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New Lunch Group Hopes to Unite DUMBO's Creative Community

By Janet Upadhye | June 13, 2013 8:10am
 Web designer starts weekly lunch meetup in DUMBO.
Web designer starts weekly lunch meetup in DUMBO.
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Facebook/DUMBOLunchmeet

DUMBO — This web designer is trying to mix up the tables in the cafeteria.

Adriana Torres wanted to get to know her comrades working in the creative companies that line the cobblestone streets of Brooklyn's newest tech neighborhood but a limited number of brick and mortar eateries, coupled with the fact that most coworkers stick together for lunch, made it hard.

"At a big company you have plenty of people to interact with but if you work at a very small studio your opportunities to connect are more limited." said the Quint & Quint employee. "The office buildings in DUMBO are filled with so many interesting companies but everyone is fairly isolated from one another during the day."

Despite an abundance of after-work networking events in the nabe, Torres wanted to organize a daytime group where people could relax, socialize and "talk about your dog or your weekend or some crazy thing that happened on the subway."

DUMBO Lunchmeet was born of her love for bad puns and a need to connect.

"DUMBO is unique: since we are somewhat tucked away from everything else, there is a built-in camaraderie that you wouldn't get if you worked in Midtown, for example," she said. "Everyone is doing such cool, innovative things and the best way to continue that is to make new connections."

The brand new lunch group has met twice and although turnout has been low, Torres has hope. 

"Every person that I've talked to about this has been excited and supportive," she said. "I know that there is potential there."

Lunchmeet takes place every Thursday at 1:00 p.m. on the lawn next to the Main Street playground in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Everyone is welcome.

And Torres can't promise free cookies every week, but she'll do her best.