Everyone has a weird dating app story, and now one platform is looking to make an impact on D.C.'s dating scene by getting people off their phones and into the city.
Dating app SmileBack is teaming up with local bars in the city to host dates planned within in the platform.
According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, 5 percent of Americans who are married or in a committed relationship say they met their spouse online. The report also said that one-third of people who have used online dating have never gone on a date with someone they've met on apps.
"The main focus of SmileBack is to get people to meet in real life," said co-founder Dan Berenholtz. "We believe that in order for users to know if they really have chemistry with someone, they need to meet in person."
The app partners with more than a dozen D.C.-area bars and restaurants, including Ristorante Piccolo, The Sovereign and 1789.
Berenholtz said that when users match on the app, "the drinks are on us." SmileBack offers $10 to $15 gift cards for every match made through the app, which pays for drinks or appetizers at the local restaurants. Barcodes are sent to users to redeem the gift cards, so the money can only be used for matches.
Matches are harder to come by on SmileBack. The company wanted users to feel more special when they finally got a match.
"The behaviors of men and women are different on these apps," Berenholtz said. "A lot of guys will say 'yes' very liberally."
To combat the free-for-all swiping habits, SmileBack users are given a selection of four candidates to choose from. You can "smile" at the profile you like the most, but that your smile will be anonymous once it is sent. On the receiving end, it's a bit of a guessing game. Users who have been smiled at are given a selection of three users to "smile back" to. If this person selects the user who smiled at them first, then it is a match.
"We wanted to make it feel more selective," Berenholtz said. "On SmileBack, you can't smile at everyone."
SmileBack is available in the App Store and on Google Play.
