LA First Dates

I’ve attended 2 of their events, both about a year apart. The first venue in Little Tokyo was a very intimate setting, although quite small and a little loud. The second venue was in DTLA and the environment was much more inviting and open. The choices in men varied, but I had fun getting to know different types of people all within 1 hour. Both settings were comfortable and the host did a good job making us feel at ease.
Speed dating is definitely a great way to practice meeting new people and opening up to potential future dates.

I found this company online and found a discount coupon on living social, paid, and the coupon code was supposed to be active in 24 hours. I tried to activate it and register about 5 times and it didn’t work. So I wrote to customer care and thinking it might be a problem with the coupon, requested a refund. There was no response from both sides for a while. Then customer care contacted me and said that now coupon was active in the system, but the event I wanted to go initially was already full. I registered for a future event and tried cancelling my refund request but couldn’t. So I figured that if I registered, they will see that and cancel the refund. In the meantime I attended the event, didn’t like it, left early. THE NEXT DAY I GOT A CALL FROM LA FIRST DATES TELLING ME THAT AS «I didn’t pay» (which is not true as I didn’t get that refund) «GOD WILL SEE THAT AND PUNISH ME”(!!!) SERIOUSLY?! He repeated that few times! That is a blasphemy and extremely offensive tactic! Please think twice before going there and using their services!

Do not work use this company in any way. They are not only rude but also unethical on how they conduct their business especially with their San Francisco chapter.
I tried this place over a year ago and I was the youngest guy there and most women were ten years older than me for a 30s and 40s singles event. I might of ignored that at the time the age thing. I didn’t match anyone despite I accepted 10 out of 10 just to check out the response including with who I wasn’t interested in. However, to be fair I don’t think that my experience with this speed dating is a fair way to judge as no one can really control quality of who attended only demographics.
The host was very unpleasant and rude and never smiled. She rushed everyone to leave at end and if people were too long she told them «hurry up, you need to move» and seemed like someone who didn’t like her job.
The main reason I am writing a negative review 1 year from this experience is because of this incident. I had a Meetup group for Airbnb host with about 4 coorganizers. I stepped down since I don’t spend enough time in SF to manage group. One of the reps supposedly named Kate on Meetup saw it needed a new Organizer, took over the Meetup group, removed the whole leadership team from group including myself, and changed it right away to a commercial speed dating group. Kate, never responded to my complaints on Meetup despite I tried to be diplomatic. So I had to report this to Meetup requesting to shut down the group instead as finding Organizer replacement. It is unfortunately Kate had to hijack my group and group had to shut down the way it did with no apology.
I hope someone at company besides Kate has enough integrity and empathy to call me about this 5 124 925 690

I attended a few LA First Dates events and so far they are really good.
The hosts are very friendly and communicative, the venues they use are really cool and the organization is pretty good too.
The overall experience is much better than online dating and I intend to use their services again

If it wasn’t for the heartless customer service (Damian) and host (Jen Reyes), my friends and I could have given this a 3 star. When I was sick and had to cancel the next day they did not exercise discretion and provide a promo code for another event. This is disgusting to me since they are basically stealing money from people for being unable to attend their events. One friend told me at an event you basically sit on cement blocks inside this small room (no tables provided, just sit next to the guy on the many blocks) and do speed dating as if we’re living in the stone ages. She said the host mentioned that they’re pretty casual there… ahem…for $ 35 you cannot even provide proper chairs and tables, and guests had to sit next to each other in tight spaces (no privacy whatsoever). Yes, this is happening in 2015 in case you were thinking this is old news. Just do not attend any of their events. I caught Jen flirting with the men there instead of working. Unprofessional and heartless should be their new logo.

This was a good social experiment for myself. Thought the idea and the whole time being there was fun/​hilarious/​a different type of adventure… But. I went to meet single, PROFESSIONALS… And they don’t even ask you your occupation when you sign up to go which never phased me until I get there and realize I’m sitting next to a guy who lives out of a hotel and doesn’t even have a job… There were a few more guys then girls so our host was keeping the boys entertained when it wasn’t their turn. Yet at the end of the thing, I caught on that she was actually flirting with the guys there… Umm I duno, I’ll find love when I do, but I had to pay $ 30 bucks (using the promo code Meetup) to meet these guys. Ur our host, not on the market for stealing the guys… Get back to work. I duno, SMH…
If your shy, this is a good way to break through some of that. If your even curious. Try it because it’s fun… But don’t even expect to find «potential.» The girls here are looking for instant hubby material (I couldn’t even get them to have a good time ice breaking), the guys are DRAMA starting losers! The people that were actually probably worth talking to you would never know in the barely 5 minutes you get to grab each other’s attention…
But the venue was top notch (if only they had AC. This is LA after all not Venice beach!!)

