Tag: dfw restaurants

Recently, the topic of good and bad date locations has blown up on social media. Viral videos ranging from praising a night out at Waffle House to bemoaning a first date at The Cheesecake Factory have sparked much debate on what’s OK versus what’s tacky when it comes to taking someone you like out to eat.

Obviously, everyone has their own tastes and interests when it comes to restaurants and dating in general. The way we see it, however, is that some choices are objectively weird, whether you’re on a first date or celebrating a wedding anniversary. Some of our readers feel the same way. We put out a call on Threads for terrible date night suggestions and several of their responses made our list.

Here are some restaurants that are less than ideal for setting a romantic mood.

Applebee’s

Multiple locations

These massive chain restaurants have a bad reputation when it comes to planning a date, so much so that we could’ve stacked this list with them and received zero backlash. In fairness, however, they’re not all so bad. Red Lobster has an ironclad co-sign from Beyonce, and there’s no denying that Olive Garden’s breadsticks go hard. While we may like Applebee’s Dollarita season, it’s particularly in our crossfire here due to the Walker Hayes single “Fancy Like,” where he brags his wife is so low-maintenance she doesn’t protest Applebee’s dates.

Post by @angiemckee71

View on Threads

Bottled Blonde

505 N. Good Latimer Expressway

Bottled Blonde is a lot of things, but a good place to get to know someone isn’t one of them. The rowdy nightclub vibe makes holding a conversation nearly impossible. But if a little noise doesn’t deter you, this spot’s reputation for discrimination towards patrons, confusing dress code policies and frequent instances of customers getting robbed just might. If all of these things scream romance to both you and your date, congrats on finding your soulmate. There really is someone for everyone.

Chuck E. Cheese

Multiple locations

There are all kinds of date night spots that combine food and games that we wholly recommend. The difference is that places like Dave & Buster’s and Barcadia are not only more oriented toward adults than Chuck E. Cheese, but they’re also not bankrupt shells of their former selves. Those of you who haven’t dined with Charles Entertainment Cheese since his heyday in the ’90s may have fond memories of seemingly massive spaces with state-of-the-art games, towering play structures and performances from the world’s greatest animatronic rodent band. The remaining locations boast only a handful of games, no play area and no animatronics. A date here speaks for itself.

American Girl Place

13464 Dallas Parkway

American Girl Place is the dream destination for a child to have tea and snacks with their American Girl doll. But as far as date night spots for adults, the vibes could not be more rancid. It’s impossible to have flirty banter when you’re surrounded by the blank, soulless stare of Samantha, Molly and friends. If you, for whatever reason, don’t think a date at this spot is creepy as hell, don’t worry. All of the children and their parents do.

Dick’s Last Resort

2211 N. Lamar St.

Everyone knows the deal at Dick’s Last Resort. The waiters are comically rude and make you wear hats with insults on them. We’re not saying it’s a bad spot for a couple with a sense of humor, but we are saying that if you despise and resent your date, drive the point home by agreeing with every insult the servers hurls at them. You could say things like, “Sorry, babe. I didn’t think they got so personal.” What a fun and quirky way to start a fight.

Sky Bar Lounge

Love Field

Here’s our best bad date idea: Surprise your partner by waking them up at the crack of dawn and announcing that you’re going to the airport. They’ll be dazzled by the prospect of a surprise vacation. When you get to Love Field, walk them through baggage claim, then up escalators where you’ll find a Dunkin’ Donuts and the Sky Bar Lounge. (No boarding passes or security checks are required in this area.) The Sky Bar has a full bar and hot dogs on a roller. And then immediately go back home. To quote ourselves about 100 words ago, “What a fun and quirky way to start a fight.”

Market Street Deli, Plano

1929 Preston Road, Plano

We understand the appeal of serving food in a grocery store. If you’re out shopping with your family, it’s a quick and convenient spot to grab chicken, mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. But this is undeniably a bizarre spot to bring a date, especially if you don’t live or shop for groceries together. But why Market Street? And why this specific location? Two words: personal experience.

Medieval Times

2021 N. Stemmons Freeway

Jousting, Andalusian horses and eating roasted chicken with your hands while watching a sword fight — what’s not to like? Plus, at Medieval Times drinking and screaming are highly encouraged. To make the show even juicier, according to Reddit, there’s always backstage drama with the cast: “There was a night where the bar staff got a section to consistently boo one of the nights [sic] for cheating on his then girlfriend who happened to be a princess who was performing that night.” But never underestimate the magnetism of a winning knight who gets to crown the prettiest dame. Inside everyone is hoping the winning knight picks them out of the crowd. Big knight energy for the win every time. You don’t stand a chance.

The Lodge

10530 Spangler Road

Strip clubs and Medieval Times have a lot more in common than you may think. They both have a specific vibe and a performance element that not everyone considers romantic. If you and your partner are both down to hang out there for a date night, have at it. However, if your partner isn’t so keen, tell them The Lodge has a $40 dinner-for-two deal and $6 lunches, and play the “inflation is killer” card. But for the love of God, don’t pitch this to someone if you’re not certain they’ll be cool with it.

Arlington

Survey says!? The place most readers voted as the worst place to take a date was simply Arlington. Just don’t tell FIFA, which just awarded the city nine World Cup games at AT&T Stadium. As much of a gift as this is, it was followed with a slap: they’re going to call it Dallas Stadium for the tournament. There is some great Vietnamese food in Arlington, though.