Dinnerdate.com, I approve.

You may currently have a profile on one of several dating sites in an attempt to bait a potential partner. Consequently, you have gone on several individual dates that have been misses and none have hit that proverbial ‘out of the park’ home run that could potentially translate into a decisive win in a game which innings never seem to end at times. You spend your money paying for dinners and drinks that although give you an opportunity to meet new people, one at a time, have failed to produce any lasting results.

In today’s fast paced environment it is hard to find venues outside of the usual club and bar scene to meet ordinary people looking for something other than a quick fix. Once out of college, the opportunity to meet that special someone diminishes greatly. Let’s face it; universities are equivalent to the giant grand bazaar in Instanbul where several sellers want you to by their product. It’s a mad dash for the best bang for your buck, no pun intended.

No one wants to look for someone at work either, lest the situation not work out (no pun intended) and leave you with negative consequences and stigmas that you may haunt you all the way to that potential promotion. Rumors are too easily started and it takes a major commitment from both parties to ensure things are kept confidential. Eventually, like Fukushima, some internal earthquake occurs that causes a spill and the entire office is exposed to the radiation of your failed relationship. This leads to personal tension in a professional environment that might even prevent you from being successful in your field.

Like many, I fall into one of the aforementioned scenarios. I’ve done the online deal and view it as a learning experience going forward. However, these occurrences turned me into a cynic that has become jaded with failures upon subsequent failures of expectations set too high and even those set too low, far from being extensive and trivial in their nature, were seldom met. It becomes mentally and financially daunting (especially in today’s rough economic environment) to continuously date people in order to find the golden nugget in this mad dash for the river of promises.

Recently, in a bizarre turn of events and in the most unexpected of scenarios I was approached by someone who presented to me an entirely new concept to the dating scene. Considering the above, I was quite skeptical at first, but being open minded I let this person tell me what ‘Dinnerdate.com’ was all about.

Here was an idea that mixed my first two introductory paragraphs together, minus the quick fix part. In short, it’s simple and effective; you take any happening spot around town that’s holding a Dinnerdate event, be it a bar or a trendy restaurant, and book yourself a seat there. This is all done and explained on their site at DinnerDate.com. Each event has a limited number of ‘daters’ that can participate. These daters, with whom you will be hanging out, are visible on the site as having booked a seat at the event as well, so you have an idea of the caliber of people that will be joining you. What really sold me on the idea is this; there are zero expectations or any pressure in going to exclusively meet any one in particular. You pay for your own dinner and that is it. If you meet someone at the dinner and want to follow up with them later, that is up to you. One thing is guaranteed, you will have something to do on the weekend that will be different and fun. You will network and meet new people, make friends or even set potential subsequent encounters! Romantic or professional!

In my event, I was delighted to be surrounded by intelligent, young and talented professionals from our local Orlando community. We were able to turn what could be a cold and formal situation into a relaxed atmosphere of great exchanges crisscrossing the table like a battlefield of words where the artillery had no particular target except fun. Not only was the environment a good one due to those partaking in the event, but the food was also very good due to the restaurant which was picked (Nick’s Italian Kitchen). The drinks (obtained separate from the booking fee) also played a major role as a constant variable in this playful equation. This combined for a fun night that led to post dinner shenanigans and new friends. There was absolutely no pressure and no one was left having to pick up the tab for any one else! This key factor really helped take the pressure off and set the scene for an informal night with zero expectations to something that surpassed any previous skepticism I may have had.

In closing, you should do yourself a favor and sign up at Dinnerdate.com and just try them out once if nothing else. Give yourself an opportunity to see things from a different perspective and then to try them out in person. Allow new situations to break you out of conventional dating norms and enjoy this new premise. If you don’t meet anyone at first, no problem, you’re only stuck paying for your own dinner anyway! Take it from me, as a seasoned dater who has been more than disappointed with products already being offered in the market, don’t be a fool, try this out!

Note: This post contains genuine comment from me and is sponsored by the Dinnerdate.com team as part of an informational campaign to get the word out for this great concept!

Serially (hehe) yours,

David