longest dinner table toronto

Toronto to host massive outdoor summer dinner parties in neighbourhoods across city

Toronto will be getting its longest dinner table yet this summer as part of a project from the person behind street food markets that have gotten us through restrictions that kept us dining outdoors this year.

Philip Suos is behind Street Eats Market, Ice Cream Fest and a drive-thru food truck fest.

Now, he's putting on an Ontario-wide series of outdoor dining events called The Longest Dinner Table that will launch in Toronto.

Suos tells blogTO the events will consist of "tables stretched further than the eyes can see, across over 100 locations in Ontario" at locations from wineries to beaches to local streets.

Cuisines will vary by venue, but you can tentatively expect concepts like the longest kamayan dinner table from Tinuno, or a KBBQ table. Prix fixe tasting menus should range from about three to six courses.

Ticket prices will also vary from venue to venue, about $30 to $120, with tickets available starting July 1. Participating restaurants will be officially announced in late June.

Ultimately, Longest Dinner Table is giving the concepts to the BIAs and restaurants to execute, and will only take a small portion of ticket sales themselves.

In Toronto, tables will be set up in streets blocked off by BIAs or in parks. The more bookings a restaurant gets, the more tables they'll add, with no set upward limit.

Suos explains that this is meant as a solution to the condensed nature of the CafeTO program allowing some restaurants very few outdoor tables, and the traffic control issues of cancelled city events like Taste of the Danforth.

Suos can't confirm the exact dates of the event yet pending provincial restrictions, but hopes to start around July 16 and run until September. He's coordinating with BIAs and other community groups in the hopes of finalizing more details in the coming weeks.

The events will comply with all provincial safety guidelines, with tables separated by six feet and limited to the number of people allowed at each table set by the province. As the province reopens, more people will be allowed at each table, and advance booking is placed online for contact tracing.

They're working on a compostable plating solution so plates don't have to be taken back, as well as entertainment like DJs and goodie bags you'll receive upon entry containing local artisanal products.

"I really want to help as many restaurateurs and caterers as possible who are really suffering right now," Suos tells blogTO.

"Having done food festivals, events and markets throughout the entire pandemic, namely Street Eats Market, 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."

Lead photo by

The Longest Dinner Table


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