This summer, dating app Bumble is unveiling Bumble Brew, a “safe space” cafe for real-life meet-ups in the city of New York. Jenny Southan reports
After months instant messages, Zoom dates and park walks during lockdown, innovative dating app Bumble (on which women have to make the first move), has made the clever decision to open its own real-life cafe and wine bar as a place for new lovers to share coffee and small plates.
“Get to know them over delicious food and wine,” the website states.
A collaboration with Delicious Hospitality Group (which recently re-launched the hospitality component aboard airline JetBlue’s Mint Class), Bumble Brew is located in Manhattan’s Nolita neighborhood and will be open for breakfast Wednesday to Sunday (8am to 12pm), as well as lunch and dinner.
The Bumble Brew website explains: “At Bumble, we bring people together to build genuine connections both on and off the app. In 2017, we took the Bumble experience offline and into the real world through our Bumble Hive concepts — pop-up spaces in New York City’s Soho neighborhood, London, Austin, LA and beyond.
“Through these pop-ups, we offered our community an opportunity to enjoy food and drinks, foster connections, and experience entertainment and interactive sessions with entrepreneurs and thought-leaders, all in one place.
“Our community clearly had an appetite for a permanent physical location to connect, so we created Bumble Brew – an all-day cafe and wine bar.
“We recognise the importance of relationships and how crucial they are to a healthy, happy life. We’re so excited to collaborate with Delicious Hospitality Group on this initiative and look forward to creating a space where we can bring purpose and community to daily life.”
Due to open in July, it is now experiencing a short delay. A Bumble spokesperson told Globetrender: “As is common with most new restaurant openings, we’ve had to address a few unexpected construction elements that we’re finalising before opening.”
We also asked for more details about the customer experience. Globetrender was told there will be an “Italian-inspired menu focused predominantly on vegetables, handmade pasta and shareable plates”. The wine program will be “robust and in line with what’s come to be expected of Delicious Hospitality”.
Globetrender was also told there will be perks for Bumble users, including access to exclusive events, but the restaurant will be open for anyone to enjoy. “At the moment, we don’t have any concrete plans to open additional restaurants, but we’re always exploring ways that we can offer our community unique opportunities to connect,” a spokesperson said.
Globetrender predicts it won’t be long until Bumble Brew is a global chain – and other dating apps such as Tinder branch into everything from cocktail bars to Japanese-style love hotels.