Thursday night, a long table, and nine independents you've never met.
We read the applications and seat each table by hand, mixing ages and trades, women and men.
- Thursdays 7:30 pm and Tuesdays at 12:30 pm
- 8 to 10 guests, no more
- €15 to book, taken off your bill
- Paris, since 2023
Why this club
When we first went freelance, we ate a lot of lunches alone in front of a screen, with nobody to tell about the client who changed his mind the night before the deadline, or the Sunday evening lost to the accounts. We started the club in Paris in 2023 to make friends in the same slog, or a different one, so long as we didn't have to explain it.
We also wanted an illustrator stuck on her first quote to be able to show it to someone who has signed three hundred.
And for everyone to leave with something, even if it's only a good evening.
How it works
You don't owe us anything until step three.
You apply
Ten minutes of questions. The one that takes longest is about a dinner you still remember. We use your LinkedIn to check you're you.
We invite you
When we have a table for you, we email you a date, a neighbourhood and a format. The first invitation usually comes within a month.
You book
€15 online. We take it off your bill at the end of the meal.
You sit down
Nobody knows anybody, and for the first five minutes everyone is a little shy. Milena does the introductions on Thursdays, someone else from the club on Tuesdays. Then we leave you to it. At the end, everyone pays for what they had.
The formats
At first there was only the Thursday dinner. Lunch came next, for people who no longer go out at night. Then the masterclass, for anyone who has already shared a table with us.
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Dinner
The club's first format. A Thursday evening, a long bistro table and eight to ten people who don't know each other.
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Lunch
At the table at 12:30, back at your screen by 1:45.
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Masterclass
One Wednesday a month, twenty-five seats in a member's living room, and a question about selling: first clients, pricing, big accounts.
What it costs
You pay for what you eat and drink, at menu prices, like any other night out. In a good neighbourhood bistro:
The table rules
Same rules at lunch as at dinner.
- No pitch, no badge, no business cardsTwenty seconds to say what you do, then on to something else.
- You turn upLeave a chair empty and the whole table looks at it until pudding.
- You listen as much as you talkTen people, two and a half hours: roughly a quarter of an hour of talking each. The rest of the time, you listen.
- Everyone pays their own wayYou pay for what you ordered, not a cent more.
- No selling at the tableSay what you're looking for: that's what the table is for. The quote can wait for a coffee the following week.
- What's said at the table stays at the tablePeople talk about clients who pay late and the day rate they haven't dared to raise. None of it leaves the room.
Who's at the table
Graphic designers, lawyers, craftspeople, a founder who pays five salaries every month. We try not to seat two graphic designers side by side.
- designers
- consultants
- developers
- founders
- lawyers
- photographers
- coaches
- architects
Who runs the club
There are three of us. You won't see all three at the same dinner.
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Milena Strzelczyk
Co-founder, organiser
She puts the tables together and picks the restaurants. On Thursdays she's the one waiting at the door, list of first names in hand.
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Julien Da Silva
Co-founder, runs the masterclass
Twenty years of selling, at agencies and then on his own. Once a month he shows members how to set their price, and how to hold on to it.
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Maxime Lefèvre
CTO, the one who keeps the site running
He looks after the website. If a button doesn't work, he's the one to tell.
The next masterclass
One Wednesday a month at 7 pm, twenty-five seats, often in a member's living room. For those who have already shared a table with us. The topic arrives with the invitation.
- Masterclass · Paris 3e, chez un membreActive members
- Masterclass · Paris 11e, chez un membreActive members
Frequently asked questions
How does it work?
You apply, we invite you when a table suits you, you book your seat online (€15, taken off your bill) and you come.
How much does it cost?
€15 to book, taken off your bill at the restaurant. The rest depends on what you order, at menu prices: in the bistros we go to, a starter and main or a main and pudding comes to between €28 and €38. No subscription, no membership fee.
Who's at the table?
Independents and entrepreneurs based in Paris, many of whom work alone. When we put a table together, we take into account what each person is looking for: clients, a business partner, or people to talk to.
Why do I have to apply?
Because at a table of ten, leaving it to chance goes wrong too often. Your answers help us bring together people who have things to say to each other. We reply to every application within seven days, including when it’s a no.
What happens at a dinner?
You arrive at 7:30 pm and Milena greets you at the restaurant. Everyone introduces themselves in twenty seconds, then we sit down to eat. Allow two and a half hours, coffee included.
Can I turn down an invitation?
Yes, without giving a reason. An invitation is a date we’re offering you. If it doesn’t work, we’ll offer you another.
The journal
What we've learnt from putting tables together, and a few useful things for anyone working alone in Paris.
The rules of a good table: no pitch, no badge, no business card
No pitch, no badge, no business card: why these rules exist, what they change, how a table is put together around goals, and what we expect of guests.
Networking drinks or a seated dinner: which to choose first
Standing drinks or a seated dinner: an honest comparison for an independent starting out in Paris. Who each suits, what it costs, how many real conversations.
Introduce yourself at the table in 20 seconds, without a pitch
A method for introducing yourself at the table in 20 seconds: what you do, for whom, what you are looking for tonight. Examples, pitfalls and follow-ups.
Ten minutes of form-filling. We'll handle the seating plan.
We reply within 7 days. At worst, you'll have eaten well on a Thursday.
Apply