18 Slightly Crap Dates Every British Person Will Go On At Least Once

    So many restaurants in carparks.

    Sophie Gadd
    by Sophie Gadd

    BuzzFeed Staff, UK

    1. Costa Coffee/Starbucks/Caffè Nero.

    N Chadwick / Via geograph.org.uk

    These are pretty much your only choices when it comes to a coffee date in most British high streets, unless you live somewhere with a cool indie coffee shop with exposed brickwork and mismatching chairs.

    Your date will likely be soundtracked by weird acoustic covers of Nirvana and a group of mums with new babies who may cry throughout. At least you get loyalty card points.

    2. Orange Wednesdays (RIP) at a vast and soulless Vue/Cineworld/Odeon cinema.

    Hywel Williams / Via en.wikipedia.org

    One of those ones with about 20 screens. You will make a mental note to bring your own snacks next time after being charged £9 for popcorn and a drink.

    3. Bowling.

    Mike Dodman / Via geograph.org.uk

    Probably next door to the big cinema, you're going to be surrounded by kids parties. And the food and beer is TERRIBLE.

    4. The highstreet in general.

    Stephen McKay / Via geograph.org.uk

    You'll make plans to meet in town and not really specify what you're going to do so you'll end up walking up and down and going into HMV for no real reason.

    5. Or on special occasions, a retail park.

    Adrian Pingstone / Via en.wikipedia.org

    You will spend most of your time walking the considerable distance between the TK Maxx and shops on the other side of the gigantic carpark. For lunch you will be faced with disappointing carpark restaurants.

    6. Frankie and Benny’s.

    Mtaylor848 / Via commons.wikimedia.org

    These places are only found in carparks. You will only go there while on a shopping date at the giant retail park, because there are no other options. It will not be good.

    7. London (or your nearest big city).

    Josep Renalias / Via eu.wikipedia.org

    If you don't live there already, you will go up on the train on a Saturday and take cute photos of yourselves on bridges. The train tickets alone will be a fucking fortune, and you will wander around holding hands and go to larger versions of the shops you have in your home town.

    8. Walking around a crap local park.

    Scriniary / Via geograph.org.uk

    This is a classic in the canon of rubbish teenage dates. You will decide to "go for a walk" as an excuse to get out of your parents house.

    9. Followed by a picnic in the park when it’s a bit too cold.

    alex lang / Via Flickr: langalex

    You will decide a picnic might be a nice romantic date. But because this is Britain it will inevitably too cold and a dog will steal the cocktail sausages or something.

    10. Going round someone's house to “watch a film”.

    David Boyle / Via Flickr: beglendc

    Because we don't say "Netflix and chill". You will never be quite sure what they mean.

    11. Tesco at night.

    Phil Sangwell / Via commons.wikimedia.org

    This is a date you probably went on as a teenager. Going to a 24 hour Tesco at night was inexplicably thrilling. Oh the things you could buy.

    12. Pizza Express.

    Ewan Munro / Via Flickr: 55935853@N00

    Not bad food, but tends to be a bad date location because you'll be there with every other couple in the world doing the same thing with the same voucher ordering the same pizza.

    13. Wagamama.

    redjar / Via commons.wikimedia.org

    As there's two of you you'll be seated on the end of a group of friends having dinner or on a really intimate table right next to another couple. You will be distracted listening to their conversation and will keep awkwardly bumping elbows. Because the food comes at different times you'll be sitting there like a lemon letting your Katsu Curry get cold while your date waits for their food.

    14. Nando's.

    David Woo / Via Flickr: mckln

    Not an objectively bad place, and it holds a special place in the hearts of many a British person. But it's kind of a terrible date location because one of you will spend half the time in the queue to order.

    15. The cheapish local pub that does food.

    Bill Henderson / Via geograph.org.uk

    Not the really fancy gastro pub, but the one that's like a worse version of a Spoon's and a Harvester. You'll go and eat disappointing burgers and wish you splashed the extra fiver on the nice place.

    16. The Slug and Lettuce.

    Ewan Munro / Via Flickr: 55935853@N00

    Alright unless it's one of those ones that turns into a club on the stroke of nine in which case you'll be forced to bellow at each other over your 2-for-1 cocktails.

    17. A really rowdy bar in your town.

    18. A really grim old man pub.

    Editor5807 / Via commons.wikimedia.org

    At least there are always seats.