It's not about the data
Why Bostonians Choose In-Person Over Apps
We could talk about ghosting rates and burnout statistics, and we have, elsewhere. But the real reason our daters choose in-person has less to do with the apps themselves and more to do with how this city already teaches people to live.
01
Boston already runs on shared identity
This is a city where a stranger on the T will happily argue about the Sox, where a Dunkin' order is basically a personality trait. Bostonians are used to bonding with strangers over something they both already care about. Speed dating just gives that same instinct a table and a timer.
02
An educated dating pool overthinks the app grind
Boston's dating pool is unusually well-educated, and that comes with a specific tax: a tendency to analyze every option instead of just deciding. Endless swiping rewards exactly that instinct, more data to overthink, more profiles to compare. A real conversation short-circuits it. You either connect or you don't, and you know within minutes.
03
They're not anti-technology, they're pro-outcome
Most of our daters still have an app installed. This isn't about rejecting anything. It's about noticing where the actual payoff is, and choosing to spend more of their time and energy there instead.
04
They want someone who's actually staying
Boston's dating pool is famously transient, students, fellows, two-year hires who might not be here next year. A profile can't tell you whether someone's actually putting down roots or just passing through. A real conversation, in person, gives you a much better read on that than a bio ever will.
The city already taught our daters how to connect in person. We just gave them a room to do it in.