Where Not To Go On A First Date, Or What Is This Nonsense List?

Have you seen the list of "unacceptable" places to take a woman on a first date that's making the rounds on social media? It's utterly ridiculous and leaves any man who treats this list as gospel with no place to take the woman of his dreams on a first date. Thank goodness I'm old enough to disregard this nonsense, and if you're single, you'll take it with a grain of salt too.

No one seems to know where the list originated, although a Los Angeles radio station is sucking up all the credit for it because they were one of the first to share it on Twitter. Mostly, the list notes that "several ladies reached out to help" compile the list. You can read more about it and check out the list from Fox 2 Now Here.

Sure, there are some places on the list that make sense. I don't think the movies, taking your date back to your house, fast food joints, church, family functions, and Netflix and chill make great first dates. Yet, the vast majority of places on the list just seem overly picky.

For example, is a first date at the Cheesecake Factory, Applebee's, Chili's, Chipotle, Olive Garden, Buffalo Wild Wings, Red Lobster, IHOP, Denny's, or Waffle House a bad first date?

Okay, Waffle House and Chipotle might be pushing it a little bit. IHOP and Denny's might be pushing it too, unless you're going out for Moons Over My Hammy. Yet most of these places are fine for a first date if you ask me. Hell, my late wife Kathy and I went to Applebee's on our first date. Chili's on date two. Not to mention, we always enjoyed Olive Garden.

Then they talk about how coffee dates, ice cream dates, bowling, nightclubs, bars just for drinks, bowling, sporting events, and a hookah bar are bad ideas for first dates. I might agree, that some of these outside of coffee or ice cream dates, wouldn't work for a first date, if it's a blind date, or you haven't discussed what the woman you're going out with likes or dislikes.

Yet it's possible a first date at some of these places could work depending on what your potential partner likes or dislikes. Sure, the woman who is militantly anti-smoking isn't going to warm up to you at the hookah bar. Yet, if you both like drinking whisky, and there's a bar that specializes in serving great brands of whisky, and whisky cocktails, perhaps that works as a first date. If you both love the Chiefs, is a Chiefs game a bad first date? You get my point, right?

I think the list is quite frankly a little snobbish. Well, you can't go to these places on a first date because they're too pedestrian. Or Olive Garden isn't a real Italian restaurant or Red Lobster isn't real seafood. Or Starbucks coffee dates are so last year. Or Coffee or Ice Cream dates aren't thoughtful enough.

It's been a long time since I've been dating, but here I go again. And I'm going to share this one piece of advice that I'll use. Throw the list in the garbage. Unless you're on a blind first date, I'd try to figure out what kind of date and what kind of place you're both going to enjoy. Bonus points if it's a place or activity you know she'll like.

Truth is, it's not so much where you are or where you're going, it's the connection you make with each other. It doesn't matter if that connection's made over cheddar bay biscuits at Red Lobster, a craft beer at the bar, or a coffee date at Starbucks. If you connect, there's probably a second date.

So yeah, throw the list in the garbage.