Skip to main content

Community Dinners

Building Community, One Dinner at a Time

In an age of increasing digital connection but declining face-to-face interaction, the need for real-world community engagement has never been more important. Aqus has long been a gathering place for people in Petaluma, and one of its most successful initiatives is our Community Dinners—a simple yet powerful way to build relationships, foster trust, and create a more connected and resilient community.

The concept is simple: people with shared interests, skills or experiences gather for a meal at Aqus Café.  It’s easy, no planning, no cooking and no organizing. Just show up, enjoy great food, meet like-minded people and get to know each other.  To make the experience even more welcoming and inclusive, each guest makes a seating place card with their name on it. Then, every 30 minutes, attendees are invited to switch seats so they can meet and engage with multiple people throughout the evening.  This simple format fosters a sense of belonging and inclusivity, ensuring that everyone leaves knowing more people than when they arrived.

While some of these larger events are held elsewhere in Petaluma, the majority of these community dinners are held at Aqus Café, where our mission is to bring people together through shared interests, great food and meaningful connections.

The dinners take place from 5 to 7 pm, with attendees free to arrive at any time. As attendees enjoy their meal, they’re invited (but not required) to switch seats every 30 minutes, providing opportunities to meet new people and deepen connections. The idea behind these dinners is simple yet powerful: build community by breaking bread with others who share similar interests. Everyone orders themselves so there is no set menu or cost. All food and drink is available for purchase.

Our Community Dinners, which are usually midweek, are organized around different themes:

  1. Interest Groups: Gatherings are themed around shared interests such as Peace Corps Volunteers, Metal Workers, Programmers & Makers, Park Docents, Ukulele, Climate Professionals etc. These dinners allow people with common passions to connect and collaborate.

  2. Languages: We host dinners centered around different languages, including Spanish, Italian, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese and more. These dinners offer a space for language learners and native speakers alike to connect and socialize. A conversational level of the language is expected.

  3. Location-Based Gatherings: We host Neighborhood Community dinners where residents of a chosen street or neighborhood are invited. As guests arrive, they have the chance to sit alongside neighbors they may not have known before. It’s heartwarming to witness conversations like, “I think I recognize you. Don’t you live two doors up the street from me?” or “Aren’t you the person who lives in that nice house with the green shutters on the next block?” The atmosphere is wonderful as people start to connect and get to know their neighbors better. To further encourage dynamic interactions, we invite everyone switch seats every 30 minutes.

  4. Organization-based Gatherings: We also host “Org Night” community dinners where members of a certain organization are invited on a very casual basis to gather and build community within the organization. It gives people an opportunity to connect with people they wouldn’t ordinarily meet. These are usually nonprofit/volunteer organizations although we are open to businesses hosting too.

  5. Books launches/signing, Causes and Presentation: We host book launches/signings, allowing a short presentation/Q&A from 6:30pm to 7pm. These work best on a Tuesday evening.

The core idea behind these Community Dinners is to foster a sense of community, and what better way to achieve that than by sharing a meal together?  Whether you’re connecting with neighbors, practicing a language, or meeting people with similar interests, these dinners offer a unique and enjoyable way to build social capital in our community.

Don’t see one that’s for you? Let us know if there’s an interest group, language group or street/neighborhood gathering you’d like to see at Aqus.

*Note: Everyone is asked to make themselves a name tag and encouraged (but not required) to switch seats every 30 minutes. This makes it easier to connect with more people!  Also, please note: the café closes at 7 pm.

Choose your theme and join us.  Friendships happen here!

Check out the calendar for the next community dinner.