Six strangers walk into a restaurant… no, it’s not the beginning of a joke or some new First Dates spin-off show, it’s my Wednesday night.
It’s 7.01pm and I’ve somehow found myself sat around a dining table in Soho with five people who, until 60 seconds ago, I’d never laid eyes on before.
It’s a rather unusual situation to find yourself in, which for me is becoming a pretty regular occurrence.
Across the city at exactly the same time, around 850 Londoners are on blind friendship dates with strangers after being matched by a personality algorithm.
The idea, by Timeleft, is to meet new people and combat ‘big-city loneliness’ in the digital age.
It launched in May 2023 and now hosts 70,000 people every a month across 60 countries, with the aim of connecting people through IRL experiences.
In the UK alone, they have meetups in London, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds, Brighton and Brighton.
It’s unsurprisingly popular in the capital, given that us Londoners are more likely than others in the UK to be affected by loneliness and social isolation, a study by the Belonging Forum found.
The idea of Timeleft is to meet new people and combat ‘big-city loneliness’ in the digital age
Dinner with strangers? What could go wrong…
Some 35 per cent of Londoners said they felt lonely often or some of the time, compared to 28 per cent for the rest of the UK, with young women like myself disproportionately affected.
Previous research commissioned by City Hall in 2022 suggested that going through significant life changes, money worries, or experiencing prejudice are some of the top reasons behind Londoners’ loneliness.
So how did I find myself sitting in a dimly-lit restaurant on a crisp spring evening with five total strangers, when I could’ve just gone home or out with my mates?
I stumbled across Timeleft while doom-scrolling on Instagram. A glossy-looking advert popped up on my feed of attractive, carefree 30-somethings having the ime of their lives, promising me the chance to ‘meet new people over dinner’.
In the pursuit of ‘trying new things’, I sign up before being sent a personality quiz to fill out.
I’m asked a range of questions from the bog-standard (age, job and sexual orientation) to the more out-there: ‘If your life was a fashion statement, would it be classic and timeless, or trendy and expensive?’
Then the algorithm works its magic and matches me up with five like-minded people, as well as books us a restaurant reservation in central London based on our budget.
The night before I log onto the friend-finding app to check where we’re meeting – an Italian seafood restaurant on The Strand. It’s not somewhere I would’ve picked myself, which I guess is the whole point.
Could I really be walking away at the end of the night with five new BFFs? Elly Blake finds out
The night before, I log onto the app to find out where and some clues as to who I will be dining with
They also drop a few hints as to who I will be dining with, revealing their nationalities and what sector they work in, but nothing to give the game away.
Finally it’s Wednesday and as 7pm draws closer, the nerves are starting to kick in: could I really walk away with five new BFFs this evening?
Or will I just be making polite small-talk for the next few hours before it’s socially acceptable to call it a night and do what I really want to do, which is go home and binge-watch Netflix?
Rocking up 10 minutes early, I find myself deliberately loitering on the street outside to try and kill some time, shuddering at the thought of being the first person to arrive.
But I need not have worried, as when I finally pluck up the courage to walk in and ask for the table, I’m met with five friendly-looking faces, already deep in thoughtful conversation.
The group is split equally, three women and three men. We’re all roughly similar age but come from diverse backgrounds, with filmmakers, investment bankers and marketing professionals among us.
As it turns out, I’m the only newcomer, with everyone else around the table having used Timeleft more than once and singing its praises.
In fact, two of the guys I’m dining with met via the platform a year ago and were celebrating their one-year ‘friendiversary’.
A group of Timelefters meet for dinner. (Stock image)
Once the small-talk is out the way, we chat about everything from our jobs, to our favourite holiday destinations and what brought us to Timeleft.
I, for one, am rather interested in what attracted them to such a thing, because the people I met were certainly not looking to combat loneliness in their lives.
Given its very nature, the app attracts the type who are comfortable meeting new people and feel at ease starting conversations with strangers.
And this is exactly the case with my group. The investment banker tells me she does it because she works long hours and wants to get out of her ‘bubble’, while the cinematographer uses it as a way to try new restaurants on a weekly basis.
As the night draws to a close, I’m taken aback by easily the conversation flowed. In fact, we’re all laughing and cracking jokes like we hadn’t just met each other just a few hours earlier.
Before I leave, I’m added to a group WhatsApp with the loose promise of staying in touch, and perhaps meeting up again. Could this be the start of five great friendships?