I’ve done speed dating quite a few times with a few different groups. Even if you don’t meet anyone, it’s fun IMO. I went with a Groupon (would NOT do this at full price!).
My event met at a very loud, cramped place in DTLA. They had a DJ right in our area so the sound was awful. There also weren’t enough tables so we all had to double up making things not really intimate at all. I felt it totally wasn’t the right venue for a speed dating event.
Anyway the host was nice and she was organized. There was an even amount of men to women I believe or close to it.
There were 10 men and only 1 (the first guy I met) I would consider seeing again however, I didn’t care for him enough to really log onto the website to see if he matched with me (I guess I was that impressed LMAO).
In general with speed dating in LA (doesn’t matter which organizer) I find this seems to cater to a lot of Indian and Asian men. Several of the men had huge accents. I just figure this would interest some people thinking about going.
I would only go again if it were cheap enough.

The host was accommodating and the venue was appropriate. I arrived early and chatted up at the bar. I wasn’t able to find a match but it was a fun and exciting evening.

Everything about their events was so fantastic. The host was so terrific and the singles were mostly all great. It was a fun place to go and I would definitely repeat the experience. I was talking with the host about how this was such a great option compared to all the dating apps out there.

It has a consistency of good locations, good people and fun crowd. Every mixer or speed dating can have very different vibe groups. They did a great job to mix it up and create varieties. I wish the can make each date longer in the future. People need time to build momentum and get comfortable.

I had a great experience at last week’s event. There were a lot of men there with professional jobs which is an important criterion to me. The host Dave made me feel welcomed and answered all of my questions since this is my first time and I did not know what to expect. I’m satisfied with my experience at this event and will continue to try other events in the near future. This is definitely better than online dating.

A few friends and I were interested in «speed dating» so we bought some vouchers on Living Social for LA First Dates. Since I had attended one of their functions before, I suggested them. Even though I had no luck the first time, I thought it was fun enough to try again. We purchased our vouchers in April and did have some scheduling conflicts with the options provided which were quite minimal. Once we would select a group to attend (i.e. Business Professionals age 30 – 45) we would have to get on a «waiting list» because it was already full. We would not receive anything after the automated email informing us if we did or didn’t get on the group date. Our voucher was close to expiration. I emailed the contact email provided on the site and nearly had to beg the correspondent (Jen Reyes) to honor the vouchers. She extended one voucher for a week. We finally got in to a speed dating event for this past Saturday at The Magnolia Grille. When my friend and I pulled up we thought it was a joke. It was a small mom and pop café filled with families and seniors — not a speed dating worthy establishment. They serve good food if you’re hungry but NO FULL BAR (they didn’t even know how to take an order for a vodka-​soda) and the event was held on the front porch patio which made it quite awkward for the ladies anytime any of the grill’s clientele walked in. Our host Monica was very kind and accommodating. She finally registered us and we got started. Our options were VERY slim and that made it disappointing. Nothing like my first experience with LA First Dates. I remember having close to 20 guys to chose from at a nice hotel in Culver City. This time we only had 6 guys. My friend and two other girls who drove from Chino split halfway through «date» because the experience was so disappointing. I sat through it but to be honest I don’t know if I will get around to using the second voucher. 1) because I’m having the hardest time getting your company to honor it. and 2) because I am not sure if I can handle another unfortunate experience like Saturday’s…
But for the $ 35 fee you guys should really consider the locations (for single people looking to get out on the weekends) and have at least 15 – 20 candidates of each sex to make it worth everyone’s time. I will not be recommending LA First Dates.
To top it off just got off the phone with their customer service «manager» Damian who called me repeatedly at work. He was very argumentative and resistant to any of the feedback I had in regards to my experience. DO NOT USE LA FIRST DATES YOU WILL BE VERY DISAPPOINTED!!!

I’ve been to a few of their events, the venues are usually very good and spacious/​private so we can hear each other. Their matching system works by setting up online profile and choosing matches through their website. Overall it’s good to try a few events as each crowd can be very different.

