When Emmett Weis moved from Oklahoma to Long Beach with his wife three months ago, he found himself feeling very alone. Searching for a way to meet new people, his wife stumbled upon the Long Beach Food Club on Instagram, and they decided to give it a try.
The Food Club describes itself as “like a book club but for restaurants.” In practice, that means every two weeks, founder Sherwin Souzankari chooses a different eatery for the club to explore. He picks the spot from his ever-growing list of restaurants he wants to try or has been suggested to him. Every meetup location must meet certain criteria: It needs to have enough space to accommodate a large group, it has to be in Long Beach, and it can’t be a chain.
“I want to support people that actually live here, have families here, and have been pillars of the community for some time,” Souzankari said.
He wants the restaurants to be involved in the process as well, and discusses the club meeting there with the owners before deciding.
The club “is made for the community, and it’s just for fun,” he said. But he realizes dining choices also affect restaurant owners’ livelihood: “They dump everything into their businesses, so just to be able to keep their dreams or ambitions going a little further, that’s my entire thing with the club.”
Once the restaurant is picked, Souzankari announces the new location on Instagram and invites his followers to join him on a Saturday afternoon to try the food and discuss it. Those who can’t make it to the meetup are encouraged to try the restaurant on their own.
The club has had nine meetings since starting in January, and Souzankari has seen the group grow steadily. Eighteen people showed up for the first meetup at Hey Brother Baker, though Souzankari said most of them were his friends. At more recent events — like their meetup at Royal Indian Curry House, where the club filled the entire restaurant — there were 50 people in attendance.
The businesses have been very grateful for the support, Souzankari said, and attendees like Weis and her husband have appreciated the chance to meet new friends over a shared experience.
At each meeting, Souzankari asks everyone to wear a name tag as a conversation starter. They write their name, of course, and a fun fact that others have to guess the origin of. For example, if someone’s favorite color is red, they would simply write red under their name and everyone else would have to figure out what “red” meant.
While many pick things that might be a little easier to guess, like their pet’s name or where they grew up, others choose something a little more complex. At the last meeting, Souzankari’s name tag said, “92 is half of 99.” He later revealed that it was a nod to RuneScape, one of his favorite video games from when he was younger. In the game, level 92 is considered the halfway point to level 99 in terms of experience points.
Souzankari hopes the club continues to grow.
“Come eat with us,” he invites on its Instagram page: @longbeachfoodclub. “No AI, Not Influencers. Real people connecting through food and supporting Long Beach businesses.”