Hoda Kotb reveals her dream first date would be at Chili’s… as she plans third date with mystery man introduced to her by Today co-host Jenna Bush Hager

Hoda Kotb’s dating life has become fodder for fans since she admitted to taking another dip in the dating pool recently.

One of the more surprising admissions of the Co-hosting the show today revealed during an interview with Page six was her dream date destination, which some people might think requires a five-star luxury restaurant.

“I like Cracker Barrel, Cheesecake Factory, Olive Garden and Red Lobster and Outback,” Kotb revealed, before sharing one of her most popular restaurant chains. “Don’t diss any of these. Chilis!’

Kotb, 59, recently just had her first date since her split from ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman in December 2021, which translates to more than two years of flying solo.

It turns out that it was her friend and co-host Jenna Bush Hager who introduced Kotb to the mystery, although she has since clarified that she “doesn’t really know him.”

“Jenna is a great picker; She really is,” Kotb said of her friend and colleague, before delving deeper into the conversation she had about the mystery man.

“She says, ‘Look, I just want you to know: I don’t really know him.’ A friend of mine knows a friend,” Kotb said of her Today With Hoda & Jenna co-host, as reported by Page six again.

Last month, Bush Hager, 42, teased on Today that she was “in the process” of dating a close friend.

So far, it seems like the journalist and author is headed toward a budding romance, as she’s already had a second date with the man and admitted she “had a great time.”

The author of Hoda: How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer, and Kathie Lee even went so far as to say that a third date was in the planning stages as of last Friday.

“We have our third one coming, but it’s really fun,” said the Norman, Oklahoma, native who grew up in Morgantown, West Virginia Entertainment tonight in an interview that same day.

‘You know what? Life is Beautiful! Like, try things, go out, leave your house and your apartment,” she explained, discussing why she decided to start dating again after more than two years. “I feel like life is meant to be experienced and stepped into.”

In addition to her preference for some of the better-known franchise restaurants, Kotb also has some simple dating requirements that are a must if there is a second date or beyond.

The television personality revealed that she is planning her third date with a mystery man who was introduced to her by friend and Today co-host Jenna Bush Hager.

Before being created by Bush Hager, the journalist and author had not dated since splitting with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman in December 2021.

“Someone who is not polite,” she revealed, is usually at the top of the red flag list. ‘If they don’t hold the door open, if they don’t listen, if they start eating before I eat. You must be polite. I’m a manners person.’

She added: “I’ve never seen my mother open a car door. My father always opened it. So manners are important.”

Kotb, who is dating again as a single mother of two, shares daughters Hope, four, and Haley, seven, with Schiffman, whom she dated for eight years, the last two as an engaged couple.

Viewers got a sign that her romance might be in jeopardy when many of them noticed she wasn’t wearing her engagement ring in January 2022.

Kotb is currently promoting her new children’s book – Hope Is A Rainbow with illustration by Chloe Dominique – which has already been deemed a New York Times Bestseller

Along with Hope Is A Rainbow, Kotb is the author of two New York Times bestsellers for adults, including Hoda: How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer and Kathie Lee.

“Joel and I have had many prayerful and meaningful conversations over the holidays and we have decided that we are better as friends and parents than as an engaged couple, so we have decided that we are going to start this new year…on our new path as loving parents to our adorable, sweet children, and as friends,” Kotb revealed at the time.

“They say sometimes relationships are meant to be there for a reason, for a season or for a lifetime, and I feel like ours was meant to be for a season.”

The proud mother is enjoying the success of her latest book, reaching #1 bestseller status in the New York Times. Illustrated by Chloe Dominique, Hope Is A Rainbow is a book “about finding hope in ordinary places,” according to Cavalier House Books.

“A lyrical celebration of hope in children, Hoda Kotb’s new book teaches the youngest readers how to achieve their dreams—whether they are as big as the night sky or as small as a bowl of purple ice cream. It’s a lesson in optimism and what a positive outlook can bring.”