Viral list claims women “absolutely refuse” first dates at Cheesecake Factory & Denny’s

In a viral post shared widely on social media, women are listing some of the places that they “absolutely refuse” to be taken on a first date – sparking some debate.

It appears that visiting some of the biggest fast food diners in the US is a deal breaker for some women. The post, originally published by an anonymous Facebook user, thanks “the ladies who reached out to help me on my list”. 

The list itself consists of 28 possible venues. Most of these pertain to popular fast food restaurants, including Olive Garden, Cheesecake Factory, Applebee’s, Chili’s, Red Lobster, Denny’s, and Starbucks. 

Some on the list, however, are more specific, and mention particular date scenarios, such as “Your house”, “A bar just for drinks”, and “Family functions”. 

List of restaurants women refuse to go on a first date to is going viral 👀 pic.twitter.com/4myU4nsL0O

— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) October 24, 2023

After the list became viral on X/Twitter, it’s also drummed up a series of disgruntled comments by men: “Where tf we supposed to go then, the moon?”, one asked.

“Looks like we’re going to Home Depot so she can build a new personality”, another said. “Would have been easier to name the places they would go, list would have been shorter,” a third added.

The viral video that started the trend 

So where did this list come from? This trend is derived from a viral video posted on TikTok, where a woman flat-out refused to leave her car because her date had chosen to take her to the Cheesecake Factory. 

In the video, she confronts her date, prompting “who takes a woman that looks like this to the cheesecake factory?”. She later states, “when you take out a beautiful woman, you’re supposed to take care of her”. 

The man responded by saying, “I went into this date with the expectations for myself to keep you safe, to respect you, to pay for your food, of course.”

This controversial video left fans divided, with some in favor of her protests, but she mostly met backlash. One user stated, “she would’ve went straight back home with her Applebee’s outfit saying she’s embarrassed to be in the cheesecake factory.”