Frequently asked questions

You apply for a seat at a dinner for about six people in New York. The Secretary reads your answers and chooses who sits together. If there is a table that suits you, the seat is yours.

About five other people who applied, as you did. Nobody is the only man or the only woman at the table, and some tables are for women only.

Neither. Pitching is against the table rules, and the tables are not arranged for dating. People have met at dinner tables for as long as there have been dinner tables, though, and we take neither the credit nor the blame.

No. The $59 pays for your seat and for the Secretary choosing who sits with you. You pay for your own food and drinks at the restaurant. Members do not pay for the seat, because membership covers it, but they still pay for their dinner.

Your seat is held while the Secretary reads your application, usually within 48 hours. You get an email when your seat is confirmed. If we cannot seat you, you get the $59 back in full.

You find out the evening before the dinner, by text and on your table page. Arrive from 7pm.

Yes. Use "Cancel my seat" on your table page, or email contact@valemark.com. Cancel at least 24 hours before your dinner and you get a full refund, back on your card within five to ten business days. Later than that, you can still cancel, but there is no refund. To change your date, use "Cancel my seat" too and say yes when asked if you would like to book again. The Secretary offers you another date, and if you take it, your seat moves there with nothing more to pay.

Tell the Secretary about any dietary need, and it is taken into account when your restaurant is chosen. If you have an allergy, tell the restaurant too before you order.

There are three: phones stay face down, no pitching, and what is said at the table stays at the table.

The Secretary, by email or by replying to any of our messages. The reflection you write after the dinner also has a private section for this. The Secretary reads it, and nobody at your table ever sees it.

Yes, if you both want to. After the dinner you write a short reflection and say who you would like to see again. On the Sunday evening after, your Table Note shows anyone at your table who said the same about you.

Your seat at any regular dinner, as often as you like. The Secretary still reviews each booking, and you still pay for your own food and drinks. Membership also gives you members’ events and the Exchange, a noticeboard where members post homes, jobs and services.

$75 a month. Your price is locked in when you join.

Valemark’s dining room for members only. You apply for a seat and the Secretary reviews your application. Once you are approved, you see the price and what it covers, which at some Marble dinners is all your food and drink. Membership does not include Marble, and a Marble seat cannot be moved to another date.

In your account, under "Pause or cancel". Your membership runs until the end of the period you have paid for, and you keep your account and your Clubs.

Groups within Valemark built around something members have in common, such as a university or a neighborhood. They are free to join and free to start. Each Club decides who gets in: in some the leader decides, in some existing members sponsor you, and some ask for proof that you belong. You do not need a Club to book a dinner.

The person who reads your application, arranges the tables and answers your messages. Email contact@valemark.com, or reply to any message from us: it all reaches the Secretary.