First date: eight simple rules
A first date goes well or badly for trivial reasons, which can be sorted out with a five-minute chat beforehand. The rules below aren’t about good manners, but about not wasting either of your time.
Set everything out in advance, in writing
The duration, location, time and price should be discussed in messages beforehand. Not at the door and not in the lift. Anything left to be sorted out on the spot is bound to lead to an awkward conversation at exactly the worst possible moment.
If anything isn’t clear, ask beforehand. It’s easier for everyone.
Please be on time
Appointments follow one after the other. A twenty-minute delay doesn’t mean you start later; it means you have less time, or that the appointment is cancelled.
If you’re running late, let us know straight away. It usually sorts itself out.
Please give plenty of notice if you need to cancel
Cancellations do happen. A message a few hours beforehand is to be expected. A no-show without any prior notice usually means you won’t be invited back, and that’s a fair response.
Come looking smart
A shower, clean clothes, fresh breath. It’s the most common complaint and the easiest to sort out.
The price, displayed clearly from the outset
It is left out in the open at the start, without being counted in front of the person and without any discussion. That’s how it’s done everywhere, and it avoids any awkward moments at the end.
Don’t haggle in person. The price has already been agreed via messages.
No photos and no recordings
Don’t take photos or record anything, not even for your own use. It’s a serious issue – including legal implications – and the surest way to be barred from the whole city in future.
If you want a souvenir, buy yourself a fridge magnet.
‘No’ doesn’t mean ‘no’
Everyone has their own boundaries and makes them clear from the outset. There is no pressing the issue, no renegotiating halfway through, and no asking for anything other than what has been agreed.
A boundary that is respected is the reason why there is a second meeting.
Leave an honest review
If it was good, write a review. If it wasn’t, say exactly what was wrong, without being offensive. Honest reviews are the only thing that keeps a director’s reputation clean, and here they are checked before publication.