The Longest Table

What The Longest Table does

The Longest Table is a nonprofit community-building initiative founded in 2022 by Maryam Banikarim and Andrew Lerner and operated as a program of NYCNext, a 501(c)(3) parent organization headquartered in New York City. The organization hosts free, open-to-all neighborhood potluck events in public spaces—blocked-off streets, parks, libraries, schoolyards, and university campuses—across more than 30 U.S. cities and in Paris, France. Its stated mission is to address the loneliness epidemic and rebuild local social connections through shared meals with no speeches, no agenda, and no cost to attend.

The core 'product' is the community event itself, supplemented by a Host Toolkit that provides branding assets, templates, and coordination guidelines so that local volunteer hosts can stage their own Longest Tables. Execution is decentralized: Table Captains (volunteer mini-hosts) recruit groups of 8-10 attendees, registration is handled through Eventbrite, and a small central core team of fewer than 10 employees coordinates support and press outreach. There is no proprietary software, mobile app, or technology platform.

The revenue model is entirely donation-based. All events are free to attend and operational costs are funded through voluntary tax-deductible contributions from individuals and organizations, with suggested donation tiers of $10, $50, $100, $150, or custom amounts. Growth is driven by earned media coverage from outlets such as ABC's GMA, NBC News, the New York Times, USA Today, and local publications, by word-of-mouth among participants, and by the September 2025 partnership with the Nextdoor Foundation to support nationwide expansion. The organization has not disclosed financial figures, external funding rounds, or institutional investors.

Name

The Longest Table

Legal name

NYCNext

Website

https://longesttablecommunity.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Longest Table is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit initiative that organizes free neighborhood potluck events across 30+ U.S. cities and Paris to combat social isolation, funded entirely by voluntary donations and executed through a volunteer host network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Event Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAHAAAI

Multi-Purpose Event Halls & Community Centers

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Conference & Convention Venues (Convention Centers, Civic Centers)

SECONDARYHSACAAAD

Venue Sourcing & Site Coordination

Home & Personal Services/Event & Personal Concierge Services/Event Planning & Coordination

SECONDARYHSACALAG

Nightlife & Club Guest List / Table Reservations

Home & Personal Services/Event & Personal Concierge Services/Ticketing & Reservations Services

Keywords

• Community potluck events
• Neighborhood meal gatherings
• Loneliness intervention programs
• Community building events
• Host toolkit resources

Headquarters

HQ city

New York City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations supporting the community-building mission. Donations cover hard costs associated with organizing events including tables, chairs, tablecloths, and operational expenses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Longest Table is a free community potluck event that brings neighbors together for a shared meal and conversation at long tables set up in public spaces such as parks, blocked-off streets, libraries, and schoolyards. Local hosts organize events in their own neighborhoods using a toolkit provided by the organization, which includes logo assets, templates, and coordination support. Events are agenda-free, open to all, and designed to combat social isolation and foster neighbor connections across 30+ U.S. cities.

Product overview

The Longest Table is a community-building initiative organized by NYCNext (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit) that operates as a single unified offering: a free neighborhood potluck event designed to combat loneliness and build community connections. The organization provides a host toolkit with branding resources and templates to enable local organizers to stage their own events. Events are held in public spaces across 30+ cities nationwide and are free to attend, relying on volunteer Table Captains and community participation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Longest Table Community Event

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Nextdoor FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 September 2025Nextdoor Foundation partnered with The Longest Table to support nationwide expansion of neighborhood potluck events, helping bring the community-building initiative to more cities across the US.
• NYCNextcoreOthersThe Longest Table is an initiative of NYCNext, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. NYCNext serves as the parent organization providing operational support and organizational infrastructure.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Big Lunch: UK initiative originally launched by the Eden Project that encourages neighbors to share a meal together on a single day each year. Closest analog in terms of a nationwide potluck-for-community mission and scale ambition.
• The Welcome Dinner Project: An Australian nonprofit that hosts potluck dinners to connect newcomers with established residents. Directly comparable community-meal model focused on building neighborhood belonging through shared food.

Broad incumbents

• Nextdoor: Hyperlocal neighborhood social network. Already partners with The Longest Table and could host its own potluck feature at scale; represents both a distribution ally and a potential competitor.
• Meetup: Platform for organizing local community gatherings. Comparable in facilitating community-led event creation, though it spans many topics rather than focusing on shared meals.
• Slow Food USA: Nonprofit advocating for local food cultures and communal eating. Shares the food-as-community-connection thesis and could partner or compete for the same donor mindshare.

Others

• Eventbrite: Self-service event registration platform used by The Longest Table for sign-ups. Functions as enabling infrastructure rather than a direct competitor.
• Edible Schoolyard Project: Nonprofit that integrates food and community education. Tangentially comparable as a food-and-community nonprofit that could host Longest Table-style activations in schools.

Regional players

• City Harvest: NYC-based food rescue nonprofit. Comparable in mobilizing community around food, though focused on hunger relief rather than social connection.

Emerging players

• The Dinner Party: Nonprofit that hosts community dinners for people grieving losses. Directly comparable in using shared meals to build community around a social mission, though narrower in target audience.
• EatWith: Marketplace for communal dining experiences in hosts' homes. Comparable in centering shared meals as the core mechanism, though monetized rather than donation-funded.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/longesttablecommunity
• Facebookfacebook.com/LongestTableCommunity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-longest-table-community

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Longest Table