Forget late-night texts asking you to come over. Apparently, some people are swiping right for the dinner reservation.
It’s called a “foodie call,” and it’s exactly what it sounds like: accepting a date primarily because someone’s picking up the tab.
Romance is alive and well. Your free entrée? Even better.
According to a recent DatingAdvice survey of 1,016 U.S. adults, 30% said they’ve accepted a date primarily for free food or drinks.
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Cupid might be working overtime, but apparently, so is the dinner menu.
What Is a Foodie Call?
Think of it as the culinary cousin of a booty call — except instead of a late-night text, the main event is a dinner reservation.
A study published in Social Psychological and Personality Science defined a foodie call as accepting a date without romantic attraction simply to get a free meal.
And yes, there’s a difference between being open to a little dinner-date chemistry and treating someone like a walking gift card.
Alexandra Foglia, a doctor of marriage and family therapy, describes foodie calls as existing “on a continuum of intent,” ranging from genuine curiosity about another person to outright opportunism.
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In other words, being unsure about someone but willing to see where dinner goes isn’t quite the same as having absolutely zero interest and showing up for the steak.
Who’s Accepting Dates for the Free Food?
According to the DatingAdvice survey, women reported accepting foodie calls slightly more often than men, at 32% compared with 26%.
Gen Z and younger millennials reported the highest rate overall, with 32% saying they’d accepted a date primarily for free food or drinks.
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But don’t go blaming the kids just yet: Among respondents ages 65 and older, 26% said they’d done it, too.
In fact, at least one in four respondents in every generation reported accepting a date primarily for the meal or drinks.
So, while younger daters led the survey, the behavior isn’t exactly a Gen Z invention. Turns out, a free dinner has cross-generational appeal.
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Gallery Credit: Lauryn Snapp
