Executive Summary

The United States is experiencing a public health crisis due to widespread feelings of loneliness and lack of social connection among its citizens. The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory advises efforts to improve social health through community, connection, and healthy living. The Dinner Table proposes an innovative dining experience in Charlotte, North Carolina to address well-being through commensality. Leveraging a two-pronged strategy, The Dinner Table will foster social connection by creating a one-of-a-kind experience that embodies commensality, introduces food citizenship, promotes food diversity, and advances research on commensality and well-being. With the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, The Dinner Table will address the research gap around commensality by progressing research on it with respect to well-being.

Over two years, The Dinner Table will measure success of its objectives in a few ways. To understand the impact of a commensal experience, patron retention rate and referral rate will be analyzed in conjunction with monthly focus group insights. The Dinner Table will use its website to engage with the community and its patrons and to understand the efficacy of food education. Led by a professional moderator, focus groups will contribute to new learnings in the research field of commensality and well-being. The Dinner Table aims to publicly share the lessons and findings to maximize their potential application at a regional or national level.

The Dinner Table is eager to bring social connection and healthy experiences to the people of Charlotte one dinner at a time.

Purpose

Since 2018, widespread loneliness and lack of social connection are threatening the health of American citizens (Bruce et al., 2019). COVID-19 exacerbated social isolation, placing a timely emphasis on the need to connect (Cigna Corporation, 2021). In the context of food, the family meal, a time in which people come together over food, is being replaced by individualistic eating habits, such as take-out (Jönsson et al., 2021). The Dinner Table will introduce a new type of commensal experience, leveraging a social and dynamic dinnertime setting to nurture social connection and healthy living.

The Dinner Table applies a two-pronged strategy. The first prong’s primary objective is to bring people together through commensality. Within this overarching strategy, introducing food citizenship and promoting food diversity are the second and third objectives. Together, these three objectives aim to cultivate connection, conversation, and food education.

In addition, The Dinner Table also aims to contribute to the body of research on commensality and well-being. Under the shared interest of understanding food citizenship in the context of commensality, and, as of January 2024, The Dinner Table has agreed to a joint research venture on these topics with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. In exchange for research and insights, The Center for a Livable Future has agreed to contribute to the one-time costs needed to launch The Dinner Table. The insights gained from this research will progress the understanding of commensality and well-being at the local level in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Background

As currently (February 2024) stated by the U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory, widespread loneliness is a national public health concern (n.d.). The U.S. Department of Health and Services cites academic research revealing social isolation increases health risk, and, conversely, how improved social connections and perceptions of belonging lead to good health, improved performance at school, and lower amounts of stress (DuBois et al., 2011; Lazzari and Rabottini, 2022; Southwick et al., 2016; Valtorta et al., 2016). In response to this, the National Strategy to Advance Social Connection has a framework that includes two calls to action directly relevant to this proposal: “Strengthen Social Infrastructure in Local Communities” and “Cultivate a Culture of Connection” at the community level. At the individual level, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published a “Social Wellness Toolkit” for improving social health, in which two of the suggestions are “Make connections” and “Shape healthy habits” (2021). Therefore, a solution, such as community dining, is a prime way to address both recommendations.

The Dinner Table will find its home in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is the seventh fastest growing large metro area in the United States (City of Charlotte, 2024). Amid this growth, Charlotte’s strategic plan includes a focus on Community Area Planning (CAP) (ibid.). Specifically, Charlotte’s Community Investment Program (CIP) seeks innovative solutions like The Dinner Table. Given the $15/person price point, The Dinner Table targets adults from median-level income households in neighborhoods such as Segefield, South End, or Madison Park (City of Charlotte, n.d.).

Sharing food has been part of society and culture for centuries. Claude Fischler, who has been researching commensality (the act of eating together) since the 1970s, placed commensality at the center of human culture (2011). He, and other experts, such as Falk, recognize that “through rituals of food and eating, societies are formed and upheld” (Jönsson et al., 2021). Although commensality has been linked to social communion, health, and well-being, there is a call for new research entry points given the decline of the ‘family meal’, growth of individualistic eating practices, and increase in obesity in the United States (Jönsson et al., 2021). Additionally, the transition from commensal to individual eating habits have been fueled by the increased accessibility to and affordability of fast-food, meal delivery services, the snack industry, and COVID-19. Two notable studies completed in the last five years help position commensality to address these issues. In one study, commensality was linked to positive social transformation in communities in Texas (Abarca, 2021). Furthermore, a study from 2020 found that Korean adolescents who engaged in shared meals more frequently were less likely to experience depression (Son et al., 2020). While these two studies are examples of commensality research, it is fair to say that they, and other experts in the field, agree that more research is needed on commensality, to focus on public health and nutrition.

