It’s been said that online dating killed the meet cute. Now, as people struggle with dating app burnout, some are supposedly resorting to stealing men’s lunches for a chance at creating their own.
In a now-viral post, one TikTok user claims she’s heard of single women nipping into Sweetgreen locations in Midtown Manhattan during the workweek and stealing “finance bros’ salads for lunch.” She explained that they will then look up the name on the order on LinkedIn and message something along the lines of “Hey, oh my God. So sorry, I grabbed your salad. Let me just make it up to you and buy you a new one.”
@nicoleee461 It’s rough out here #nyc #nycdating #dating
♬ original sound – Nicole Or
As the caption of the video reads: “It’s rough out here.” Even Sweetgreen felt the need to comment on the state of dating in 2025. “Guys please this is really stressing me out,” the salad chain’s official TikTok account commented.
No one in the comments admitted to using the tactic themselves, but they didn’t hold back from sharing their thoughts. “Hey! all of that sounds insane!” one person commented. “Hear me out, what if you went up to them,” another suggested.
Whether the story is true or not, it speaks to a broader issue with modern dating. A 2024 Forbes survey found that more than 75% of Gen Zers are burned out on dating apps like Hinge, Tinder, and Bumble. Despite the amount of time spent on the apps, those surveyed said they don’t feel as if they’re able to find a genuine connection.
Now desperate times are calling for desperate measures. “Why can’t [guys] just come up to us at a bar?” the TikTok user who revealed the salad-stealing caper questioned in her video. “Why is it getting to this point?”
A 2023 study found that almost 50% of men ages 18 to 25 have never made the first move and approached a woman romantically in person. Fear of rejection and fear of social consequences were the two most commonly cited reasons why. As one man commented on the original TikTok video, “But have you been a man in NYC who tries to talk to a girl at a bar?”
While it might not be the meet cute they had in mind, at the very least the TikTok shows people are keen to put themselves out there. Or, next time your lunch goes missing, make sure to check who’s been viewing your LinkedIn profile.
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