Dinner du Nord invites diners to a 7-block-long table on Nicollet Mall
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Minneapolis is gearing up for a big dinner party – so big, they’ll need a seven-block-long table.
It’s called Dinner du Nord. An estimated 2,000 people will be able to sit down for a meal on Nicollet Mall, with food provided by several dozen local restaurants.
Organizers announced the event this week; it’s scheduled for September 11.
“We cannot exactly prove that this is going to be America's longest dinner table, but I dare you to try and prove that it is not,” said Scott Mayer, the event’s founder and producer.
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Each restaurant will have a set menu available, with ticket prices varying by restaurant. Tickets available online now range from about $25 to $200.
Angie Whitcomb is the president and CEO of Hospitality Minnesota, one of several sponsors of the event. She said it’s a new idea to highlight both local restaurants and the downtown area.
“Nicollet Mall is truly an asset that we should celebrate more,” Whitcomb said. “To be able to bring community together over food in such a beautiful setting – it just is the right thing to do.”
Chef Edward Zhang, owner of Bao Bao Buns, is signed up to cook. He decided on a four-course meal: an Asian pear salad, bao, ravioli and a yuzu tart. He said it’s inspired by traditional Chinese cuisine, with influence from other foods he grew up with, like French and Italian.
Zhang said he’s excited to get lots of people sharing a meal.
“For all my dinners, that's one of my goals, is to make strangers talk to each other,” Zhang said. “Nowadays community has just been, everybody's on their phone. They're not talking to anybody. But I want everybody to just get to know each other.”
Whitcomb said this is also a way to promote local restaurants, as owners cite rising costs and financial trouble. Two Minneapolis restaurants – Young Joni and Stepchld – announced closures in June.
“Anything we can do to help support the restaurants and create an environment that they can thrive – that’s our mission,” Whitcomb said.
A portion of the proceeds are going to the Help the House Foundation, a nonprofit aimed at supporting hospitality workers.
Tickets are now on sale for the event. Tickets and menus are available online.