Project Goals and Methodology

The Dinner Table’s goal is to be a self-sustaining, community, non-profit organization that fosters social connection through commensality. To achieve this, The Dinner Table has set four goals:

1. Embody commensality.

2. Introduce food citizenship.

3. Promote food diversity.

4. Progress research on commensality and well-being.

To achieve these goals, The Dinner Table will leverage four methods:

1. Patron Retention & Referral

2. Survey Results

3. Website Analytics

4. Professional Research

The Dinner Table Experience

Embodying Commensality

The Dinner Table's setting diverges from conventional restaurants, featuring an open- concept dining area with a single wooden table. Accommodating 30 individuals, the table provides two long benches with comfortable cushions. Reserved for hosts, chefs, and waitstaff, two chairs sit at each end. With a fixed nightly menu served family-style, success will be gauged through metrics: nightly seat occupancy, patron return and referral rates, and affirmative responses to survey question #5 (see Appendix A for details).

Introduce and Collect Data on Food Citizenship

Half an hour into the meal, waitstaff will introduce The Dinner Table's second objective: food citizenship. Chefs will then elaborate on the meal's theme, ingredients, sourcing, cooking process, and nutritional value. All dishes will be prepared within an hour. Upon meal completion and dish placement, patrons may take printed descriptions of the evening, including topics and recipes, or scan a QR code for online access. Effectiveness of food education will be measured via post-event surveys (see Appendix A for the list of questions) and website analytics tracking interest and usage, managed by The Dinner Table analyst.

Promote Food Diversity

Building on food citizenship, The Dinner Table will emphasize food diversity both literally and symbolically. The Dinner Table’s manager will work with the chefs to ensure both these aspects are met. Meals will incorporate a minimum of ten fresh ingredients, reflecting dietary balance. Symbolically, diversity extends to social and cultural aspects in cuisine and community. Monthly reports will assess diversity in themes, ingredients, and nutritional content, shared internally for accountability and externally on The Dinner Table's website. Additionally, statistics on ingredient usage will underscore recipe and cuisine diversity.

Progressing Research

The Dinner Table's second objective involves contributing to ongoing research on commensality and well-being, recognizing the complexity and evolution of individual experiences. Longitudinal assessment will track patron retention and referrals, hypothesizing a positive correlation with enriching commensal experiences. Opt-in surveys and monthly focus groups, named "Food for Thought," will further illuminate the impact of The Dinner Table experience on patrons' well-being and social connection. On focus group nights, The Dinner Table will offer free dinner in exchange for the patrons’ consent (see Appendix B for the form) and willingness to share their thoughts.

Budget and Resources

The Dinner Table asks The Rockefeller Foundation for a total investment of $238,224 to launch the operation and support its objectives over the course of two years. The Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future has offered $50,000 to cover 31% of the total one-time startup costs. The following budget (see Table 1) outlines the expected one-time costs, recurring costs, revenue, and growth assumptions built into The Dinner Table’s two-year plan.

To give the operation a home and set up the space, The Dinner Table assumes a total of $162,600 in one-time costs (see Table 2). Seventy-six percent of the total one-time cost budget will be spent on building improvements, an industrial kitchen, and tableware. Signage and digital advertising, via email and dining app marketing, will require $15,000, amounting to 9% of the total budget.

The recurring costs are expected to total $502,495 per year (see Table 3). In line with restaurant standards, the cost of labor is the highest proportion of this budget (FHA-Food and Beverage, 2023). Using a conservative estimate, our model assumes a total of 23 weeks of paid chef staff and 23 weeks of volunteer or pro-bono chef staff. Two chefs work each night, seven days a week. The strategic partnership with the American Academy of Rome will offer six apprentice chefs from its sustainable food program.

Additionally, Johnson and Wales Culinary Institute in Charlotte will offer another six chefs. In pairs, they will volunteer their services for two weeks out of the year. The Dinner Table plans to partner with regionally acclaimed chefs and celebrity chefs intrigued by our mission to cover the remaining 10-11 weeks of chef staff for the year.

