Before

Pick one restaurant and one standing slot: the first Thursday at noon, same place every month. Ask the owner for a long table on a slow day and they'll usually say yes, because you're filling seats nobody else is filling. Everyone pays for their own lunch, which keeps it free to run and free to skip.

Find your co-host, it will make it easier down the line. Invite the folks who miss the connection they had at the office: remote employees, freelancers, consultants, retired folks, grad students, stay-at-home parents, and anyone recently laid off. Set the recurring lunch up in Plurality and share the link where they already lurk online.

Print your flyer. Say the rules in the invite: pay your own way, no pitching, no membership, and it's fine to come once.

During

Seat everyone at one long table, even if it's five small tables shoved together. Two tables become two conversations and one lonely end; one table means a newcomer can't be stranded.

Welcome the person who says they nearly didn't come. Somebody at every lunch worked up real nerve to leave the house; notice them, learn their name, and make sure they're sitting next to someone talkative.

If the conversation stalls, use the Prompts tool to have some conversation starters. Let folks get to know each other in deeper ways than just their work.

After

Take a photo of the full table and invite folks to record any other Moments. Then post the next date before anyone leaves, because the standing date is the entire product.

Start a group and invite folks to come to the next one.