Women steal men's lunches in NYC to find dates: report

In a recent viral TikTok, a user suggested that some single women in New York City are turning to unconventional tactics to meet eligible men—including stealing their lunch orders.

Nicole Or, known on TikTok as @nicoleee461, said she had heard of women stopping by a busy Midtown lunch spot during the work week to take salad orders intended for “finance bros.” According to Or, after grabbing the food, these women then use the name on the order to track the men down on LinkedIn and send a message.

“Hey, oh my God. So sorry. I grabbed your salad. Let me just make it up to you and buy you a new one,” is reportedly the kind of message they would send. Or captioned her post, “It’s rough out here,” and added, “Men, please step up or your salad is gonna f*cking get taken.”

In her video, Or expressed frustration about the dating landscape, asking, “Why can’t they just come up to us at a bar? Why is it getting to this point?”

The New York Post reported that it had not found any women confirming they had actually used this method to meet men. 

Many singles say they wish more in-person interactions would happen organically. “I wish it happened more often,” said Kathryn Rose, 33, of Astoria. “I think it’s a lost art.” Another city resident, Jhonatan Mendoza, 28, told the Post that while he doesn’t usually make the first move, being approached “feels pretty good to the ego.”

According to Date Psychology, a website run by behavioral neuroscientist Alexander, around 45% of men aged 18 to 25 have never approached a woman in person. Blaine Anderson, a dating coach, told the Post that over half of the men she surveyed admitted that fear of being perceived as “creepy” stops them from approaching women.

Connell Barrett, a men’s dating coach, said that being seen as creepy often comes down to behavior. “The first kind of creepy is a guy who objectifies a woman for her looks and her body — like a cat caller,” Barrett explained. He added that another type is someone who is not upfront about his intentions: “He’s not putting any romantic cards on the table.”

Laura Beasley, 54, offered a simple piece of advice: “Just be straightforward. There are a lot of stupid lines out there.”