Stop us if any of this sounds familiar: You’ve recently dug up never-before-used puzzles from the games closet. Your Google search history includes “How to bake ciabatta.” And checking your phone’s screen time report? Forget about it.
At first, coronavirus was simply scary. And to be honest, it’s still scary. But with social distancing and shelter-in-place becoming the new normal, life has become a little lonely – and even boring, as well.
To combat the feelings of isolation and remind CMBers that we’re in this together (at least virtually), we’ve launched Coffee Talk: a virtual meetup with the CMB community.
Coffee Talk: conversations from the couch
Sure, we may have to be physically apart, but Coffee Talk gives CMB singles the chance to get their socialization on from the comfort of their own home – cozy slippers and glass of wine optional.
Every Tuesday and Friday at 8 p.m. local time, we’ll be hosting virtual meetups for bagels in five major shelter-in-place cities: San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.
How does it work?
Once each session starts, participants will be greeted by a CMB moderator. They’ll go over some ground rules and then kick things off with an initial icebreaker.
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From there, everyone will break into small groups of 6-8 people so they can have more intimate conversations. After about 20 minutes, we do a little bit of video-chat musical chairs and switch up groups, giving participants the opportunity to meet as many new people as possible.
And while we’ll provide an icebreaker or two, anything goes for conversation – from dating during COVID-19, to your latest Animal Crossing tips and Netflix picks (“Tiger King,” anyone?)
At the end of the hour, we’ll bring all of the groups back together for some parting words. And if some CMB singles happened to hit it off, romantically or platonically, they’ll have the opportunity to exchange contact info via DM.
The buzz on Coffee Talk
We’ve hosted a few Coffee Talks so far and the response has been overwhelmingly positive: When surveyed, more than 90% of participants said they would join again.
Many participants felt that chatting with people who are also getting used to this “weird new world” helped normalize their emotions. Hearing that you’re not alone in this feeling helps make it a bit more manageable.
“I believe that CMB’s mission to create real connections is even more important in uncertain times like this,” says Dawoon Kang, Coffee Meets Bagel’s co-founder and -CEO. “We needed to be creative about how we can enable them to stay connected with one another in times of social distancing, shelter-in-place, and self quarantining.”
With the news cycle constantly changing and being cut off from our normal day-to-day interactions, something as simple as a casual conversation with strangers can be the thing that turns your day around.
How do I sign up?
When you open the app on Tuesdays and Fridays before 3 p.m. local time, we’ll show an in-app announcement that will let you sign up for that night’s event.
Remember, we’re hosting small groups to help daters really get to know one another, so that means space is limited. After signing up, be on the lookout for a follow-up email to let you know whether your spot is confirmed. If one night’s roster fills up fast, don’t let that deter you from signing up for the next one. We have plenty to talk about, so be sure to try again.
To sign up for our Coffee Talks on Tuesdays and Fridays at 8 p.m. local time, open your app (and hey, maybe check your noon bagel while you’re at it.).
Ready to get your virtual chat on? Download Coffee Meets Bagel to text yourself a link. Or, download CMB directly from your phone: iOS | Android