friend don't let friends group date

i was out this past weekend and i was witness to the worst dating experience ever. the sad thing about it is that i have done it and have known several of my girlfriends to do it also. it is called a group date. it should only be done if you are 13 yrs old and your parents are in the back row waiting to take people home after the movie is over. i was at dinner at a local sports bar and i noticed a group of young people come in together. i thought it was nice that 3 couples were hanging out together. but i noticed the seating arrangement and realized it was a group date. the girls sat on one side of the table and the guys on the other side. *sigh* this was not going to be a good night for the guy and girl that actually liked each other. see that is the basis for a group date. one girl like one guy but the girl doesn't want the awkwardness of a first date alone. so she invites her two closest girlfriend (one cute but not as cute as her and one big girl) and invites his 2 homies. now when the two homies see the two girlfriends, of course they are both interested in the cute girl, not to say that the big girl is not cute but we working off of initial reactions. now this is all in my head because all i see at the table across from me are 3 guys and 3 girls. then suddenly the 3 young ladies dismiss themselves from the table. i assume they went to the restroom. but they were gone for about 20 minutes or long enough for what they ordered to be served and they were still not back. in the meantime the guys ordered some beers and started in on their appetizers and entrees when they arrived. once the ladies returned, they all started in on their salads. *sigh* ladies why do we pretend that we don't really want a burger and fries? from the meals ordered, i assumed it was a first date because they had not seen each other eat. if she had eaten in front of the guy she liked, then she would have had those wings and fries. there was little to no convo at the table accept between the guy and girl who should have gone on this date alone. i left the sports bar before i could dissect the situation even further. but i imagine that the 2 girlfriends were ready to go and the girl who wanted to spend time with her new prospective guy wasn't driving. so guess what? she got nothing out of the night but some salad that left her hungry at the end of the night. i know that first dates can make you a little nervous, but the point is to get to know the other person. that is a little difficult with 4 other people around. pick a nice spot that you can meet at and have a decent conversation. if you are worried about what to eat, split an appetizer with your date or go to a tapas restaurant (smaller portions).

MORAL: Group dates are a no no unless everybody is part of a couple