OneTable officially turned one last month and we did not take the milestone lightly.

In New York, we celebrated with cupcakes, cocktails and some of our most supportive hosts and guests. In Boston, we poured drinks over a mixology class and cheered to new beginnings in Beantown. We honored hosts throughout the country that planned memorable Shabbat dinners over the course of our first year, too.

As we look back at our first year, we’re still absolutely blown away by how many of YOU came together for unique, meaningful Friday night dinners. The infographic to the right highlights some of the stats we’re most proud of.

While we promise to only step it up in year two, we can’t help but be a bit nostalgic of the journey that led us here. Please enjoy these three fun facts from OneTable’s history!

1. ‘OneTable’ Wasn’t Always Called ‘OneTable’

Did you know that our name used to be the ‘Shabbat Project?’

Thanks to our incredible branding agency, we considered every name imaginable before landing on our beloved ‘OneTable.’ Some other contenders were OurTable, BigTable and Full Plate. BBMG even helped design our stylish logo, which is inspired by the woven braids of challah.

2. Getting OneTable.org Wasn’t Easy

Once we decided on a name, we wanted to make sure we could establish a digital footprint.

We noticed that onetable.org was taken and owned by a church in Aiken, North Carolina, and was used to highlight a free, annual community Thanksgiving dinner.

After 3 or 4 phone calls with the dinner organizer, Eddie George, we learned about their meaningful community dinner, and came to an agreement. OUR OneTable donated to their organization so that we could help One Table Aiken do their dinners for the next two years. In exchange, we got the onetable.org URL. Pretty crazy, right?!

3. OneTable Didn’t Always Have a Social Dining Platform

For the first year and a half after OneTable was created, our hosts created their dinners on an awesome social dining platform called Feastly. The platform allowed dinner hosts to customize and plan their meals, while also keeping track of their RSVPs.

Their Founder, Noah Karish, was generous enough to let us use Feastly while we developed our own platform, and gathered useful feedback from our hosts and guests. It was an incredible learning experience from us, and OneTable would not be where it is today without the help of the Feastly team.

We’re fortunate to now have our own, unique social dining platform for Friday night dinners. Creating our own platform has helped us grow around the country and has given the gift of Shabbat to over 17,000 young adults.

Interested in hosting your own dinner and becoming a part of our OneTable story? Sign up now at onetable.org/host.

Want to join our community of over 11,000 individuals across the country? Sign up to become a host here or find a dinner near you.