Her Hinge date mocked her job, criticized her 3,000-calorie dinner and complained they'd been 'hustled.' Then the waitress revealed what he'd done

Unfortunately, today, almost everyone online has their fair share of horror stories to share from the modern dating scene. Margot Lee (@margot.lee), a content creator, also joined the list recently after she said yes to a dinner date with a Hinge match. Even though she had already been warned about the place she was headed to, that wasn’t the worst part of her date. Instead, it was her date's lack of engagement in conversation and some off-putting comments about calories. It went so terribly wrong that it forced Lee to take to TikTok and vent out her frustration on August 8, 2026, where the clip racked up over 1.3 million views. 

First impression tanked

The ordeal began when the man pitched a dinner for their first date after they matched. Although Lee admitted that she wasn't a "dinner for the first date type of person," she reluctantly agreed after inferring from his profile that he abstained from drinking. Nonetheless, red flags emerged even before she arrived, as her cousin, who worked in hospitality, warned her not to go to this restaurant. Despite that, she decided to head there anyway, texting her date that she was running a little late. 

The dinner drama unfolds

When she arrived, Lee found her date was late too, offering only a silent up-and-down appraisal of her outfit before trying to swipe the better seat. Shortly after, the two began talking about their professions. It was then that Lee started detailing her stationery business and working in social media. But rather than engaging in the conversation, given that he himself owned a business, the man shut her down by saying, "I don't have an Instagram." He said so despite actually having an account, which Lee later found while scrolling the app. 

Dinner selections proved to be equally strained. That's because even though Lee explicitly stated that one thing she didn't want to order was anchovies, the man proceeded to order fish anyway. Not only did he completely ignore the server's guidance, but to make matters worse, he pulled out his phone for at least five minutes to hunt down an elusive file. Still, Lee tried to rescue the dynamic by asking about his extensive travels, only to be met with total conversational apathy. "There's an HBO documentary; you should just watch it," he told her.

Awkward calorie comment

The meal unraveled further when the dishes landed on the table. After which the man picked a lone piece of greens before declaring, "I'm so full, they hustled us." He further complained about having eaten a massive lunch and openly fixated on the portion size, blurting out that the shared spread was "probably 3,000 calories." After this comment, Lee was in a hurry to end the evening, and so she signaled the server to clear the nearly full table. After paying the check through his digital wallet, he walked outside as both of them waited for their rides. 

The tipping debacle

As they waited, the waitress followed them outside to gently state, "I think you maybe forgot to... sign." After a brief pause, Lee realized that since he complained about getting ripped off, he perhaps didn't leave a tip intentionally. Sure enough, that was the case. Unfortunately for Lee, though, his cab arrived first as he took off, leaving her to deal with the awkward conversation. Although she managed to make her way back home, this terrible experience was enough to make her swear off dating apps completely. 

Online dating is a mixed bag

Lee's experience is something a lot of people who use online dating apps have gone through. According to a Pew Research survey, 46% of Americans who have used a dating app report their experience to be very or somewhat negative. Moreover, 54% of women who used such apps claim they feel overwhelmed by the number of messages they get. At the same time, 49% of adults don't think dating apps are a safe way to meet new people. Naturally, a huge reason why they think so might be related to the experiences they've had in the past.

'Let’s normalize immediately leaving'

People are also getting frustrated by the dating scene, especially after hearing Lee's story. @toussaintwil wrote, "Ladies, let’s normalize immediately leaving when the vibe is bad. Strangers aren’t entitled to your time!" Meanwhile, @rosesandrozay commented, "Once they start texting or checking their phone, I purposely do not touch my phone for the entire night to make them feel terrible about themselves."

Follow Margot Lee (@margot.lee) for more lifestyle content. 

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