If you trust him, and have made yourself clear about where you stand about not wanting a relationship hopefully he will consider your invitation is purely out of friendship.
I personally don't see anything wrong with inviting a male friend over for dinner, and do not see why he should consider it as anything other than just that.
Now if you had on romantic music and candlelight he might get the wrong message.

New, thanks for the advice. You are a wise person, and I value your opinion!

if your true intention is to possibly have a regular friendship with him, i would not invite him to your home. it could easily give the wrong impression.

by the way, do you invite your girlfriends to dinner? if not, you might want to question your true motives.

I'm with new2free on this one. Something else that might take the question mark out of such a dinner would be to invite some other people or another couple to join you. Safety in numbers, you know?

Invite him in a group if you want to be friends. It is tricky - you tell people you want to be friends and some accept that as permanent while others are thinking, "Well...this is a start and maybe they'll change their mind so I'll look for signs like dinner alone, etc. to tell me we're headed in a romantic direction." It just depends on the person.

i have recently experienced a situation very similar.. Old classmate and I met for dinner.. public place, he had his grand daughter I had my son..I made my intentions very clear. I agree in the home is a bit different.. I would invite other people ( not only girls, he might feel like he is being checked out) or meet at a public place.. As for it being a start. We never know do we.. It would be nice if we had a crystal ball and could see the future, but then, we wouldnt be on this site if we did would we..Knowing what you are looking for at this time ( make sure you do know deep down) will enable you to see the red flags if he seems like he wants more (its been a long time for me too but we still know) Enjoy the dinner.. You dont mention where you met or was getting to know him as a friend.. could make a difference as to where he feels it will go. Enjoy dinner, baby steps, big hugs to you

Every situation is different. As long as you both understand this relationship is not going to turn romantic, I don't see a problem with inviting him to your home. After all, sometimes going out can get expensive.

I have a guy friend I met through online dating. We went out a few times and decided to just be friends. He has been to my house a few times to chat and share a glass of wine, but we both know the relationship is strictly friends only, so there is no funny business. I think as long as you both agree about being friends then it shouldn't be a problem inviting him over.