Answer
Is ToShareAMeal a dating app?
No. ToShareAMeal exists to get a few people around one restaurant table. There is no swiping, no liking, no romantic matching and no dating profile — the unit of the product is a meal, not a person.
What you actually see
A dating app shows you people and asks you to choose between them. ToShareAMeal shows you meals: a venue or neighbourhood, a date and time, the kind of meal, and how many seats are left. You decide whether that meal suits you, not whether a person does.
- Signed-out browsing shows venue, time, meal type and seat counts — never diner identities or messages.
- There are no photos to rate, no likes, and no one-to-one matching queue.
- Seats are taken individually, so nobody is paired off with anybody.
Why people still meet someone they want to see again
Sharing a meal is a slower, lower-pressure way to meet people than a one-to-one date. A table of three to six diners has no spotlight on anyone, conversation is shared, and the meal itself gives everyone something to talk about. If you want to see the same people again, you can — through a Circle, or by saying after the meal that you would share another table.
What happens after a meal
After a meal you can say that you would eat with someone again. Nothing is revealed unless the feeling is mutual and confirmed on both sides, and choosing someone is never shown to them one-sidedly. That is a continuation feature for people who enjoyed a table, not a romantic match.
Who it is for
People new to New York, people whose friends have scattered, solo travellers, and anyone who would rather eat somewhere good with company than alone. Everyone at the table attests that they are an adult, meals are in public venues only, and the safety rules apply the same way to everyone.