What we’re about

Did you know that Grand Rapids was the #2 most affordable foodie city in the nation in 2014? Are you interested in dining out, flavorful food, cooking, baking, and fun food-related activities? This group is for food and drink enthusiasts that want to taste all the Grand Rapids area culinary scene has to offer.

Our goal is to dine out at restaurants in Grand Rapids and the surrounding area, as well as participate in cooking classes, wine and cheese tastings, and any other activity that compliments the wonderful food scene of the city.

What is a foodie and what does it take to be a foodie? The Merriam-Webster dictionary's simple definition of a foodie is "a person who enjoys and cares about food very much." We try to keep it pretty simple in that tradition, so I would say a Foodie in our group would share "a love of good food." We aren't sitting around dissecting the flavors of a dish or the floral notes of a glass of wine. We are simply in pursuit of finding delicious, unusual, creative, and diverse cuisine in the Grand Rapids area. At the same time, we choose to eat our delicious eats with a small group of like-minded people. There is no formal education required! However, we may seek opportunities to learn about food and drink if there is interest in doing so.

What can you expect from attending a Grand Rapids Foodies meetup? Most of our events are held at restaurants in groups of 12 or less. This is done to facilitate conversations among attendees and to facilitate seating at the restaurant (since most establishments have a tough time seating groups larger than 12). Most restaurants will work with our group to provide a complimentary sample to taste before our meal. You are responsible for paying for your meal (we don't take a collection of money, unless we arrange that with the restaurant, in which case it would be in the description). We ask that all members are respectful and keep any comments that could be offensive to group members to yourself.

What is unique about our group?

1. We have members from age 18 to 65+. Our members are at all stages of life and cover a variety of different professions and backgrounds.

2. We have Meetups regularly on various days of the week and times of the day.

3. We have Meetups that cover the full scale of budget (from cheap eats to fine dining).

4. We are a community-funded group, which means that any membership dues collected go towards the administrative costs of running the group and anything more than that is invested back into the group (towards discounts for programs or towards purchasing appetizers for the table).

5. Some of our events are kid-friendly. What this means is that select events (usually a breakfast, brunch, or lunch) may be open to children. We like to call this "Foodies in Training". We allow children at these select events for a few reasons: (a) We believe that starting kids out at an early age trying new foods is important; (b) We realize that it is sometimes difficult for some of our members to make it to our events if they have to find someone to watch their kids. All we ask is that as a parent, you do your best to make sure your kids maintain the required decorum for the restaurant.

If you are looking to meet people with that enjoy great tasting and authentic food and drink, then this group is for you! Enjoy and share your culinary talent and experience with our fellow foodies!

Check out our segment that aired on Eight West (NBC/WoodTV) on Friday 7/22/2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbGNYNHZndY