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Dining club
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<h2 id="united-kingdom">United Kingdom</h2> <p>A dining club differs from a <a href="/facts/Gentlemen%2527s_club/YqvcLECg">gentlemen's club</a> in that it does not have permanent premises, often changing the location of its meetings and dinners. </p><p>Clubs may limit their membership to those who meet highly specific membership requirements. For example, the Coningsby Club requires members to have been a part of either <a href="/facts/Oxford_University_Conservative_Association/xIabJHvI">OUCA</a> or <a href="/facts/Cambridge_University_Conservative_Association/LGFeXBev">CUCA</a>, the Conservative Associations at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge respectively.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a> Others may require applicants to pass an <a href="/facts/Interview/an2tME3S">interview</a>, or simply pay a membership fee. </p><p>Early dining clubs include the <a href="/facts/Pitt_Club/Kpn4jrQ7">Pitt Club</a>, the <a href="/facts/Bullingdon_Club/q9CDcTTg">Bullingdon Club</a>, and <a href="/facts/The_16%2527_Club/qEBzpXmA">the 16' Club</a>. </p> <h2 id="united-states">United States</h2> <p>In the <a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5">United States</a>, similar <a href="/facts/Social_club/2HQmqWhq">social clubs</a> are called eating clubs. Eating clubs date to the late 19th and early 20th centuries and are intended to allow college students to enjoy meals and pleasant discourse. Some clubs are referred to as bicker clubs<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> because of the process of bickering over which applicants to accept as members.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> Replaced largely by the <a href="/facts/Fraternities_and_sororities_in_North_America/rmJgMCDN">modern fraternity and sorority system</a>, eating clubs are now limited to a few colleges and universities, most prominently at <a href="/facts/Eating_clubs_at_Princeton_University/E6dnmok5">Princeton University</a>, though other universities including <a href="/facts/Stanford_Eating_Clubs/DLQzbfem">Stanford University</a>, <a href="/facts/Davidson_College/FIMeRLFL">Davidson College</a>, the <a href="/facts/University_of_Mount_Olive/zw5w1vLL">University of Mount Olive</a>, and <a href="/facts/Reed_College/ASQU5Dlf">Reed College</a> have the presence of eating clubs. </p><p>Dining clubs often have reciprocity with other dining clubs across the nation or even worldwide. Some are able to arrange reciprocity with other private social clubs with more facilities besides dining such as overnight guest rooms and a gym. Examples of such social clubs include the <a href="/facts/Penn_Club_of_New_York_City/RkN7o0MC">Penn Club of New York City</a>, which has reciprocity with the India House Club at <a href="/facts/1_Hanover_Square/rkrI73CS">1 Hanover Square</a>. </p> <h2 id="list-of-dining-clubs">List of dining clubs</h2> <p><i>This list is incomplete.</i> <i>Date of founding in brackets.</i> </p> <table><tbody><tr><td><p>18th-century, or earlier, foundations</p><ul><li><a href="/facts/Hibernian_Catch_Club/fMLwwKVM">Hibernian Catch Club</a> (c. 1680)</li><li><a href="/facts/Kit-Cat_Club/Fa49mo8r">Kit-Cat Club</a> (before 1705)</li><li><a href="/facts/Beefsteak_Club/TauKMy7B">Beefsteak Club</a> (c. 1705)</li><li><a href="/facts/October_Club/xa15hsxf">October Club</a> (1711–1714)</li><li><a href="/facts/Society_of_Knights_of_the_Round_Table/3anPpyXG">Society of Knights of the Round Table</a> (1720)</li><li><a href="/facts/Society_of_Dilettanti/xCkXHaVJ">Society of Dilettanti</a> (1732)</li><li><a href="/facts/Divan_Club/u9RsnjCN">Divan Club</a> (1744–1746)</li><li>Friendly Brothers of St Patrick (before 1750)</li><li><a href="/facts/The_Kensington_Club/lH2TSPcz">The Kensington Club</a> (c. 1750-60)</li><li><a href="/facts/The_Club_(Literary_Club)/DhHu93AL">The Club</a> (1764)</li><li><a href="/facts/Lunar_Society/KKK87WJn">Lunar Society</a> (1775–1813)</li><li><a href="/facts/Bullingdon_Club/q9CDcTTg">Bullingdon Club</a> (1780)</li><li><a href="/facts/Beaver_Club/QD8qKPVb">Beaver Club</a> (1785–1830s)</li></ul></td><td><p>19th-century foundations</p><ul><li><a href="/facts/Nobody%2527s_Friends/u0rwC4Af">Nobody's Friends</a> (1800)</li><li>Canada Club (1810)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a></li><li>Trinity College Dublin Dining Club, London (c. 1810)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a></li><li><a href="/facts/Grillions/VEVvlqzz">Grillions</a> (1812)</li><li><a href="/facts/Soci%25C3%25A9t%25C3%25A9_des_douze/bNzbvlGR">Société des douze</a> (1823)</li><li>Geological Society Dining Club (1824)</li><li><a href="/facts/Raleigh_Club/xjEwY9Jf">Raleigh Club</a> (1827)</li><li><a href="/facts/Pitt_Club/Kpn4jrQ7">Pitt Club</a> (1835)</li><li><a href="/facts/X-club/6G0yvtdm">X-club</a> (1864–1893)</li><li><a href="/facts/Myrmidon_Club/uNeMLfNy">Myrmidon Club</a> (1865)</li><li>The Whitefriars Club (1868)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a></li><li><a href="/facts/The_16%2527_Club/qEBzpXmA">The 16' Club</a> (c. 1875)</li><li><a href="/facts/Ivy_Club/AeKA3NHv">Ivy Club</a> (1879)</li><li><a href="/facts/United_and_Cecil_Club/gdvKmCJ7">United and Cecil Club</a> (as the Constituency Union in 1881)</li><li><a href="/facts/Cottage_Club/9vkYI6oF">Cottage Club</a> (1886)</li><li><a href="/facts/Cap_and_Gown_Club/xBQwY2Yu">Cap and Gown Club</a> (1890)</li><li><a href="/facts/Tiger_Inn/DfmVW8XE">Tiger Inn</a> (1890)</li><li><a href="/facts/Colonial_Club/SwNLr8gK">Colonial Club</a> (1891)</li><li>Omar Khayyám Club (1892)</li><li>The Astley Society (1895)</li><li><a href="/facts/Castaways%2527_Club/qJjEhuY0">Castaways' Club</a> (1895)</li><li>Ye Cherubs (Queens', Cambridge) (1895)</li><li><a href="/facts/The_Chinese_Club/YyeTkjs7">The Chinese Club</a> (1897)</li><li><a href="/facts/Stock_Exchange_Luncheon_Club/sS52Ma3H">Stock Exchange Luncheon Club</a> (1898–2006)</li></ul></td><td><p>20th- and 21st-century foundations</p><ul><li><a href="/facts/Bates_College_traditions/e56qaFaJ">Nova Scotia Club</a> (1900)</li><li><a href="/facts/Princeton_Charter_Club/4tej9yba">Princeton Charter Club</a> (1901)</li><li><a href="/facts/Quadrangle_Club/vK66pJIs">Quadrangle Club</a> (1901)</li><li><a href="/facts/Coefficients_(dining_club)/wzde575I">Coefficients</a> (1902)</li><li><a href="/facts/Princeton_Tower_Club/fbJmlWHM">Princeton Tower Club</a> (1902)</li><li><a href="/facts/Terrace_Club/3nkDPWCm">Terrace Club</a> (1904)</li><li><a href="/facts/Square_Club_(writers)/H4l25jKe">Square Club</a> (1908)</li><li><a href="/facts/Chatham_Dining_Club/ce7gAeTW">Chatham Dining Club</a> (1910)</li><li><a href="/facts/The_Other_Club/DhHnA8Mz">The Other Club</a> (1911)</li><li><a href="/facts/Cercle_de_l%2527Union_interalli%25C3%25A9e/qPSfeBw4">Cercle de l'Union interalliée</a> (1917)</li><li><a href="/facts/Romney_Street_Group/3UDYMmLN">Romney Street Group</a> (1917)</li><li>Coningsby Club (1921)</li><li><a href="/facts/Ratio_Club/QKhI407Q">Ratio Club</a> (1949–1958)</li><li><a href="/facts/Piers_Gaveston_Society/z8hkgM9C">Piers Gaveston Society</a> (1977)</li><li>The Squares (1979)</li><li><a href="/facts/University_Tower_(Durham%2c_North_Carolina)/vkKCNu6t">The University Club</a> (1987)</li><li>Strafford Club (1995)</li></ul></td></tr></tbody></table> <h2 id="fictional">Fictional</h2> <ul><li><i>The Thursday Club</i>, a monthly dining club, features in the novel <i><a href="/facts/The_Three_Hostages/bKQVtupT">The Three Hostages</a></i> by <a href="/facts/John_Buchan/jKfRjwjL">John Buchan</a>.</li> <li><i>The Twelve True Fishermen</i> is the name of a fictional club in the eponymous short story by <a href="/facts/G._K._Chesterton/LedSfaLh">G. K. Chesterton</a> in which his detective <a href="/facts/Father_Brown/uy5QBXQP">Father Brown</a> solves the riddle of the disappearance of the club's silver.</li> <li>The annual dinner of <i>The Ten for <a href="/facts/Aristology/xTR00Ucf">Aristology</a></i> is the scene of a murder in the 1960 <a href="/facts/Nero_Wolfe/93cADs9o">Nero Wolfe</a> story <i><a href="/facts/Poison_%25C3%25A0_la_Carte/365IPdd8">Poison à la Carte</a></i>,</li></ul> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Eating_clubs_at_Princeton_University/E6dnmok5">Eating clubs at Princeton University</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Final_club/NMVr3Kzl">Final clubs</a> at <a href="/facts/Harvard/Lhy9L1cx">Harvard</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Gentlemen%2527s_club/YqvcLECg">Gentlemen's club</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Stanford_Eating_Clubs/DLQzbfem">Stanford Eating Clubs</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Supper_club/yw0E3urv">Supper club</a></li> <li>Syracuse Eating Club</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20050512115014/http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=12359">Discussion on "What are eating clubs"</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20050828210438/http://etc.princeton.edu/CampusWWW/Companion/eating_clubs.html">Article from The Princeton Companion on formation of Princeton's eating clubs</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20051025030312/http://etc.princeton.edu/Campus/chap11.html">Historical article on Princeton's eating clubs</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"About". Coningsby Club. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2024. <a href="https://coningsbyclub.org/about/" target="_blank">https://coningsbyclub.org/about/</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"Admitting the problem - The Daily Princetonian". Archived from the original on 2009-01-08. Retrieved 2019-03-15. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090108221706/http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2008/10/15/21778/" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20090108221706/http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2008/10/15/21778/</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>More Than a Meal Plan - New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/education/edlife/princeton.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/education/edlife/princeton.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"Canadian Clubs and Organisations in the UK". Government of Canada. 2015-01-06. <a href="http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/united_kingdom-royaume_uni/consular_services_consulaires/canadian_clubs_cannadiens.aspx?lang=eng" target="_blank">http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/united_kingdom-royaume_uni/consular_services_consulaires/canadian_clubs_cannadiens.aspx?lang=eng</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"Home". tcddiningclublondon.co.uk. <a href="http://www.tcddiningclublondon.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.tcddiningclublondon.co.uk/</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>http://www.whitefriarsclub.org, and ‘Thursday… The annual dinner of the Whitefriar's Club was held at Radley's, Mr. Tom Hood in the chair.' London City Press, Saturday 20 February 1869, p. 3. <a href="http://www.whitefriarsclub.org" target="_blank">http://www.whitefriarsclub.org</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>