Dinner For 8 Program Helping Local Singles Meet New People

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Twenty-two percent of Americans between the ages of 25-34 say they have used online dating services.

Five percent say they met their spouse or significant other online. But a new service is now available to singles in Pittsburgh that revolves around small groups and great food.

"We say from about 30 to 75, and they are all coming from different places," says Nan Cohen, the co-founder of Dinner For 8.

"Everybody has dinner every night, right?" adds co-founder Bill Cartiff. "And if you are single, you are probably eating dinner alone most nights. So why not spend a night, or two or three, getting to know some new people?"

Enter Dinner For 8, which is a program designed for single, divorced and widowed individuals.

"People want to be social. They want to be out," says Cohen. "They may not know people, but they are not real comfortable walking into a room and seeing a bunch of strangers."

Cartiff says the idea of an informal, small-group dining experience is hardly new.

"Back in the '90s, when I was working with single programming at a local community center, I was charged with coming up with different program ideas and events. I dreamed up the concept of a small group experience for singles," he says.

Watch Nan Cohen and Bil Cartiff on Pittsburgh Today Live:

Membership fees are scaled based on how many dinners you choose to attend.

"Pittsburgh is food. We are up and coming when it comes to the restaurant scene, and now we have taken it to a different level where we are focusing on just on singles, divorced and widowed people," says Cohen. "They can have a night out if they want when they know they have something on their calendar they can look forward to or they can make it work."

To learn more about the Dinner For 8 program and their Premier VIP Dinner Party on Sunday, Oct. 4 at the Fairmont Hotel, visit: http://www.dinnerfor8pgh.com/

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