Wedded couple Matthew and Holly Way met online in 2018, while polytechnic sweethearts Shahrukh Irfan and Nadiya Nabilah had their first study date at McDonald's. SINGAPORE – Singapore’s hawker centres are great for many things: cheap meals, convenient access, even cultural cachet . It did, after all, earn Singapore its first inscription on Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
But first dates? Not so much, according to a survey published by online dating application Bumble earlier in 2024. It found that only around 16 per cent of Singaporeans went to a hawker centre on a first date, while just 30 per cent have been there at all with a partner. “Hawker centres are undoubtedly one of Singapore’s most iconic and popular dining locations, so I had expected more Singaporeans to have dates there more often,” says Ms Chen Meihui, 30, Bumble’s Asia-Pacific communications lead.
She adds that this lower-than-expected figure could be attributed to how couples might view eating at hawker centres as an act of convenience, instead of a date. In fact, 23 per cent of Gen Z respondents – aged 18 to 26 – feel that such eateries are “unacceptable” as a first-date spot, with 20 per cent of younger millennials – those aged 27 to 34 – and 18 per cent of older millennials – aged 35 to 47 – sharing that view. According to Bumble, this could signal that Gen Zers place more emphasis on the importance of first impressions.
Hawker centres were the main date venues for.