Munches I've been to in the US seem a lot less formal.

The intent is the same, to greet newcomers and make people in general feel welcome in a no-pressure environment.

We tend to meet in restaurants, there is very little overt lifestyling, clothing wise, furnishings (e.g., paddles or whips) or protocols. Even the conversations tend to be only mildly risque. Certainly no demos. Occassionally, we'll plan a demo or a speaker, and in those cases we will find a function room. We do that maybe twice a year on an irregular basis.

Some groups have open meetings with a regularly announced site, but some groups screen new members to make sure they're not merely "predator" types in search of the unaware. And that ensures they don't just keep showing up, which in turn makes most of the newcomers just that little bit more comfortable.

Bottom line... munches are a place to comfortably meet like-minded people without the pressures that jumping into a play party are likely to produce.

Just a slightly different perspective.