The analyst will be contracted to work three hours per week, 40 weeks out of the year, to manage the research and website analytics. Food and beverage costs will total $123,675 assuming the 25% food cost ratio and 20% beverage cost ratio (FHAFNB).

Lastly, food and beverage are the primary revenue streams for The Dinner Table. The Dinner Table will charge $15 per person for food and have two seatings per night. For paid beverages, The Dinner Table will offer beer and wine. The total revenue gained from beverages assumes half of the patrons will consume two drinks per night, at an average beverage cost of $8. Additionally, a donation goal of $6,000 is included in the year one revenue plan. The Dinner Table plans to source these funds in a variety of ways, such as asking patrons to contribute if they wish, also asking friends, family, and local partnerships, leaning on the belief that The Dinner Table’s mission and experience will move people to donate.

In sum, The Rockefeller Foundation’s investment of $238,224 will allow The Dinner Table to open its doors to the Charlotte community. The investment will fully cover the one- time costs and half of the total annual recurring cost budget in year one. The Dinner Table proposes this investment model to ensure that The Dinner Table is held responsible for maintaining anticipated revenue needed to sustain the operation. By the estimation, The Dinner Table will end year one with a balance of $98,329. These funds, which would not be possible without the support of The Rockefeller Foundation, will be reinvested into year two, covering at least the first two months of recurring costs. With the financial support of The Rockefeller Foundation, the startup cost burden is relieved, and The Dinner Table can focus on creating an influential social experience and transitioning to a self-sustaining, non-profit organization.

Conclusions and Future Implications

Assuming a successful implementation of the proposed plan and budget, The Dinner Table will be a self-sustaining non-profit and an integral part of the greater Charlotte community after two years. Through commensality, The Dinner Table will increase social connection and community ties. By introducing food citizenship and promoting food diversity, The Dinner Table will foster growth in healthy lifestyles and habits. The joint venture with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Liveable Future will advance research on commensality and well- being to help fill the research gap that characterizes the field of commensality research. Ultimately, The Dinner Table will spotlight commensality and its impact on people’s well-being, helping lonely Americans improve their social health through connection, community, and food education.

References

Abarca, M. E. (2021). Commensality: Networks of personal, family, and community social transformation. The Sociological Review, 69(3), 664-680. https://doi.org/10.1177/00380261211009088

Bruce, L. D., Wu, J. S., Lustig, S. L., Russell, D. W., & Nemecek, D. A. (2019). Loneliness in the United States: A 2018 National Panel Survey of Demographic, Structural, Cognitive, and Behavioral Characteristics. American journal of health promotion : AJHP, 33(8), 1123– 1133. https://doi.org/10.1177/0890117119856551

Cigna Corporation. The Loneliness Epidemic Persists: A Post Pandemic Look at the State of Loneliness among U.S. Adults. 2021.

City of Charlotte. (2024). Charlotte Future. City of Charlotte. Retrieved from https://www.charlottenc.gov/Growth-and-Development/Charlotte-Future

City-Data. (n.d.). Income in Charlotte, North Carolina. Retrieved from https://www.city- data.com/income/income-Charlotte-North-Carolina.html

DuBois, D. L., Portillo, N., Rhodes, J. E., Silverthorn, N., & Valentine, J. C. (2011). How Effective Are Mentoring Programs for Youth? A Systematic Assessment of the
Evidence. Psychological science in the public interest: a journal of the American Psychological Society, 12(2), 57–91. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100611414806

Fischler, C. (2011). Commensality, society and culture. Social Science Information, 50(3-4), 528- 548. https://doi.org/10.1177/0539018411413963

Jönsson, H., Michaud, M., & Neuman, N. (2021). What Is Commensality? A Critical Discussion of an Expanding Research Field. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(12), 6235. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18126235

Lazzari, C., & Rabottini, M. (2022). COVID-19, loneliness, social isolation and risk of dementia in older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the relevant
literature. International journal of psychiatry in clinical practice, 26(2), 196–207. https://doi.org/10.1080/13651501.2021.1959616

My Health My Community. (2018). Social Connections and Health. My Health My Community. Retrieved from https://myhealthmycommunity.org/wp- content/uploads/2019/05/MHMC_SocialConnections_web.pdf

