08.19.2024

Today’s Forecast

85º | 7% chance of precipitation
Sunrise 6:35 a.m. | Sunset 8:08 p.m.

Food

Go to dinner with strangers in Kansas City with Timeleft

Presented by a KCtoday Partner

a gif featuring images of people in a restaurant

Step out of your comfort zone, meet people you may not have met in your daily life, and connect on a deeper level at a Timeleft dinner. | Photos courtesy of Timeleft; GIF by 6AM City

Did you know that every Wednesday night at 7 p.m., small groups of strangers sit down to enjoy a meal together at several restaurants across Kansas City?

Aside from living in the same area, there’s one thing they indubitably have in common: they’re all meeting for the first time.

How it works

Timeleft is an app on a mission to curb modern-day loneliness (and help solve that tricky question, “How do you make friends as an adult?”) by building connections through shared experiences + genuine interactions.

Users start by creating an account and completing a short personality test, where they share their age, career field, interests, diet, religious beliefs, and more. Based on their answers, Timeleft’s algorithm chooses five locals they’re most likely to enjoy conversations with. Tickets are $16 per booking (monthly packages are also available), and attendees are responsible for their bill at the restaurant.

a hand holding a phone with timeleft's app open, which shows the seat confirmation, the group and the restaurant — Timeleft emails you all of the information you need to prepare for your evening.
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Photo by ATXtoday

The day before dinner, participants learn more about their mystery guests broken down by percentages (i.e. 33% of the table works in the medical field) and receive safety tips for their excursion. One secret is revealed on the morning of the dinner: where the group will eat.

Timeleft picks the restaurant based on the general area the user chooses in the survey and how much they normally spend on a night out. You might be dining at local establishments like Brown & Loe and Mesob Restaurant & Rum Bar.

Participants arrive at the restaurant at 7 p.m. and meet the five strangers — er, new friends — in their group. During the meal, Timeleft provides a game (think: fun icebreaker questions like “Explain your job to the table as if you were talking to a 5-year-old.”) for everyone to play.

At 8 p.m., the app reveals the location of the “Last Drink” — an optional after-dinner meet-up point that’s sent out to all dinner guests in the area, so people can meet up with other Timelefters if they want to keep the party going.

Keep reading to learn what sparked our interest in participating in this fun social experiment, or go ahead and book an upcoming Timeleft reservation.

See you at dinner, KC

Asked

Would you try dinner with strangers?

A. Yes
B. No

We're dining to know

Events

Monday, Aug. 19

The 502s | Monday, Aug. 19 | 8 p.m. | The Truman | $37-$51 | Enjoy the happy vibes this band dishes out — perfect for fighting the Monday blues.

Tuesday, Aug. 20

Book Launch: “True To You” | Tuesday, Aug. 20 | 7-8:30 p.m. | Unity Temple on The Plaza | $32 | People pleasers unite — Dr. Kathleen Smith is celebrating the release of her new book which will teach you to say yes to yourself before everyone else.

Wednesday, Aug 21

“The Wizard of Oz” | Wednesday, Aug. 21 | 7 p.m. | Aztec Shawnee Theater | $8 | Celebrate the 85th anniversary of this iconic cultural milestone featuring the most famous Kansan, Dorothy.
Maggie Rose | Wednesday, Aug. 21 | 8 p.m. | recordBar | $22 | Get ready for a soul-stirring blend of country + rock that’ll have your boots tapping.

Thursday, Aug. 22

Espresso 102: Milk, Drinks & Pouring | Thursday, Aug. 22 | 6:30-8:30 p.m. | PH Coffee | $125 | Learn and refine milk steaming techniques, as well as the drink building workflow + pouring dynamics that support good latte art.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Open

Over the weekend, KCK welcomed Sagebrush, a new cocktail bar. Connected to plant store and coffee shop Garden House (1639 Southwest Blvd., KCK), it serves up “cocktails + mocktails ranging from $4 to $16.” (The Pitch)

Civic

The City of KCMO is allocating $7.4 million in federal funding to build a permanent, year-round, low-barrier shelter for unhoused people — the first in the city. Hope Faith (705 Virginia Ave., KCMO) will be the primary operator. A timeline is TBA. (KCUR)

Kansas Citian

Metro students will see an imaginative new personal finance course rolling out thanks to Katie Murphy, a Harvard freshman. The Shawnee Mission East alum built the course during her internship at Pathway Financial Education, hoping to give back to her community. (KSHB)

Plan Ahead

The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City will host a national conference promoting Hispanic-owned businesses Sunday, Oct. 6-Tuesday, Oct. 8 at the KC Convention Center. The conference will feature workshops, exhibitors, and policy-making discussions. Tickets are $850. (Northeast News)

Closing

Soiree is scheduled to close at the end of this month. Found at 1512 E. 18th St. KCMO, the Southern-style restaurant will offer a limited menu until it shuts its doors. The owner has vowed the restaurant will rise again, just maybe in a different form. (Kansas City Star)

Arts

Have you heard? The Nerman Museum has launched a new membership tier, NMOCA Explorer, featuring exclusive perks like private collection tours, travel opportunities, and social events (plus all NMOCA Friend benefits). Here’s what you need to know.*

Outdoors

🚲 The bike stops here

Get bike racks for free in KC

Look at that perfectly parked bike. Just beautiful. | Photo courtesy of the City of KCMO.

Bike lanes have been popping up all around the metro. Unfortunately, they haven’t come paired with their much-needed counterparts: bike racks. But you can fix that.

The City of KCMO will provide bike racks for free at public places + businesses.All you have to do is let them know where to put it. So, the next time you’re riding around, check if any small businesses, community centers, schools, or the likes could use a bike rack. Then, just fill out this short form and you’re good to go.

(Pro tip: If you’re not the person who owns the property, it would be a good idea to find the owner and get their buy-in first.)

The Buy

The Buy 8.19.24 (Affiliate)

These reusable food storage bags. They’re made from food-grade silicone, making them dishwasher and microwave-safe, leak-free, and an eco-friendly solution to disposable plastic bags.

More worth The Buy

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Charmaine

From the editor

Over the weekend I went to Fayetteville, AR for Northwest Arkansas Book Fest. Loved it. Will be going back. 10/10. Next up: Missouri Book Festival. Then, Heartland Book Festival.

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