Stop, in the name of love. <\/p>\n
NYC\u2019s digital dating-weary singles<\/a> are increasingly leaning on Big Apple bars to help them facilitate conversations with strangers \u2014\u00a0there\u2019s a reason why every watering hole from the West Village to Williamsburg seems to suddenly be hosting \u201clove science experiments\u201d or handing out \u201cintention bracelets\u201d at the door.<\/p>\n But this sharp increase in demand for matchmaking assistance is far from a sure-fire financial win for already-pressed businesses across the city \u2014\u00a0with owners claiming that profiting from loneliness is actually a lot harder than it looks.<\/p>\n Third-party event planners host singles events in different bars across NYC. Madison Dodd Photography<\/p>\n Your average speed-dating event run by a third-party promoter may have satisfied the market before \u2014 but those don\u2019t always do well for venues, which struggle to get the right mix of people in and don\u2019t deliver much of a bump to their bottom lines, operators say.<\/p>\n Even newer, trendy events like Pitch-a-Friend<\/a>, where singles sit through PowerPoint elevator pitches from their friends about why they\u2019re dateable, or Lectures on Tap<\/a>, which bring in professors and experts to give a presentation lesson on a specific niche topic, hoping these conversations will lead to something romantic, can be a risky proposition for a bar.<\/p>\n Logistics like gender ratios, drink purchases and financial deals with third-party event planners mean a lot of trial and error for bars and breweries trying to score in the singles market.<\/p>\n Christopher Connors is the marketing director for Sound & Fury Brewing in downtown Brooklyn \u2014\u00a0which jumped into the fray by bringing in a Pitch-a-Friend event, but margins were thin. <\/p>\n Third-party planners handled the marketing and set-up, but in the end, the event was too stationary and people weren\u2019t buying rounds.<\/p>\n Connors then took matters into his own hands by planning an event called \u201cLove Taps\u201d \u2014\u00a0rebranding the brewery for the night as \u201cSound and Flirty.\u201d<\/p>\n Patrons were assigned numbers while Connors and drag queen Prima co-hosted in lab coats as \u201clove scientists.\u201d They ran experiments \u2014 odd numbers talking to even numbers, appointing certain numbers as \u201cwingmen\u201d, etc.<\/p>\n Christopher Connors made special cocktails as the \u2018love scientist\u201d host of the event. Christoper Connors<\/p>\n Even with great feedback, the 30 women and 6 men were an unideal ratio. <\/p>\n Connors described the vibe as \u201cincredibly beautiful, fun women\u201d paired with \u201cguys that would not usually go out.\u201d <\/p>\n The ladies were blunt \u2014\u00a0urging him to bring in more men next time.<\/p>\n \u201cIn NYC, there\u2019s an obligation for women to be willing to step out and take the initiative to do things, whereas with men there\u2019s a hyper-masculine thinking of \u2018I don\u2019t need to go to a singles night, I can find a date anywhere,\u2019\u201d Connors told The Post.\u00a0<\/p>\n To beat the curse, Connors is now keeping a running spreadsheet with eligible bachelors determined to fill the gap with \u201cgreat men\u201d for the next event. He keeps their name and phone number ready for personal invitations.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that we have to market to \u2026 men in the city, and society in general \u2014\u00a0that going to a singles event doesn\u2019t make them desperate and shouldn\u2019t hurt their egos,\u201d Connors said \u2014\u00a0adding that he spoke with other bars and third-party event planners and they agreed.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPeople say the apps are \u2018so hard\u2019 \u2014\u00a0and yeah, they [do] suck,\u201d Connors said. \u201cWhen it started out, everyone said [they were] so great to have at your fingertips. Now, the dopamine hit comes from matching with someone \u2014\u00a0so you don\u2019t even feel bad not responding to them, since you don\u2019t know them as a real person.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe person who figures out how to crack the issue with men will make [a lot of money],\u201d Connors told The Post. \u201cMen drink considerably more.