Food sneaking in the back door

A while back I read Ben Witherington's book Making a Meal of It: Rethinking the theology of the Lord's Supper. Here's one excerpt (from p. 131) that got me thinking:

Should we have the Lord's Supper in the context of a larger meal? Clearly this is how the earliest Christians did this, thus making it part of Christian hospitality in general. We have certainly lost a good deal of that welcoming feature of the meal. The Brethren do indeed celebrate the Lord's Supper in the context of the meal, but they do it in the fellowship hall, which means it tends to be separate from the main part of the worship. Perhaps the whole service could be held in the fellowship hall and the Lord's Supper be served in the context of a meal. This would take longer, but it would also add back the element of koinonia and fellowship and sharing all things in common that originally characterized the meal.

Mixing in food is basically how Alpha and some similar similar evangelistic approaches tackle things. Here's how the U.S. website for the program addresses the question of what goes on:

Each gathering begins with a meal or refreshments - a chance to get to know others. Then there is a short talk which looks at a different aspect of the Christian faith each week. This is followed by a time of discussion in small groups, where everyone is welcome to contribute their opinion and ask questions. People usually stay in the same small groups for the duration of the course so they can get to know each other, continue discussions and deepen friendships. The emphasis is upon exploration and discovery in a relaxed and informal environment.

Seems to me like food is sneaking into the church through the back door, and that doesn't seem to be a bad thing.