The NYC dinner/drinks evenings are certainly not couples only. We don't tickle, either: we just eat, drink, and converse. The conversation floats from old-time television to tickling to past personals dating experiences to tickling to academia to tickling to sports to tickling...but we don't tickle each other, which the restaurant staff much appreciates.
One thing I do care about: the atmosphere needs to be a comfortable one for persons of all backgrounds, sexual preferences, and approaches to tickling, and people should be able to share things freely--not that the conversation has to be deeply personal, of course. Not that I'm any authority figure once we arrive, but I do ask that all who come be respectful of diversity of every kind--just a personal request on my part, and it's always worked out perfectly every time so far.