Buff dinner club meal with twist

While many Aucklanders get dressed up to head out for dinner, a new event is asking attendees to dress down — in fact, take it all off — for their dining experience.

The Naked Dinner is taking place in Auckland’s Grey Lynn for the first time, the founders having moved from London early this year.

One half of the duo running the show, Lisa McMillan, markets it as a “supper club with a twist”, that explores the idea of platonic nudity.

“Something that I really like is that everyone quickly gets the realisation that everyone has the same bits, but looks completely different,” she said. “Everyone leaves with a bit more confidence.”

After a welcome drink, attendees would ditch the clothes for an apron — which McMillan said was like a “safety net”.

By the end of each event, McMillan said the attendees had often forgotten they were naked and were having a “whale of a time”.

McMillan, 30, launched The Naked Dinner in London near the end of last year with her Kiwi boyfriend Doug.

The Brit had been working as an account manager in London while running the events as a side gig.

The plan had always been to bring the business back to New Zealand, she said.

The first of the New Zealand events would take place next Friday, and McMillan said most spots had been filled. A second dinner would be held next month.

The couple were holding the events, which cost $70 to attend, at their new home in Grey Lynn, where the interior was designed to cater for a party of 10.

Their usual attendees were a mix of singles and couples who were usually in their late 20s or early 30s.