It Turns Out McDonald's Isn't Exactly A Great First Date Destination

You're at a fancy restaurant on a first date. The tables all have embroidered linen table cloth. The ambiance is romantic and dark, lit only by candlelight. Your waiter dons a tux and serves thinly-sliced baguettes with a grassy pesto-butter mixture, and your glass of oak-aged red wine compliments your upcoming meal of filet mignon medallions — oh, who are we kidding? Your date took you to the local McDonald's and you're in a booth directly near the Play Place full of screaming kids and right across from the man who's still in his pajama bottoms.

To say that McDonald's isn't popular would certainly be an understatement. Not only is it estimated that McDonald's has one restaurant per 24,000 citizens in the United States, but it's also reported that over 25 million people each day visit the establishment to dine on everything from Big Macs to McNuggets. Needless to say, people love McDonald's. It's cheap, easy, and filling. No doubt the fast food chain has mastered its business model and has no plans to change it any time soon.

But as popular and widespread as McDonald's is, it may surprise you that not many people consider the Golden Arches to be a "romantic place," especially for a first date. What is it about McDonald's that makes so many couples consider it to be a place where dates end before they even begin?

While taking your partner to McDonald's for lunch may be a nice gesture, it's probably not something you'd want to do on the first date to impress them. In fact, METRO shared that of 11,000 people polled on the topic of first-date destinations, a large percentage of them agreed that McDonald's wasn't the most impressive place to be taken on the first date.

The poll was taken by the United Kingdom-based Bingo website, Trombola, and 11,000 players were asked what they thought the worst possible first date would be. While 20% of those polled believed that going to the movies was a bad choice for a first date, 13% claimed that McDonald's was the worst possible option. But what exactly makes McDonald's so unpopular among budding couples if it's such a popular spot any other time?

According to Jessica Alderson, the CEO and co-founder of the dating app So Syncd, the reason why people view McDonald's as a poor first date choice is actually McDonald's strength — its cheapness. McDonald's itself may not be viewed as bad, but as Alderson states, it "gives the impression that someone doesn't care about impressing their date." You could save McDonald's for a more casual affair and instead focus on making the first date special.

Okay, so bringing your partner to McDonald's on the first date isn't exactly going to wow them, we understand that. But if McDonald's is one of the worst restaurants to go first-date-wise, then what exactly are the criteria for a restaurant to be a good first-date destination?

Some good rules of thumb to keep in mind when choosing a restaurant include ambiance, price, and menu. You're looking for a place that's comfortable and a bit quiet, so you can talk, and has food that you both enjoy. The date spot should also have a price range that you can both agree on, while it may impress your partner to see you flaunting some cash, you don't want to break the bank. A date at a  fancy restaurant is something that would no doubt be impressive, communication is key, so talk it out with your partner and plan around that.

Of course, no matter what restaurant you go to, it's always important that you're on your best behavior. Some helpful pieces of advice include preparing interesting conversation, being confident and open-minded, and above all, making sure to be yourself. So long as you treat your first date with respect, any location will be a good choice — just make an effort to avoid any fast food.