Category: DinnerDate

Dating Sites For All Ages. AARP Launches Dating Service

Posted on December 3, 2012

Senior dateUSA TODAY – Dec 3 – The latest trend in online dating? Going offline as fast as you can. AARP is launching an idating service in partnership with HowAboutWe. 25% of AARP's 37M members are single and over half of the singles are under 70. Online dating industry consultant Mark Brooks says the AARP move into dating seems smart. "Seniors is a very good niche. Most dating sites skew toward guys, with more guys than women. But senior dating sites have more women. Being a 75 ­year­ old single man is the equivalent of being a 21­year­ old hottie."

Older sites such as Match.com and newer ones such as DinnerDate, CupidRadar and Grouper, all are focusing on the importance of a personal connection offline. "I cringe a little when people describe it as online dating," said Michael Waxman, co-founder and CEO of Grouper. The typical experience for a Grouper member is to spend ~5 minutes on our website and ~2 hours at a bar with your friends." By the end of this year, Match.com say the site will have hosted ~ 2K events with 150K singles. PlentyofFish, a free online site, also hosts face­to­face events.

by Sharon Jayson
See full article at USA Today

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How DinnerDate.com Takes Online Dating Offline

Posted on November 29, 2012

Dinnerdate andrew connellSOCALTECH – Nov 28 - Andrew Connell is the CEO of DinnerDate.com, a startup which is using the Internet to arrange group dates at local restaurants, to connect people in person and offline.

Q: What's DinnerDate.com?
A: A small group dating. Typically, we put together a table of 10 single people. When people register on DinnerDate.com, they create a short profile and choose to go to a dinner that is advertised.

Q: Where'd the idea for DinnerDate.com come from?
A: We've been around for over a year now. The idea really came from looking at the dating industry online. It was taking people an incredible amount of time to get offline.

Q: What's your background?
A: I was previously at Nokia, and ran Nokia's e-commerce business globally in fourteen markets.

Q: You've been in beta in San Diego, how you're planning on scaling that out to other markets?
A: We've identified ten cities in the U.S. where we'd like to roll out to in 2013. Also we've been approached by companies who would like to white label what DinnerDate.com provides.

Q: What have been the biggest challenges you've found so far in launching?
A: Getting the right type of restaurants, menu, and event structure and secondly figuring out how people are flowing through the site, optimizing conversions in the right places, and really engaging them on that journey.

by Benjamin F. Kuo
The full article was originally published at SocalTech, but is no longer available.

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DinnerDate: Group Dates For Single Foodies

Posted on November 15, 2012

Dinnerdate logoMASHABLE – Nov 14 – DinnerDate is for singles who love trying new foods, interesting conversation and meeting new people. The startup is bringing online daters together in a group setting. DinnerDate reserves tables at the hottest new restaurants. The network’s eligible bachelors and bachelorettes are free to opt into any pre-arranged events listed on the website. At least six people are guaranteed to be at each group date. Most dinner groups range from 8 to 10 eaters, with a maximum of 12. So far 120 dinner group dates have been organized. DinnerDate is only available in San Diego and Orlando. The plan is to expand to San Francisco, Atlanta, Austin, Columbus and New York.

by Joann Pan
See full article at Mashable