Frequently asked

No. It starts with friendship: a table of five who keep showing up. Come for a crew, a standing plan for the week, or the chance for acquaintances to become yours. You do not swipe strangers for a seat. We match you once and bring the same five back every week.

Five compatible people near you may meet at a public spot we suggest on a shared night. We point you to the place, usually somewhere down a laneway, and send the reminder. No venue arrangement is made by Hey Sini; the table decides and turns up independently.

Free to join. The weekly table runs on dues, $19/mo locked for life as a founding member (then $22), and that is the whole cost from us. Dinner is always your own bill, and we take nothing from venues. Less than a flat white a week.

Tell us and we'll re-seat you. The matching engine balances age, interests and availability, and it learns from every cycle.

We're opening neighbourhood by neighbourhood in Melbourne, starting with Carlton. Each area starts only once enough people have signed up to fill a table.

Tables are small and meet in public, you can report or block anyone, and an optional safety check-in nudges your emergency contact if you go quiet for two days. These tools reduce risk, but they cannot make meeting strangers risk-free. We suggest the spot and give you the tools; we do not host or supervise the table.

Yes, and most people do. You are seated with four others, so you never have to bring anyone or walk in with a friend already. Arriving solo is the normal way in.

No. Hey Sini is for anyone building a friend group from scratch, which is most people new to a city or a suburb. Students just feel it most sharply, so we speak to them first.

Adults, 18 and over. We seat by life stage, vibe and the night you can keep rather than a strict age band, and we keep each table roughly in range so it feels easy.

We balance each table on gender so no one is the only one of theirs at the candle. That is the one and only thing we balance about who you are.

Never. We seat on your declared vibe, your neighbourhood and the one night you can keep, and we balance on gender only. We do not sort a table by ethnicity, nationality, religion or where you are from. Strangers meeting across all of that is the entire point.

No. We suggest a public spot via Google Maps and send the reminder; the table confirms it together. We never act for the venue or take any venue money. You pay your own bill, there, like everyone else.

Yes, always your own bill. Dues only hold your seat; we take nothing from venues, so dinner is between you and the place.

Yes. Tell us and we will reseat you on a night you can actually keep. The whole model only works on a night that defends itself in your calendar, so it is worth getting right.

Most tables just keep going. The six weeks is the first cycle that proves the rhythm; after that your dues hold your seat for as long as you want it, and you can cancel anytime.

Photo checked means the current profile photo passed a quick live-selfie liveness check. It is required before recurring table matching and helps reduce impersonation. It is not a legal identity, age, background, criminal-history, character, suitability or offline-conduct check.

No, and we will not pretend to. We do not run criminal background checks or formal identity checks. What we do: keep tables small and in public, let you report or block anyone instantly, suspend members on serious or repeated reports, require a live-photo check before recurring table matching, and offer a safety check-in. Meet in public and trust your instincts, the same as any first hangout.