Dating app Bumble to open wine bar in New York

Dating app Bumble, which only allows women to make the first move, is expanding its brand with the opening of a café and wine bar in New York City.

As reported by Bloomberg, Bumble Brew in New York’s SoHo district will run as a café by day serving coffee and pastries, and a wine bar by night.

Launched in collaboration with Delicious Hospitality, the small plates served at the bar will avoid awkward first date foods like drippy burgers and sloppy spaghetti.

An artist’s impression of what Bumble Brew will look like

“No spaghetti – nothing that would be awkward on a first date,” Ellis Roche, Bumble’s chief of staff, told Bloomberg.

Created by chef Ryan Hardy, dishes such as super food salads, cured meat platters, and Italian sandwiches layered with cold cuts, will range from US$12-15.

Delicious Hospitality partner Grant Reynolds has created the wine list, which will include 15 wines by the glass from $12-$16, as well as a list of bottles made from well-known grape varieties like Pinot Noir from easy to pronounce regions.

The café-cum-wine bar will serve as a meeting space for Bumble users keen to network, date or meet friends, and will host networking events and date nights.

The 70-seater Bumble Brew is due to open off Mulberry Street in Manhattan this autumn.

The dating app plans to roll out the café concept across the US. Bumble has previously hosted pop-up Hive events in New York, London, LA and Toronto that included panel discussions on everything from health and relationships to tech.

Founded in 2014 in Austin, Texas, Bumble has over 60 million users in 150 countries. Around 40% of its users live in Manhattan.