'm kind of weird where I actually like criticism and don't get offended very easily. If Tuesday night dinner's not for you, I won't be offended at all. I'll just be happy that you came out once. If you ever have any constructive criticism, I definitely want to hear it.
Q. I didn't get an invite...am I invited?
A. Definitely! The invites are just a way to spread the work. Anybody and everybody is invited.
Q. What should I bring?
A. You don't need to bring anything but family and friends.
Q. Can I bring my kids?
A. Definitely. This is designed to be a family friendly dinner. If it would help to have child care, let me know and I may be able to arrange something.
Q. Is there a cost?
A. Nothing is free; you have to sit through a dinner with me. As for monetary costs, there are none.
Q. Wait, so you're bribing us to be your friends?
A. I guess that depends on whether or not you considered us to be friends before the bribe.
Q. Friends?!? I don't even know you!
A. Well, you can solve that problem on Tuesday night. If you're angry that I sent you an invite, just let me know and I'll make sure I never make that mistake again.
Q. Wait...you cook? I didn't know that.
A. The truth of the matter is that you're kind of like guinea pigs as I practice preparing meals for large groups. No guarantees that the food will be good.
Q. How many people are showing up to this thing?
A. That's a good question. At a minimum maybe 2? As for a maximum, I've got different contigency plans based on how many people respond.
Q. There are certain foods I don't eat; what's on the menu?
A. Each week will be different depending on how many people respond. Get in touch with me about the specifics and I'm sure we can figure something out.
Q. Why's it called "Dinner Off The Couch"?
A. It seems to me that hospitality has been replaced by people eating dinner on the couch with a television remote. People rarely go over to someone's house to enjoy a meal together. Some of my favorite memories from childhood were having large groups of people over to the house for a meal. I guess I'm really just trying to recreate my childhood. I figured it would be easier to cook some meals for people than to work through my childhood issues in a counseling office.
Q. I'm usually exhausted when I get home from work and tend to let down as soon as I walk through the door. Can I come over straight from work?
A. Definitely, feel free to come over anytime after 5:00. If you want to get out of your work clothes, feel free to bring some clothes to change into at the house.
Q. There's no such thing as an insignificant other.
A. My mother told me the same thing.
Q. Do you have a map I can look at?
A. Of course...
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