It's finally happened, you got a date with the cutie you've been dreaming about for months. You made dinner reservations at a nice restaurant, in hopes to woo your date. Now's your chance to not to blow it.
If you have a history of never securing a second date, you may want
to check out our tips after the jump to help ease you through your dinner. Follow these simple guidelines and romance
may come your way.
8. Sports Fanatic Fail
Instead of engaging in a steady conversation with your date, you interrupt the
flow by saying, "I have to keep my eye on the score." Then you proceed
to check the Miami Heat score on your smartphone every two minutes. Yeah, that's
not going to get you to date number two, buddy. Forget about scoring the heart
of the person sitting across from you.
7. Don't Get Sloppy Drunk
Having five martinis before the appetizer arrives to the table is a sure-fire
way to blow it. There is nothing sexy about a lush who slurs his speech while
slurping on soup and then having to take a bathroom break every 20 minutes. If
you can't stay sober throughout dinner, you may want to go on a date with AA
before trying again.
6. "You Remind Me"
Usher once sang about breaking up with a girl because she reminded him of a
girl he once knew. This made for a great song for Usher. But during dinner,
never, ever talk about your ex on a date in any way, shape, or form. Or worse,
saying "You remind me of my ex" will not warrant a following date
but a bitch slap to the face. Leave talks of your lame ex to your friends and
family, and most likely they are sick of hearing about it too.
5. Snap! Snap!
The server is not your servant, so don't treat him like one. Showing rudeness to
the wait staff while out and about says a lot about one's character. It's
called douchebaggery. On the other hand, treat your server with respect, but
don't go overboard with the niceties and come off like you are flirting. Avoid
saying things like "Baby" and "Hot stuff" toward the wait
staff. Then you are being rude to your date, and no one wants to compete for
your attention. Keep your eyes and sweet compliments reserved for your date. If
you can't do this, you are a douche.
4. Dress to impress
First impressions mean a lot, especially on a first date. If you show up to
dinner dressed like Kurt Cobain's biggest fan with dirty fingernails, scruffy
shoes, and wrinkled clothing with holes in it, topped off with a greasy bed-head
hairstyle, your overall appearance screams to your date, "I don't give a
damn, man." Leave the grunge where it belongs -- in the '90s. If the thought
of looking polished gives you the hives, consider moving to Portland, Oregon. But
outside of there, take the time to clean up and look nicely put together. This
is South Florida, after all.
3. Your date is not your roommate
Women have come a long way. But it is still silently expected that the man pays
the bill on a date. Call it unfair, sexist, old-fashioned, whatever.
1. Mister TMI
The basis of dating is a chance to get to know someone better. It's great that
you found someone to join you for a meal and you want to tell them everything
about yourself. But revealing too much too soon could scare off your date --
for good. Some topics to avoid: as mentioned, the ex, life stresses, and health
problems. No one wants to hear about your bipolar disorder, "Oh, crap, I
forgot my meds!" And nothing kills
romance faster than the sound of a whiny voice. The moment you complain about
work life, financial problems, the sloppy roommate, and how much your dog hates
you, don't be surprised that your date runs away from you. The same goes for
making sexual references too soon. Don't share any info about how you are "like
a machine" or have a penchant for foot-fetish videos. OK, weirdo. Keep the conversation light,
and stick to neutral, less personal topics for at least the first three dates.
Follow Clean Plate Charlie on Facebook and Twitter: @CleanPlateBPB.