National Institutes of Health. (2021). Social Wellness Toolkit. Retrieved from https://www.nih.gov/health-information/social-wellness-toolkit

Son, Y. H., Oh, S. S., Jang, S. I., et al. (2020). Association between commensality with depression and suicidal ideation of Korean adults: The sixth and seventh Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2013, 2015, 2017. Nutrition Journal, 19(1), 131. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12937-020-00650-9

Southwick, S. M., Sippel, L., Krystal, J., Charney, D., Mayes, L., & Pietrzak, R. (2016). Why are some individuals more resilient than others: the role of social support. World psychiatry: official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), 15(1), 77–79. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20282

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Social Connection. Surgeon General's Priorities. Retrieved 31 January 2024. https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/connection/index.html

Valtorta, N. K., Kanaan, M., Gilbody, S., Ronzi, S., & Hanratty, B. (2016). Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for coronary heart disease and stroke: systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal observational studies. Heart (British Cardiac
Society), 102(13), 1009–1016. https://doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2015-308790

Post-Dinner Survey

Appendix A

1. (Y/N) Did you feel socially connected through your experience at The Dinner Table?

2. (Y/N) Was your experience at The Dinner Table positive to your social health?

3. (Y/N) Did The Dinner Table achieve its goal of promoting food diversity?

4. Please elaborate on your response to Question #3 in a few short sentences.

5. (Y/N) Did The Dinner Table embody commensality?

6. Please elaborate on your response to Question #4 in a few short sentences.

7. In a few short sentences, please tell us what you learned during your evening at The

   Dinner Table.

8. (Y/N) Do you plan to take advantage of the post-dinner resources on The Dinner Table’s

   website?

Food for Thought Consent Form

The Dinner Table

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Jack Harlow
Professional Moderator Institute
400 Shadycreek Dr, Charlotte, NC 28211 704-999-9999 jharlow@moderatorinstitute.com

PURPOSE OF STUDY

Appendix B

You are being asked to take part in a research study. Before you decide to participate in this study, it is important that you understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please read the following information carefully. Please ask the researcher if there is anything that is not clear or if you need more information.

The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between commensality and well- being.

STUDY PROCEDURES

Focus groups will run for two hours and contain 10 people at a time.

RISKS

Sharing personal feelings and stories may be emotional.

You may decline to answer any or all questions and you may terminate your involvement at any time if you choose.

CONFIDENTIALITY

Your responses to this [survey] will be anonymous. Please do not write any identifying information on your [survey]. OR For the purposes of this research study, your comments will not be anonymous. Every effort will be made by the researcher to preserve your confidentiality including the following:

[State measures taken to ensure confidentiality, such as those listed below:

• Assigning code names/numbers for participants that will be used on all research notes and documents.

• Keeping notes, interview transcriptions, and any other identifying participant information in a locked file cabinet in the personal possession of the researcher.]

Participant data will be kept confidential except in cases where the researcher is legally obligated to report specific incidents. These incidents include, but may not be limited to, incidents of abuse and suicide risk.

CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have questions at any time about this study, or you experience adverse effects as the result of participating in this study, you may contact the researcher whose contact information is provided on the first page. If you have questions regarding your rights as a research participant, or if problems arise which you do not feel you can discuss with the Primary Investigator, please contact the Institutional Review Board at (865) 354-3000, ext. 4822.

VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION

Your participation in this study is voluntary. It is up to you to decide whether or not to take part in this study. If you decide to take part in this study, you will be asked to sign a consent form. After you sign the consent form, you are still free to withdraw at any time and without giving a reason. Withdrawing from this study will not affect the relationship you have, if any, with the researcher. If you withdraw from the study before data collection is completed, your data will be returned to you or destroyed.

Note: Please delineate the "Consent" section of the Informed Consent Form by drawing a line across the page (like the one above this paragraph). This delineation is important because the consent form grammar shifts from second person to first person, as shown in this example.

CONSENT

I have read and I understand the provided information and have had the opportunity to ask questions. I understand that my participation is voluntary and that I am free to withdraw at any time, without giving a reason and without cost. I understand that I will be given a copy of this consent form. I voluntarily agree to take part in this study.

Participant's signature ______________________________ Date __________ Investigator's signature _____________________________ Date __________