Luncheon Society enjoys good food, conversation

Oakland Tribune, Jun 29, 2007 by Lisa VorderbrueggenSTAFF

On the surface, Bob McBarton is a businessman, husband, father and suburban Antioch homeowner.

But as a hobby, McBarton calls up famous people and asks them to lunch.

And they show up. Sometimes more than once.

McBarton and two friends founded the invitation-only Luncheon Society a decade ago and today, its members gather several times a month in groups of 20 or 25 in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Palo Alto and soon, New York.

Lunch guests come from wildly diverse backgrounds such as former Secretary of State George Shultz, country music legend Linda Ronstadt, movie critic Roger Ebert, former Apollo astronaut Rusty Schweickart and outed CIA operative Valerie Plame.

Unlike speeches sponsored by well-known groups such as the Commonwealth Club, the Luncheon Society gatherings are not publicized, recorded or reported.

The guest of honor receives no payment other than a free lunch. Members don't pay dues -- they just cover the cost of the meals they attend.

The invited speaker may offer introductory comments but McBarton says the luncheon is intentionally designed to be a freewheeling, give-and-take conversation among everyone at the table.

"My job is to make sure the conversation flows," McBarton said.

McBarton, speakers and attendees offer identical reasons for the society's appeal: It's an intimate setting where people share a good meal and conversation.

"Bob invites an interesting, cross-section of lively and interesting folks," said Michael Dukakis, a former Democratic presidential candidate and Massachusetts governor. "It's different than giving a speech somewhere because it's relatively small; you have an opportunity to meet and get to know all the people around the table and, generally speaking, they have all done impressive things in their lives. These are people you want to listen to."

Author and former presidential candidate Gary Hart called the lunches an opportunity to connect with literate individuals.

"You don't sell lots of books," Hart said, "but you call the books to people's attention and these people are almost always networked people who, if they like what you have had to say, will recommend the books to their friends."

The Luncheon Society evolved from a 1997 conversation between McBarton and two longtime friends, former Martinez Councilman Tim Farley and political consultant Tom Koch.

The friends and self-described political junkies were contemplating what it would be like to dine with people who have had a unique role in American history. They decided to find out.

Their first lunch guest was Peter Camejo, a former Green Party vice presidential running mate and California gubernatorial candidate. The four of them met at Henry's Bar Restaurant at the Durant Hotel in Berkeley and Koch picked up the check.

The trio enjoyed themselves so much they did it again, meeting at the Nob Hill apartment of former San Francisco Mayor George Christopher.

This time, they brought along the man who became the society's fourth member, Pat O'Brien, director of the East Bay Regional Park District.

O'Brien described as unparalleled the opportunity to sit across the table while Christopher talked about his relationship with Soviet leader Nikita Kruzchev or at a later lunch, listen to former Secretary of State George Schultz describe the famous Cold War meeting in Iceland between President Ronald Reagan and Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

"Maybe you would see these people give a speech somewhere, but the chance to sit down and have lunch with them is incredible," he said.

Word of the lunches spread and over the course of 10 years, the Luncheon Society's membership has grown to more than 700 people. Regular attendees include Cisco founder Bob Burnett, Mother Jones publisher Jay Harris and public relations guru Don Solem of Solem & Associates.

The three founding members remain close friends but it is McBarton who expanded the Luncheon Society's membership and pursues high-profile speakers.

"Bob took the Luncheon Society to a whole new level when he invited Dukakis to lunch for the first time," Farley said. "Now, Bob has an impressive list of past speakers and he has cache."

Still, it's not easy to persuade people to attend an unpaid lunch with a unknown organization. How does McBarton do it?

"He is high energy. He's smart. He's charming. And he doesn't take no for an answer," Koch said.

McBarton uses a variety of methods.

He works with publishers who help him connect with authors on book tours. He coordinates with events such as a recent meeting of the Association of Space Explorers, where he hosted a lunch with astronauts.

He relies on society members' help, too.

Martha Whetstone, nonprofit executive and longtime friend of former President Bill Clinton, for example, helped put together the Ronstadt lunch. McBartonarranged lunch with primatologist Jane Goodall, after mutual friends on her foundation board introduced them to each other.

Sometimes, McBarton is friends of people who are friends of people who know famous people. That's how he arranged lunch with former Abu Ghraib military prison commander Janis Karpinski.