Coming to the Midlands — 2027

Spare Chair

Pull up a chair.
Some of your favourite people are strangers right now.

The Midlands Social Dining Experience

Everyone's busy. Go anyway.
Spare Chair fills your free evenings with good food, great conversation and new people — no group chat needed, no waiting on anyone else. Just you, a seat at a brilliant local restaurant and interesting strangers who became the highlight of your week.

No sign up needed
Help us shape Spare Chair
Three quick questions. Completely anonymous. No data stored.
What brings you here?
Which evenings work best for you?
Where are you based?
Coming Soon

We are not live yet — but your seat is already yours.
We will be in touch when your table is nearly ready.
No spam. Your details are kept private and never shared.

Your chair is waiting.

We will be in touch before anyone else
when your table is forming in 2027.

What Spare Chair Is

A great evening.
Interesting people.
On your own terms.

Spare Chair matches small groups of interesting people — six to eight strangers who all decided to do something good with their evening — at a real local restaurant they chose themselves.

You browse available tables, choose the restaurant and the group that appeals to you, and book your seat. No waiting for someone else to organise it. No group chat. No coordination. Just you making a decision and showing up.

We all have to eat. You might as well eat somewhere brilliant with people who turn out to be the best part of your week.

01
You choose your table

Browse available evenings near you. See who is already attending — their interests, what they are into. Pick the table that appeals. Book your seat. No waiting on anyone else.

02
The night before

A warm introduction to your tablemates arrives the evening before. First names, a little about their interests and a photo — just enough to spot your people when you walk through the door. No awkward scanning of the room.

03
Just a great evening

A real restaurant. A real menu. Your own bill. Good conversation with interesting people you would never have met otherwise. The kind of evening you did entirely on your own terms.

The best people in your life
started as strangers.

New friends. Shared interests. Unexpected connections.
It is extraordinary what can begin around a table.
The table is always where it started.

Who Spare Chair Is For

Anyone who fancies a brilliant evening
without the faff of organising one.

🍽️
The food lover

You want to try the new place in Harborne. Your friends are busy or not interested. Go anyway. Someone at the table will appreciate it as much as you do.

📦
New to the area

You know where the coffee shop is. You want to know the people. Spare Chair is the fastest way to feel like you belong somewhere new.

💡
The curious one

You find other people fascinating. You have always had your best conversations with strangers. Spare Chair is basically designed for you.

🗓️
The independent one

You do not wait for a group to form before you do things. You book the table, you show up, you have the evening. Spare Chair works exactly like that.

🌅
A new chapter

Something changed. The diary opened up. You are not waiting for life to go back to how it was — you are building something better. This is one evening of that.

Just fancy it

You do not need a reason. There is a free evening, a good restaurant and interesting people already at the table. That is more than enough.

How It Works

Simple by design.

1
Browse available evenings

Open Spare Chair and choose an evening. See all available tables across your area — each one at a different local restaurant, each showing who is already attending and how many seats remain. The fuller the table the more the buzz — you can see it filling in real time.

2
Choose your table

Read the profiles of people already attending. Browse the restaurant. Choose the table that feels right — because of the group, the neighbourhood, the evening. Book your seat.

3
Meet your people the night before

The evening before your dinner, a warm introduction arrives. First names, a little about each person's interests and a photo — just enough to recognise your people the moment you walk through the door. Nothing more until you choose to share it yourself.

4
Show up and enjoy dinner

A real restaurant. A real menu. Your own bill. No icebreaker cards. No structured format. The kind of evening that feels like it happened by happy accident — except you chose it.

Built in the Midlands.
For the Midlands.

We are starting close to home — hand-picking restaurants, building a founding community and making sure every dinner is worth the evening before we go anywhere else.

Birmingham Solihull Coventry Warwick & Leamington Wolverhampton — soon Stratford-upon-Avon — soon More — soon