\u201d <\/p>\n Singles from \u201cWhy Don\u2019t We NYC\u201d events are able to meet each other in various locations across the five boroughs. Madison Dodd Photography<\/p>\n \u201cMen \u2014\u00a0why don\u2019t you get it? We\u2019re trying to help you,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, over in the West Village, Houston Hall is testing out every niche group to see what sticks \u2014\u00a0run clubs, Jewish and Catholic singles groups and line dancing.<\/p>\n Owner Jeremy Merrin told The Post he\u2019s cycled through countless third-party partners; many of them wound up being one-offs. <\/p>\n Met by Nick, The Shaka Club LLC, GRID Dating, Jigsaw and Lox Club \u2014 to name just a few of the roving events currently popular around town \u2014 delivered \u201cmixed success\u201d for the venue, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cSome are more profitable than others,\u201d Merrin explained. \u201cWe took a loss on some and then didn\u2019t continue.\u201d<\/p>\n The Lunge Run Club became a regular partner and comes on Wednesday evenings after their 5k. The bar also does Trivia Tuesdays. <\/p>\n Lunge Run Club promotes their dating run club with the motto \u201csingles wear black\u201d so people can mingle after running a 5K. Houston Hall<\/p>\n Houston Hall did find success with Lectures on Tap \u2014\u00a0the 45-minute presentations from experts and professors brought in a fresh new crop of faces.<\/p>\n For Merrin, that was a win. Even if the event itself might not be a moneymaker, he said, bringing in a selective group like that winds up being good for the bar \u2014\u00a0with some of these unexpected patrons potentially becoming regulars.<\/p>\n Also, he said, sometimes, working with a third party comes with perks. For example, Houston Hall\u2019s trivia partner does so much promo for the event that the venue gets double the usual foot traffic.<\/p>\n Sarah Ladder of \u201cWhat if We NYC\u201d is sensitive to the concerns some bars have about the benefits of bringing in a third party. <\/p>\n For her \u201cintention-based community events\u201d promoting platonic and romantic love, Ladder told The Post selects local neighborhood gems rather than massive event spaces \u2014\u00a0helping drive business to these venues on slower days.<\/p>\n Ladder launched the venture to combat expensive and exclusive singles\u2019 events and the monetization of loneliness. \u201cPeople are monetizing the loneliness coming out of the constant swiping and the situationships and I didn\u2019t want to contribute to that,\u201d Ladder told The Post.<\/p>\n Her sex-positive events feature an \u201cintention bracelet\u201d system where guests choose between love, lust, or being open to both. <\/p>\n \u201cWhy Don\u2019t We NYC\u201d promotes inclusive dating events where people can look for platonic or romantic love, or lust. Madison Dodd Photography<\/p>\n \u201cWhen people check in, we tell them it\u2019s okay to take the \u2018just looking for lust\u2019 bracelet,\u201d Ladder said. \u201cNot everyone is ready to jump into the love of their life and that should be accepted in society at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n Ladder told The Post that everyone wants a meet-cute, but are scared to approach a stranger, not knowing if they are already in a relationship or what they are interested in. <\/p>\n \u201cOne of the few good things that comes from dating apps is that it desensitized us to flirting,\u201d Ladder told The Post. \u201cIt\u2019s just easier to tell who\u2019s genuine and who\u2019s behind the profile at events.\u201d<\/p>\n Specific go-to spots include Spicy Moon in Bowery (a vegan restaurant with a basement speakeasy), Leo\u2019s Famous in Murray Hill and Friends and Lovers in Brooklyn, where they recently hosted a community prom.<\/p>\n Refusing to contribute to the high costs of dating app paywalls or expensive mixers, all her events are priced under $25, with those over $20 including a free drink. Ladder also tells her Instagram followers to message her if they cannot afford the fee. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m in this because I know how hard it is to be single in the city and not know where to start to meet people,\u201d she said. \u201cMoney is not one of the reasons I got in this for.\u201d <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t