When people offer up different date ideas, the focus tends to be on finding an offbeat outing. But what about making it more of a numbers game? Instead of a one-on-one rendezvous, double the fun with a two-on-two meetup — or, in the case of our latest date, a three-on-three excursion.
Meet Market teamed up with Grouper, a popular online social club that pairs groups of friends to meet for a night out. That’s how Caroline, 23, and Josh, 24, met. Their instructions were straightforward: Meet up for drinks at the Andaz Hotel in Midtown — and bring backup.
Caroline brought along her BFF from high school, Liz, 23, and a friend from work, Dominique, 25. Joshua brought along his pal Mathew, 25, and his roommate Adam, 27.
The evening, according to Caroline, went better than expected. “We were all pretty surprised,” she says. “The guys were a really fun group.”
Josh gave his friends a pep talk during the pregame. “There was a ‘be yourself’ chat before we went inside,” he said. “We all had the same thought: Keep an open mind, and be ready for a fun evening.”
Just how fun did things get? We talked to all six participants to see how well everyone got along and if the Grouper game plan was a winning strategy.
MEET-O-METER
♥♥♥♥ See ya, single status
♥♥♥ Definitely maybe, baby!
♥♥ Friends, but no benefits
♥ I’d rather kiss my super
♡ I know why you’re single
Dominique, 25
On Mathew: ♥♥♥♥ (match)
I thought he was extremely smart and interesting to chat with. He had some really awesome stories to share with the group.
On Josh: ♥♥♥
That guy was really energetic, fun and personable. Hands down, he was the life of the party!
On Adam: ♥♥
He was a really funny, sincere guy. He had a few ice-breakers that made my night!
Mathew, 25
On Dominique: ♥♥♥♥ (match)
We got along great. I thought she was cute and very much my type. I would absolutely like to see her again in the future.
On Caroline: ♥♥
I really didn’t have much of a chance to talk with her due to our seating arrangement, but when I did, she seemed upbeat and fun.
On Liz: ♥♥♥
I thought she was cute, too — she kept the conversation going and we got along well.
Caroline, 23
On Mathew: ♥♥1/2
He was more reserved at first but had a sense of confidence that was really engaging.
On Adam: ♥♥
Adam was killing it with the one-liners. Hands down, he was the most quotable person of the night.
On Josh: ♥♥♥ (match)
Josh had a great sense of humor. Right off the bat, he was easy to talk to and joke with. Numbers were exchanged and plans to hang out again were made.
Josh, 24
On Dominique: ♥♥
We didn’t speak too much throughout the night, but I can tell she was smart and very pretty.
On Liz: ♥♥♥
She was fun to talk to and had a great laugh — Liz was a major reason we all had so much fun that night.
On Caroline: ♥♥♥♥ (match)
As the two organizers of the night, we connected the best. We swapped glasses and even took a picture behind the bar holding bottles after sweet-talking the wait staff and bartenders.
Liz, 23 (no match)
On Josh: ♥♥♥
I could tell he was the most outgoing of the group. He made us feel like we were already friends rather than strangers.
On Mathew: ♥♥♥
We spoke a lot about travel and how we ended up in NYC. He was very interesting and engaging.
On Adam: ♥♥
Alhough he was shy at first, as the night went on and we all became more comfortable with each other, he came out of his shell and provoked a good amount of laughter.
Adam, 27 (no match)
On Dominique: ♥♥
Talking to her, I could see she was accomplished and had many outside interests.
On Caroline: ♥♥
She had a lot of positive energy, and I could tell she liked to have fun.
On Liz: ♥♥♥
I didn’t hit it off with one person, per se, but I suppose I spoke most with Liz — I enjoyed her great smile and laugh.