Are You Ready for a 'Foodie Call'?

A new trend has emerged on the dating scene in which a person schedules a date with someone they aren’t really interested in just to get a free meal.

The tactic has been dubbed a “foodie call,” and while it sounds absolutely ridiculous at first consideration, new research reveals it is happening quite often. Researchers at Azusa Pacific University in California and University of California-Merced had 357 heterosexual women answer a series of questions about their personalities, thoughts on traditional gender roles, and their personal foodie call histories. Interestingly, 33% of the participants admitted to engaging in at least one foodie call. 

A second study was also performed, this time on 820 women. Of the women collected, 85% reported being heterosexual, and they were used as the focus of the study. 

Respondents were asked a similar set of questions as the first group, and 23% acknowledged participating in a foodie call. It’s worth noting that most of the women surveyed believed a foodie call was anywhere from moderately to extremely unacceptable. 

Among both groups of women, those who admitted to foodie calls scored higher in the “dark triad” (narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism) of personality traits. 

Women who expressed belief in more traditional gender roles were also more likely to engage in a foodie call. So before that next date, you might want to ask, “Do you really like me? Or is it the free food?”