I have never done speed dating before but my friends and I always said we wanted to try it. We signed up with LA First Dates and were looking forward to a fun filled evening. The location was the Sofitel Hotel. I really enjoyed the place it was a great environment as a whole… The experience on the other hand…
It was an extremely unorganized event. My friend went to check us in and had difficulties doing that, the host was giving her a hard time. It was a lot of peoples first speed dating event so to have a brief explanation of how things were going to work and then seating everyone would have made things smoother. I didn’t meet every guy in attendance. There were times where I was sitting by myself (which shouldn’t have been the case since there was more men than women). There were times when I was sitting alone and there were guys just standing around because they didn’t know where to go. Some of the rounds were like 10 mins while others were like 3. The host would get an attitude with guys for just sitting in front of women who were sitting alone because” that wasn’t the order or how it’s suppose to be done” but there wasn’t any order for the event period. The womens numbers didn’t even go in order You can’t get upset with the patron for your lack of organization. I would suggest speed dating to a friend because its quite an experience just wouldn’t be with this company.

I’ve been to several speed dating events with this company. I don’t have a lot of expectations as far as outcomes are concerned, since so much of that is chance, and the quality of the experience you have at any one event depends largely on the attitude you take with you going in. If you don’t take things too seriously, there’s no reason to have a bad time. It’s just people talking after all is said and done, right?
Most of the time, the venues they’ve chosen have been good. The online post-​event matching system they use is very convenient and sets them apart in that way.

I went to one of their speed dating events for 20s & 30s last month and it was well attended with professional people. I liked the event and the bar provided good appetizers and drink specials. I didn’t see anyone I like from the event but I had a great time and a fun experience. I would definitely do something like this in the near future.

If I could give a negative star! I bought via Living Social. They ‘postoned’ 3 times on me. each time the ‘postponement’ was texted day of. The last postponement was 3 hrs before the event! I called Living Social who refunded me! And. I still get their texts and emails on the events that keep getting postponed.
Revised: they called me after seeing this review to explain they postpone if they don’t get the equal # of men and women. They wanted to make it right. I turned them down but said I would indicate their willingness to try to make this right.
I am concerned how they figured out this review with my info to contact me. Next time I will be careful and not give out any numbers.

I bought a Groupon for a speed-​dating event with LA First Dates. I was rather excited about trying speed dating, and spent a lot of time getting ready for the event, looking forward to meeting lots of potential mates. As an added bonus, it was in Valley Village, which is close to where I live.
I got to the bar and it was pretty much empty. The bartender knew nothing about an event scheduled there. I later found out the event had been cancelled, which I had not been informed about. It was pretty much the same awkward and unpleasant feeling as being stood up on a date.
I emailed the company and they apologized, offered me a new code for a new event. I asked about getting a refund (as stated in the terms and conditions on their website) and got an answer that vaguely said I was entitled to a refund.
The refund never went through my Groupon account, but I didn’t want to bother with arguing about a 17 dollar charge so I just used the code and registered for another event. I hoped that giving them a second chance would pay off and I would meet some nice guys.
On the morning of the second event I had received no confirmation or communication about the event, so I emailed them to ask about it. It was cancelled again (they didn’t send out a email about the cancellation until a few minutes after I sent them a message about the event – and I’m not sure they would’ve if I hadn’t sent my email), but they offered to sign me up for another event that I had no desire to attend (because driving to and parking in Downtown on a Friday or Saturday night is painful). I declined and tried to get my refund. The customer service rep responded and tried again to get me to attend the downtown event. I more clearly stated in a response that I wanted a refund. The communication that up until that point had been speedy suddenly became nonexistent.
Luckily, Groupon quickly refunded my money when I explained the situation.

LA First Dates saw my review and gave me a genuine apology for the way I was treated and even offered me a free pass to come try their service again. It’s nice to see a business make things right like that. I’ll be giving them another chance.

There doesn’t seem to be a Unilocal page for this, and I wish there was, because I would have been able to read reviews and avoid the terrible visit to the Island of Misfit Toys. Like many people, I bought a Living Social coupon to try speed dating with LA First Dates. Little did I know what a huge waste of time it was going to be. I spent over an hour in traffic getting to this weird mall on the edge of Skid Row (a MALL. Not a bar or somewhere romantic or interesting), then another 20+ minutes waiting for someone to leave so I could park. When I got to the site, I realized that there were nearly all women there (guess it’s good for guys?). Which means… you sit by yourself, staring off into your $ 7 beer, because there are too many women and not enough men and you have to wait for the men to finish their other «dates.» And then the few men who are there finally come to your spot, and you realize, oh god, they’re all at least 10 years older than you. The ads show hip young attractive people flirting over glasses of wine. Nope, you’re going to be awkwardly texting on your phone, wondering when the hell you can leave the mall.