A speed dating night took an unexpected turn at a Wellington on a Plate event when almost zero men bought tickets. Organisers pivoted to celebrate platonic love instead, with women embracing the change!
When Amuse Snack Bar owner Dori Raphael planned their speed dating event, they didn’t expect a certain twist of fate: The men were nowhere to be found.
As part of the annual Wellington on a Plate, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest Food Festival, Dori says the speed dating event was inspired by this year’s theme Food is Love.
“Previously being single for five years, [I was] on Hinge that whole time, on and off, being pretty upset about [the only dating experience] often. And I would have frothed at an event like this,” says Dori.
The moment the tickets were up for sale, women instantly snatched them all up… But for men? *crickets*. It doesn’t surprise us, sure – all of us gals who are in the dating scene know that there seems to be an unassailable man drought that shows NO sign of abating. (Right!?)
The speed dating event is tonight and is split into two slots: one for Millennials and another for Gen X. Four millennial guys booked last-minute tickets last week, and only one male for Gen X.
Look, online dating trends have been pointing to one thing – dating app fatigue.
A recent Forbes Health survey found that 78% of all users experience dating app burnout – specifically, Millennials at 80% and Gen X at 78%.
So one could easily assume good old-fashion in person meet cutes would be a hit for those genuinely looking for a connection.
Clearly it was for the women, but where are the men?
“I was running Instagram giveaways and allocated four complimentary tickets to my friends to try and help encourage males to [come], I can’t even give them away,” says Dori.
Dori went as far as putting up posters and going to gyms to promote it, and she says the men were really interested and loved the idea, but just couldn’t seem to commit.
“Maybe it’s the price? I try to make it as affordable as possible. [For $75], it includes a lot of food, two glasses of wine, a take-home Maritozzi, a little pastry gift.”
But maybe, she says, it’s also that people can’t manage to commit to a social event at the last minute.
“We have a lot of chats in store with our customers that really love the idea, and were like, “Yes, we would love to come. Are you doing it again?’ So there’s just no commitment to doing it now, it’s like, in future.”
Ha, feel like we’ve all met dudes like that in our life.
But instead of pulling the plug, the team decided to pivot from romantic love to platonic love.
Some women were disappointed and had asked for a refund, which Dori says she totally understands.
But most of the ticket holders, she says, are still excited for the speed “snacking” experience Amuse Snack Bar has in store for them.
“It [also] takes the pressure off those people that are coming in, [already] in their heads, really worried about dating and the impressions they leave.”
One of them is her mum Sarah. Dori’s so close to her that she sees her like a sister.
“In a way, I had this event planned also to get my mum a date. She was looking forward to coming along and doing it, and she booked a speed friend date ticket to take the pressure off herself.
“My mum is the most social butterfly I know, and so I just know she would really shine.”
The pivot to platonic connections could also be tapping into a different trend: the struggle in making adult friendships.
According to a recent Snapchat study in Australia, nearly half of Australians said they didn’t have a best friend.
Whether that’s a similar reflection for us in New Zealand, we don’t know for sure. But it doesn’t take a genius to figure out making deep and meaningful friendships as an adult is so difficult.
We know having that sisterhood bond, as we like to call it at Capsule, is actually great for the heart.
And I mean that literally. Strong evidence shows that having close female friendships can cut cardiovascular disease risk by almost 30%.
So maybe this plot twist may be exactly what women needed.
Banner Photo Credit: Beeline Creative
