Dating Just Got Easier: Hinge and OpenTable Partner to Help Daters Choose the Perfect Date Spot

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cuffing season is upon us and to help couples and singles alike prepare, Hinge, the dating app designed to be deleted, part of Match Group Inc. (NASDAQ: MTCH), and OpenTable, the world's leading provider of online restaurant reservations and part of Booking Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), have partnered to help daters choose the perfect date spot.

A new survey commissioned by OpenTable* revealed that over two-thirds of American respondents feel stressed when trying to find a restaurant for a date, and Hinge users agree. 81 percent of Hinge daters wish it were less stressful to find a restaurant for a date night.

To take the angst out of planning, Hinge and OpenTable are launching the ultimate Date Night guide. Daters will find fun and useful tools to help plan the perfect date, including lists of the best restaurants for a date and top cafes, plus, the Date Night Matchmaker feature. The recently updated feature, available via desktop and mobile, allows users to simply answer a few questions about their date and dining preferences, and, in turn, receive personalized, bookable date spot recommendations.

"As we head into 'cuffing season,' daters are looking to couple up for the winter months and enjoy romantic settings with food, drinks and good company," said Anna Besse, Director of Marketing at OpenTable. "Our Date Night Matchmaker feature was designed to make it easier to find that perfect date night spot."

"We recently uncovered that most Hinge members spend over an hour trying to find the perfect date spot and are hungry for recommendations," says Nathan Roth, CMO at Hinge. "Our goal at Hinge is to help our members get off the app and out on a great date. With Date Night Matchmaker, we hope to help even more members plan a date they'll never forget."

Additional key trends revealed by the OpenTable survey include:

Everyone's stressed about where to eat
Daters are traditional, with 66 percent of respondents saying they would prefer a meal on a first date over drinks. But it's not easy to please everyone, with half of respondents admitting they've had an argument with a date over choosing a restaurant. You may want to keep in mind that 'drinks' are no longer synonymous with alcohol - over half of Americans surveyed prefer coffee or tea for a drinks date.

Choosing the perfect restaurant
If you're looking to make a great first impression, make sure to focus on the food. Americans rank food and drink quality as most important when selecting a date location followed by affordability as a distant second. If you're not sure what type of food your date likes, go for Italian - the preferred date night cuisine. When booking your reservation, opt for a booth or a seat outside. These are the top two preferred seats for a date among respondents.

Be on your best (dining) behavior
Heading to a dinner date? You may want to take a look at the restaurant's presence on social media to get a feel for the ambience as more than half of respondents (63 percent) think it's important for a date's clothes to align with the restaurant's dress code. Finally, make sure to keep your hands off your date's plate - more than one-fourth of singles who are dating say sharing french fries is off the table.

Check out the Date Night Matchmaker feature at www.opentable.com/date-night. Additionally, OpenTable has released their 50 Best Restaurants for a Date list as part of its dedication to helping diners plan the perfect evening with their significant other.

*Methodology:
This survey was conducted using the online survey platform Pollfish, and compiled by DKC Analytics. The sample of 1,000 21 to 34 year-olds in the United States was surveyed on September, 9th 2019.

The Hinge survey was conducted on a sample of 300 active Hinge members.

About OpenTable
OpenTable, part of Booking Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG),is the world's leading provider of online restaurant reservations, with more than 52,000 restaurants globally using its software to seat over 128 million diners monthly. OpenTable helps diners discover and book the perfect table and helps restaurants deliver personalized hospitality to grow their business.

About Hinge
Hinge is the dating app for people who want to get off dating apps. In today's digital world, singles are so busy matching that they're not actually connecting, in person, where it counts. Hinge is on a mission to change that. So we built an app that's designed to be deleted. On Hinge, there are no rules, timers, or games. Instead, you'll meet your most compatible matches and you'll have unique conversations over what you've shared on your detailed profile. It's a natural way to find a great first date. Currently, we're setting up a date every 4 seconds, 3 out of 4 times users want to go on a second date, and last year we became the fastest growing dating app in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.

SOURCE OpenTable, Inc.