If you invite someone for a bit of dinner at 5pm, what time would you be cooking to sit and watch?

[Thesofathatwas]

Not a formal dinner party btw.
This has happened a few times.
Invited for tea, told to come for 5. Great! Thrilled!
Arrived at 4.50.
Didnt start cooking till 6.30. Ate at 7.45..
Could have eaten my own arm. Starving.

Happened again at a BBQ. Over 2.5 hours until food served.

Would this bother you or would you be meh?

Sit and EAT OBV! Fat fingers today?!!!!

I'd want to eat no later than 6. I'd be hangry after that.

If they said come for dinner at 5 I'd expect dinner soon afterwards.

I wouldn't expect to eat at 5, i would find it unusual to arrive and eat very quickly, usually when we have friends round or go to theirs it's a couple of hours chat first, then eat, then back into lounge afterwards, it's a whole evening from sat 5-9 or 10

For me, eating would be 5.30pm. Quick wine before

I visit family for meals a lot, usually I'm told to arrive around 1-2 hours before we eat so we have time to chat and catch up before a meal. Then usually an activity after such as a film or a board game. So if I arrived at 5 I'd expect to eat around 6-7ish.

I'd struggle to eat a meal at 5pm though as i just wouldn't be hungry yet. I usually eat my main meal around 8-9pm (I eat once a day). Sounds like they tend to eat later on and are sticking to their usual routine. Maybe have a snack before you go next time if you are a very early eater.

I would have thought around 6.30 to eat , maybe 7. I never eat or feed the kids before 6 though unless they have activities in the evening

I would probably expect to eat sixish for a five arrival. Unless forewarned I would be seriously hungry by 7.45.

I think I'd read it a bit differently to you. I would be careful not to arrive before 5.05. I'd expect to eat by 7ish I think but not with any strictness.

6:30 sit down yo eat

If I was invited for 5:00 I certainly wouldn't be turning up at 4:50!

would arrive between 5-5:15pm and would imagine we'd sit down for the meal between 5:30 and 7ish?

I’m never late though, huge pet peeve.

I kept thinking when are you going to even start cooking?

The best one was sitting through several episodes of the Simpsons, the husband even turned up the volume because he could t hear it as we were talking when invited for tea.

I’ve declined invites since.

I'd expect to eat by around 6. DH's parents were much more literal, and expected to be fed and to feed within 10 minutes of arrival, so I feel quite easy-going by comparison. If the hosts don't plan to get food on the table until much later than 6 I would definitely want to know in advance, as I'll have turned up hungry to do justice to their hospitality.

I’d expect to be eating by 6 latest. If this person has form, next time they invite you over, ask what time you’ll actually be eating.

I either invite people for the meal—so we are sitting down no later than half an hour after the invitation time (just long enough for coats off, drinks, other guests) or I have invited you over for a visit + meal in which case I would be offering tea /drinks and food throughout the visit while preparing the meal.

I declined the following invitation.

I don’t cook so when I’ve invited them to ours it’s for 6, takeaway ordered at 6.30 after a couple of drinks and I put snacks out to graze on.

I have a relative that we see frequently who does this. We eat before we go over because there’s no chance they’ve even started on the meal at the appointed time. When I host I typically plan to have everything prepped so I’m not running around the kitchen and to sit down and eat within 30m max.

Usually it’s phrased ‘come at 7 for 8’ then you know that you are welcome from 7pm and dinner will be at 8. I wouldn’t expect more than an hour between arrival time and dinner. I certainly would not turn up early! 5 seems incredibly early though unless there was going to be an event so dinner was early.
Only exception to showing up two hours before eating is close friends or family who want someone to chat to while they are prepping the dinner. Even formal dinners it’s usually drinks at X and dinner an hour later.

If I'm invited early I usually say "would 5.30 be okay because I need to do <whatever chore> first" - this is great for working out the actual plan because they usually come back with "oh yeah, fine, we probably won't eat until about 7 anyway" and then i can plan accordingly

I think I would find it a bit odd all round - 5pm isn’t dinner time unless you are a 3 year old.

But it’s rude to be early when you’re invited to someone’s house.

Who eats at 5? I’d hate to be fed then, but they should have said ‘come at 7 for 8’ like normal people.

I'd expect about 5.30pm. Go home about 8pm latest.

If I was hosting, I'd have everything ready for 5pm on arrival. Drink, chat, then dish up half an hour later.

I would expect to eat around 8pm. Who eats at 5pm apart from children (and mine don’t even eat that early!)? I’ve barely digested lunch by then!!

Yep. When dc are 4 and under you expect a grandmother to know that Sunday lunch needs to be at around lunchtime, yes? As in around 1ish and no later than 1.30. Honestly, the times we would arrive at MIL's at a quarter to one (the time she told us to arrive) to find that she hadn't even got the oven on, let alone put the leg of lamb or whatever in it. She'd be cutting mint out of the garden to make mint sauce or something. It just didn't occur to her that small children need their lunch at lunchtime, and that you can't expect them to be able to wait until half past 3.