By Mike Pomranz | FoodAndWine.Com
Troy Warren for CNT #Foodie
Eating and bonding are intrinsically tied together. But even though everyone can go so far as to place their own delivery order from a different restaurant these days, DoorDash understands the connecting power of food.
The delivery giant has teamed up with Shake Shack — which recently added a Buffalo chicken sandwich to the menu — to create a chicken sandwich-themed dating site.
Available from now until February 15, Eat Cute is described as a “spicy dating site to help singles find their perfect match over their shared love of Shake Shack’s new Buffalo Chicken Sandwich” just in time for Valentine’s Day. Why would you put your love life in the hands of a delivery company and a fast casual chain? Well, for the skeptical, Shake Shack and DoorDash have sweetened the deal by giving users free chicken sandwiches.
First, head to LetsEatCute.com. “Simply upload a selfie, [and] tell us how spicy you like it,” the brand explains. Once in the app, users tap a flame icon to find their perfect match, and after they’ve connected with someone, “a unique promotional code for a free Buffalo Chicken Sandwich from Shake Shack on DoorDash will be presented on a separate pop-up screen.” (The terms later clarify that to receive the free chicken sandwich, your order must meet a minimum $20 requirement, the price of the chicken sandwich included.)
“This February, Shake Shack wants all our single fans to find love in a hopeless place — online,” Jay Livingston, Shake Shack’s chief marketing officer, quipped in a statement. “By partnering with DoorDash for ‘Eat Cute,’ we are hoping to use our Buffalo Chicken Sandwich to light the initial spark and help singles everywhere spice up their dating experience.”
As a happily married man, dating apps aren’t my thing, but I did give Eat Cute a try to sort out how it works, and it definitely seems to be more about free sandwiches than finding love. The app doesn’t have a chat feature, but you’re asked (though not required) to include your Instagram handle, and when you are matched, the app shares that link so matches can connect on social. Meanwhile, it appears you only get a free sandwich when you make an actual match — so though you could choose matches based on a potential love connection, if you just want free food, your best bet is probably to pound on the flame button as much as possible and hope an equally hungry user accepts.
So, after trying the app, will I get a free chicken sandwich? To be honest, at this point, I’m not sure. But in retrospect, now that I know how the site works, I think I would have uploaded a better selfie. Apparently, free Buffalo chicken sandwiches aren’t easy to come by for unkempt people working in their pajamas.
