Presenters at an Australian radio station have been left 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 revealed that several of their friends had fallen victim to online dating scams set up by establishments.
“In fact, I have a lot of single friends who are on Tinder and [other dating apps]” the caller began.
“They get dates and arrange to meet at fancy restaurants and then the guy apparently doesn’t show up.”
She continued, “But this has happened several times. In fact, it turns out that restaurants are doing this to women to fill their spots.” ‘So she was wondering if you’ve ever heard of this.’
Presenters at an Australian radio station have been left furious after hearing that restaurants are using fake dating profiles to “fill seats” in their restaurants.
Presenters Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson were confused by the shocking revelation at first, before expressing their outrage at the devious plan.
“So you’re catfishing?” Jackie, 49, asked, while Kyle responded, “Surely not.”
The caller added that one of the servers at one location even admitted that the establishment was fishing for customers in an attempt to get reservations.
‘One of my friends asked the waiter and told him he saw this all the time. “They just try to fill the tables with attractive women,” he continued, saying that many new restaurants do it to get his name out there.
The hack, dubbed a “food dig,” came to light in November 2023. The idea is that a restaurant, posing as a fake dating profile, sets up a “date” with a victim at a certain location. The victim is then stood up, but the restaurant seems popular as its seats are full.
It is also a “discreet” way to attract customers, as most victims will inevitably buy something from the restaurant while they are there.
Kyle, 51, admitted the tactic was a menial act and couldn’t believe women were falling victim to the scam.
“That’s the lowest form of restaurant seat-filling ideas I’ve ever heard,” Kyle said.
‘So all these poor old men are out there, waiting for the man of their dreams. They’ve already eaten the bun, so you’ve agreed to pay and no one ever shows up. “I can’t believe there are restaurants that do this.”
The hack, dubbed ‘food digging’, came to light in November 2023 after several TikTok users addressed the brutal scam.
Presenters Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson (pictured) were confused by the shocking revelation at first, but were outraged by the devious tactic.
The idea is that a restaurant, posing as a fake dating profile, arranges a “date” with a victim at a certain location.
The victim is then stood up and inevitably ends up buying something at the restaurant anyway, so the place makes money and fills the seats to appear popular.
If dating app users are suspicious of potential restaurant scammers, one way to avoid this scam is to suggest a cheaper dating alternative and see how they respond.