People are paying hundreds of dollars to eat dinner with strangers in Toronto

Does the idea of sitting at a dinner table among 20 complete strangers instantly make your heartrate start to rise with anxiety? It does for me, but someone in Toronto is trying to change that.

Jess Janz, a Toronto-based writer and artist is trying to encourage Toronto residents to step outside of their comfort zone with her event series, Dinner with Strangers, which is exactly what it sounds like.

Held two to three times a month, Dinner with Strangers hosts 20 people who have never met for a private family-style dinner with the intention of getting vulnerable.

The one rule? You can’t talk about what you do for work. The conversations happening around the table at Dinner with Strangers dig a whole lot deeper than that, with Jess at the helm, guiding the group through questions that get you really talking.

All that connection doesn’t come for free, though. A ticket to the event will cost you $190 (and, if you’re anything like me, a healthy amount of discomfort.)

That said, the price of your ticket buys you a meal cooked just for the Strangers by Toronto Chef Jill Hiller, wine, drinks, dessert and, of course, the chance to connect with some (hopefully) cool people.

If you’re looking to try something totally new, the next Dinner With Strangers events are being held on March 6 at the W Hotel and March 14 at Summerhill Event Boutique, and tickets (though very limited) are still available.