26-year-old woman rejects 32-year-old man after he plans a 1st date at a bar that serves soft pretzels: 'Giant pretzels don’t exactly give "refined.”'

Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor

Aug 13, 2026 7:45 AM EDT

What's so wrong about soft pretzels?

I fundamentally do not understand people who expect first dates to be extremely fancy. Maybe you think I'm just one of those people who does not expect much from my romantic partner, but I don't see it that way. I believe that the only function of a first date is to figure out if you're attracted to one another when you're in the same room. That's it. First dates can be the simplest thing in the world, because they're not about wooing the other person. It's about deciding if you're attracted to them enough to want to hold their hand and kiss them goodnight. The most important thing to me on a date is not how much money the other person spends on me. For some people, socioeconomic compatibility is the first thing they want to figure out before they even think about romantic attraction. That's how matchmaking worked for a great deal of human history! People did not date outside of their class.

A matchmaker recently took to X to share the story of her matchmaking client and his failed first date. His big mistake? He scheduled a date at a cocktail bar that wasn't "refined" enough for his sophisticated match.

Add as a preferred
source on Google

Blaine Anderson, a matchmaker who has been on Shark Tank, shared this story on X, and it has gone insanely viral.
"Matchmaking client in NYC, 32, finance, Jewish, medium handsome but funny, all-around good dude.
I think I’ve found his dream match: she’s 26, amazing family, refined vibe, Jewish obviously, and down to meet him.
I make the introduction, then… he texts me saying she bailed. I check in with her. She says he asked her to dinner at Crown Alley, and based on that alone, she knows he’s not a fit.
Obviously I feel bad for him, and yeah it’s lame to be judgy about first date plans, but… I actually agree with her on this one.
The problem has nothing to do with wanting a more expensive first date. This woman just knows her vibe, and giant pretzels don’t exactly give “refined.”
He either needs to adjust his go-to first date plan, or go after the type of woman who wants to meet over a ham and cheese toasty."
--@datingbyblaine
The exterior of Crown Alley, located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan

via @datingbyblaine
The unrefined soft-pretzels that cost this young man his date

via @datingbyblaine

It's a little disingenuous to call Crown Alley merely a pretzel place. They also serve excellent oysters and handcrafted drinks.
One X user was dubious about the young lady's explanation for rejecting the date.
“A woman will never reject a guy she's genuinely attracted to over a restaurant choice. The likely reason she bailed was that she didn't find him physically attractive. She likely didn't tell you the truth because she didn't want to seem superficial and/or hurt his feelings.”
--@eddyluxe_
Another person criticized the matchmaker for making this story public at all.
"Imagine spending $25,000 on a "VIP matchmaker" and all she does is tweet about how lame your date ideas are and how women are right to bail on you."
--@varrock
Most respondents agreed that this guy is better off without her.
“A woman who declines a date because she doesn't like the restaurant is a bullet dodged, sorry.”
--@allie__voss
“So she’s not refined, she’s just shallow !!”
--@anniodarone3
““This woman just knows her vibe.” She has her own set of rules, and may she succeed or fail by them. If she’s single or unhappy in 5-10 years, she’ll blame everything but her rules.”
--@uneasypause
Do you think the matchmaker did a bad job matching their vibes? Do you think the woman's expectations are too high? Or did the man mess up by planning such a casual first date?

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

26-year-old woman rejects 32-year-old man after he plans a 1st date at a bar that serves soft pretzels: 'Giant pretzels don’t exactly give "refined.”'

What's so wrong about soft pretzels?

Blaine Anderson, a matchmaker who has been on Shark Tank, shared this story on X, and it has gone insanely viral.

"Matchmaking client in NYC, 32, finance, Jewish, medium handsome but funny, all-around good dude.

I think I’ve found his dream match: she’s 26, amazing family, refined vibe, Jewish obviously, and down to meet him.

I make the introduction, then… he texts me saying she bailed. I check in with her. She says he asked her to dinner at Crown Alley, and based on that alone, she knows he’s not a fit.

Obviously I feel bad for him, and yeah it’s lame to be judgy about first date plans, but… I actually agree with her on this one.

The problem has nothing to do with wanting a more expensive first date. This woman just knows her vibe, and giant pretzels don’t exactly give “refined.”

He either needs to adjust his go-to first date plan, or go after the type of woman who wants to meet over a ham and cheese toasty."

The exterior of Crown Alley, located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan

The unrefined soft-pretzels that cost this young man his date

One X user was dubious about the young lady's explanation for rejecting the date.

“A woman will never reject a guy she's genuinely attracted to over a restaurant choice. The likely reason she bailed was that she didn't find him physically attractive. She likely didn't tell you the truth because she didn't want to seem superficial and/or hurt his feelings.”

Another person criticized the matchmaker for making this story public at all.

"Imagine spending $25,000 on a "VIP matchmaker" and all she does is tweet about how lame your date ideas are and how women are right to bail on you."

Most respondents agreed that this guy is better off without her.

“A woman who declines a date because she doesn't like the restaurant is a bullet dodged, sorry.”

“So she’s not refined, she’s just shallow !!”

““This woman just knows her vibe.” She has her own set of rules, and may she succeed or fail by them. If she’s single or unhappy in 5-10 years, she’ll blame everything but her rules.”

Do you think the matchmaker did a bad job matching their vibes? Do you think the woman's expectations are too high? Or did the man mess up by planning such a casual first date?

Tags

Handpicked for You

{{title}}

Handpicked for You

{{title}}