How to survive your next Hinge date in Notts

Hinge, a scary yet exciting place to be. After a hefty evening of scrolling, you’ve used up your daily likes and are small talking with 10 different people until FINALLY someone asks you on a date, how civilised! Firstly, don’t freak out. Secondly, get prepared; this is a bullet-proof guide of the best places to go, the conversations (and people) to avoid, and how to have fun while combatting the nerves.

Where to go

Pepper Rocks

Pepper rocks is a cozy spot for a chill first date vibe. Get to know your first date with drinks that don’t break the bank, as all the cocktails are under £10. So even if it doesn’t go so well, at least you can get comfy and enjoy a Sex on the Sofa*.

I would like to mention, with cozy comes cramped. If you are happy to risk tripping over table legs and falling into other couples, especially after a few drinks, Pepper Rocks is the place to be!

*Disclaimer: this is referring to a cocktail on the Pepper Rocks menu, we otherwise strongly advise against this.

Bunk

Experts (legitimate) say that sharing a meal increases trust and brings people closer. Bunk, where the food is yummy and the drinks are even yummier, is the perfect spot for a first date. Small talk over saucy wings and fries, you might even have a modern day Lady and the Tramp spaghetti moment …. with a Bunk hot dog (wink wink).

Be warned: Bunk is almost aways full of students pre-gaming for a night out, so you might just be peer pressured into a Rock City outing. But then again, what’s a better ice breaker than a club night on a first date?

Penny Lane

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If small talk really isn’t your thing, because who wants to talk about what course you do for the millionth time, then it’s time to up the competition at Penny Lane. Boozy air hockey and prizes to win, Penny Lane is an arcade with a twist. For all the gamer boys and girls out there its time to show off your skills to impress your date. You could even introduce losing stakes to spice up the competition.

If you are crazy competitive you may want to avoid this place; you’ll end up trying to win all the games rather than win your date over. But, who doesn’t love a bit of crazy sometimes …

What to avoid

Conversation that might spark Nottingham Trent Uni and Uni of Nottingham rivalry.

Dating apps do not discriminate (and neither do we), so let”s just avoid university slander in general, you don’t know who you might offend.

Ordering Hooch

Not only is this embarrassing for you, but it’s equally as bad for your date – no one wants to be seen with someone drinking children’s cider. Just don’t be that person (please).

Course small talk

I’m going to say this in the nicest way possible; no one wants to hear about your maths, computer science, physics degree etc – save it for the CV x

Top tips

Be yourself (sort of)

The true advice here should be to be your best self, so if that requires a cheeky shot before the date go for it – we’ve all been there.

Tell your friends

Safety first guys! I’m not telling you to indulge your house mates in their (cringy) Hinge prompts, just a run down of where your going and what you’re up to.

Bonus points if you have each other’s find my iPhone, for some lowkey stalking.

Offer to split the bill

It’s preference I guess, but we’re all young and broke so keep that in mind.

Have fun!

At the end of the day we’re not looking for marriage on the first date, go into the date with an open mind and see where it goes!

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