Dinner At Lodge
Or maybe not?
Considering long standing and almost universally adopted practices, I’ve been thinking today about Lodge Dinners.
Every Lodge I’m aware of serves dinner with its Stated Meetings. Most before, a small number afterwards.
But of the Lodges I’m a member of, all but one is located within a block or two of a reasonably priced restaurant.
It makes me wonder, would these Lodges do well to drop the traditional Lodge dinner, and have dinner at a local restaurant instead?
Doing so would certainly negatively impact privacy.
But, doing so would also certainly get the Lodge out into the community.
Granted replacing Lodge dinners with a restaurant experience would upset a tradition of very long existence, and that seems to be quite universal, but Freemasonry has been shrinking for decades and decades now, so perhaps we do well to judge all of our traditions, no matter how long standing with a critical and careful eye.
The York Rite in my town has done exactly this, and has done so for a few years now, but their membership is very small, so I’m not sure if it can be accurately judged by that.
So, I’m hopeful that we can all think about, and discuss this today.
Should Lodges consider replacing their traditional dinners with restaurant dinners?
What would be the benefits of doing so?
What would be the drawbacks of doing so?
Let’s chat about it…
If the Brothers have the ability and desire to plan, shop, prep, cook, serve, and clean up a *good* meal, and make it enjoyable for most or all, then by all means have the meal in Lodge.
Otherwise, the pub or restaurant becomes more practical.
My lodge has been all over the board when it comes to dinners. When I joined around 2008, we had access to a commercial-style kitchen in our building. The Senior Warden prepared the meals, and the Stewards (and others) handled setup and cleanup. It was simple—paper plates, plasticware, and canned soda—it gbut ot the job done.
In 2015, we moved to a different building. At first, we stepped things up: meals were catered and served by the local Rainbow Girls and Job’s Daughters. We had tablecloths, real silverware, glassware, hot coffee and great desserts—the works. The young ladies served the meals, and the atmosphere felt more formal and significant.
Eventually, in a cost-saving move, we shifted back to the Senior Warden taking care of dinners—without access to a kitchen. That meant pizza, sandwiches, and other carry-out options, with the occasional homemade meal. And we returned to paper plates and canned soda.
While I fully understand the financial realities, I believe stepping away from meals prepared and served by the Rainbow Girls had a negative effect on the evening’s atmosphere. Their involvement brought a sense of class and purpose to the meals. It also fostered meaningful interaction with the youth of our Masonic family, gave them opportunities to earn service hours and funds, and encouraged fellowship among the brethren.
Most importantly, though, it helped create a compelling and welcoming experience for visitors and potential candidates—something I think we sometimes underestimate.