Once upon a time, a friend told me that no one really takes people out on coffee dates. But I (ever the least fun person at a party) proved her wrong. Because I almost exclusively ask first dates to meet me at a coffee shop. Something about the atmosphere just makes me feel relaxed. Somehow, chatting over a latte or a cup of tea on Saturday afternoon feels way less loaded than sipping on a glass of wine at 9 p.m. on Friday night.
I can't pretend that most of my coffee dates weren't awkward, as first dates tend to be. But, they did and do still happen. I've actually witnessed several other people on awkward coffee dates just by popping into Starbucks for a black tea. So, in the spirit of continuing to prove my friend wrong, I asked baristas to spill the beans (pun intended) about the most awkward coffee dates they've witnessed. Ahead, eight baristas spin some of the saddest and most cringe-worthy tales you'll ever read.
"She just started crying."
"This isn't awkward! Just sad. I saw a girl sit down and wait for at least two hours for someone to show up. She sat in my section, and ordered coffee after coffee, just waiting. Eventually, I stopped by to see if she needed anything else. And she just started crying. She said, 'I guess he's not coming after all.' I gave her a cookie on the house, but she didn't eat it."— Rebecca, 24
She was late and aggressive.
"This guy waited three hours for his date to show up, and once she finally did show up she was very rude to him and kept getting mad that he wasn't talking much. She proceeds to leave after about five minutes there. He comes up and says to us, 'Well that was the most awkward first date ever.'"— Hanna, 17
His effusive respect for women seemed like over-compensation.
"I was working front register when a girl walked in, clearly dressed up for a date, and sat in the cafe immediately. A few moments later, a man I'd gone to high school with who was a complete jerk walked in and sat with her. They'd obviously never met before.
"I could hear him talking about how much of a player he was back then, and how he'd turned his life around to respect women. The girl's face went from horrified to bored while he said, 'Oh I love women so much! Women are how this society gets going. Men wouldn't be anywhere without their wives to have children!' I've never seen someone book it from a date as fast as she did. He didn't even look concerned, just stood up, ordered a black coffee from me, and went on his way."— Molly, 23
See the rest of the story at Business Insider