Hosts at an Australian radio station are furious after hearing that restaurants are using fake dating profiles to ‘fill seats’ in their restaurants.
KIIS FM duo Kyle and Jackie O were shocked when a caller called and revealed that several of her friends had fallen victim to online dating fraud set up by institutions.
“I actually have a lot of single friends who are on Tinder and [other dating apps]’ the caller began.
“They go on dates and organize get-togethers at fancy restaurants, but then the man apparently doesn’t show up.”
She continued, “But this has happened a few times – it even turns out that the restaurants are doing this to women to fill their spaces. So I was wondering if you’ve ever heard of it?’
Hosts at an Australian radio station are furious after hearing that restaurants are using fake dating profiles to ‘fill seats’ in their restaurants
Presenters Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson were initially confused by the shocking revelation, before expressing their outrage at the devious plan.
“So they’re catfishing?” asked Jackie, 49, as Kyle replied: “Definitely not.”
The caller added that one of the waiters at one location even admitted that the establishment was catfishing customers in an attempt to get bookings.
“One of my friends asked the waiter and he said he sees this all the time. They’re just trying to fill the tables with attractive women,” she continued, saying many new restaurants do this to get their name out there.
The trick, called ‘food digging’, came to light in November 2023. The idea is that a restaurant, posing as a fake dating profile, organizes a ‘date’ with a victim in a certain place. The victim then gets up, but the restaurant looks popular as their seats are filled
It is also a ‘cheap’ way to attract customers, as most victims will inevitably buy something at the restaurant while they are there
Kyle, 51, admitted the tactic was a base act and couldn’t believe women are falling victim to the scam.
“That’s the lowest form of restaurant seat filling ideas I’ve ever heard of,” Kyle said.
“So all these poor old ducks are out there waiting for the man of their dreams. They already ate the sandwich, so you promised to pay, and no one ever shows up. I can’t believe there are restaurants doing this.”
The trick, called ‘food digging’, came to light in November 2023 after several TikTok users tackled the brazen scam.
Hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson (pictured) were initially confused by the shocking revelation, but were outraged by the underhanded tactics
The idea is that a restaurant, posing as a fake dating profile, organizes a ‘date’ with a victim in a certain place.
The victim is then stood up and inevitably ends up buying something from the restaurant anyway so the venue makes money and fills seats to look popular.
If dating app users are leery of potential restaurant scammers, you can avoid this scam by suggesting a cheaper dating alternative and seeing how they respond.