Nudist Day interviewed John Ordover, the founder of CODinners, an organization specializing in nudist dinners in restaurants in New York City since 2004 that’s made headlines around the world.

According to Ordover, the idea for the club came after he and his wife attended a clothing optional dinner in Philadelphia: “I was in touch with several nudist groups in the NYC area and everyone thought it was a hoot”. From the start, the events were a hit, he tells us.
The press ran with the story, although they sometimes came out with erroneous headlines that proclaimed “New clothing optional restaurant opens in New York”, or something similar, when in reality dinners are held in different venues which have clothed patrons the rest of the time. The typical reaction of the restaurant managers when he first informs them that nudity is involved is “How many people will be coming?”, Ordover claims. “…This is, after all, NYC. We’re hardly the weirdest group they’ve seen!”, he adds.
The dinners are held in private rooms and attendees must be on the guest list, thereby discouraging voyeurs. Thirty to fifty people typically attend a single dinner, and about 125 people have participated since the first event, Ordover told us, thus implying that repeat customers are the norm.
New York City health bylaws only cover restaurant staff, who must be clothed, and private parties are exempt from most other regulations. While customers are expected to be nude, they’re not required to, but as Ordover puts it: “…Why bother to show up if you don’t want to be at least partially nude?”. Ordover recalls that at one dinner they invited a group of Marines from another private party to join them, which they did and then sang the Marine hymn “…While they tried to figure out where to look!”.
To keep things fresh, Ordover holds catered dinners in unusual locales, such as a museum, and at other times adds an activity such as bingo or yoga, or even a stand-up comedy show. If non-nudists were to ask “Why do you need to do every day things while nude?”, Ordover would reply with his own question: “Why do you need to wear clothing in a climate-controlled environment?”.
One of the mottos of CODinners is “No hot soup”, thus we felt compelled to ask Ordover if there’s anything else a nude diner needs to avoid: “Stepping outside for a smoke without dressing”, he replied. As New York can be rather cold at times, we surmise that this is wise advice!

Related Links:

• CODinners web site