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?

My friends and I usually have hour or two between arrival time and food with some light nibbles, drink and chat. So if arrival would be 5, dinner would be probably 6-6:30. Snacks later again for peckishness.

Bbq is different in mine. We just continously grill bits. Start shortly after people arrive and continue for few of hours. Often refire for late night snack😂

We do usually spend easily 5+ hours in each others houses on days like that. Start earlier, finish late.

I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who eats thwir evening meal before 7, and we usually eat at about 8.30 or 9. But if I invited someone for dinner, I would expect to eat at around 8. I’m not sure that I would want friends to arrive as early as 5!

Yes I would.

and my meals would be planned around that time. But if it wasn't ready then or relatively closely (an hour leeway, depending on what is eaten during the day - which if I was going fir fibber would likely only be something light) I would ask for a snack.

Ah I thought you were saying you habitually only eat one meal a day.
I have to eat 2000 calories a day to maintain my weight/energy levels because I’m pretty active, but also don’t like big meals so would struggle to eat that in 2 meals, and definitely not in 1. But obviously we’re all different! It’s just interesting to hear about other people’s habits 😁

I always say what time we’re eating and to come any time after x, usually an hour or so beforehand. So, if inviting someone for lunch I’d say we’re eating at 1 so do come any time after 11.30.

I often do have just one meal a day but not every day. It’s no larger than a regular meal for me though(unless I’m eating out then it might be a little larger than what I’d prepare at home but not by much.

Unless your group included multiple toddlers then dinner at 7-8pm is exactly what I’d expect regardless of the time you were told to arrive. If the invite was for 5pm I’d be thinking at least 2 hours before sitting down to eat and that extra time would be for drinks/chatting.

If I'm invited for dinner at 7pm, I would expect food to actually be served at 7pm.

*I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who eats thwir evening meal before 7,

I bet you have.
It's probably just not been discussed.

I’m not sure that I would want friends to arrive as early as 5!

So the odds are, you wouldn't invite them for 5 then.

If it was Christmas Day, eating at 5.30 is fine. Otherwise dinner at someone’s house is after 7, at the earliest. You arrive earlier for chats etc.

Ok if you want to be pedantic, I’ve never met anyone who has mentioned in conversations about food/meals that they eat so early. I’ve eaten out very regularly with different groups of friends, as well as family, over the years and have got to 68 without anyone ever suggesting that we book a table for earlier than 8, and most times we would book for 8.30 or 9.

Evening meal are often better eaten between 5 and 6 then after 7 or 8 and plenty of people do eat dinner at the more sensible time - although I understand that when people have long commutes that isn’t possible

invited for 5 I would expect to eat between 5 and 6

an especially if they used the term tea rather than dinner which always sounds later to me

Of and of you look at the restaurants round here - sometimes the last service is 730 , 6 is quite popular

regional I suspect

@itstheteaWhy is it necessarily better to eat at 6 rather than 8?

5pm is children's high tea time, very early for adults.

But, if you are invited for 5pm, then I'd expect to eat by about 5:30. waiting over 2 hours to eat is ridiculous!

Maybe you’re right about it being regional. I genuinely don’t know of any of the restaurants I go to regularly that open before 6.30 and most near me open at 7

If it was a bit of a party I’d assume 4 ish hours food served roughly in the middle if I was invited for tea I’d expect it within the hour

We are in Sussex 6 or 7 is a very usual time to meet for dinner. Often Kitchens close in pubs/ restaurants by 9/9:30. I think you must be in London.

Maybe about 6.30. But tbh I'd probably clarify in advance (if it wasn't already clear) as 5pm is an unusual time to invite people round for a meal unless you have very young children, or have some activity (walk? games?) planned before.

No, you can't compare. If you are asked to arrive at 7 then yes it would late not to be given any food until 9.30. But that's because it's normal for adults to eat together between 7 and 8, not between 5 and 6. If I said 7, I'd expected everyone to be there about about 7.30 (NOT before, that would be considered weird in my circles). We'd then chat over nibbles and sit down properly about 8.30.

Oh do fuck off! "I eat once between 8-9pm" like hell you do.

And if I was invited for "tea" at 5pm then I would only be expecting a cup of tea! (and biscuits, maybe cake if lucky).

Are you sure that isn't what happened? They were waiting for you to leave after your cuppa then finally started cooking their dinner when you showed no sign of going.

Yes I am, but lived in north Kent until my 20s and it was just the same there. But I’d never eat at home before 8, and I’m just about to orders a takeaway for 8.30.

I can’t think of anywhere in the UK where there are not loads (most in fact) of restaurants open far earlier than 7pm 🤣

Arrive at 5pm and eat by 6pm, 6.15-6.30 at the very latest. We’ve had someone for tea tonight, she came at 4.45pm, we’ve had dinner and the dishwasher is now on.