‘Stealing lunch orders to track men on LinkedIn’, single women new ‘creepy’ way to find a date is not so cute

Dating in today’s world has become a challenge, with both men and women hesitant to make the first move.

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But some single women in New York City are taking matters into their own hands, using unconventional and surprising methods to spark romantic connections.

A TikTok video by user @nicoleee461, which has garnered over 4.3 million views, sheds light on a new trend where women are heading to Midtown Manhattan during the workweek to steal men’s lunches.

Dating in NYC has gotten so bad that girls are stealing lunch orders from finance bros and stalking them on LinkedIn pic.twitter.com/6vtsRdhLV4

— Boring_Business (@BoringBiz_) July 13, 2025

According to the video, the women then use the names written on the lunch orders to track the men down on LinkedIn.

Once they’ve found them, they send a cheeky message saying they “accidentally ate their salad” and offer to make it up to them, by going on a date.

Reacting to the trend, the TikToker expressed her disbelief: “Why can’t they just come up to us at a bar? Why is it getting to this point?” She also offered a warning to men: if they’re not going to put in effort, they might lose more than just their chance at love, they might lose their lunch.

While this dating tactic may seem amusing or even cute to some, others find it creepy.

Dating coach Blaine Anderson explained to The New York Post that 53 per cent of men are afraid of being seen as creepy, which often discourages them from initiating conversations with women. Similarly, a study by behavioural neuroscientist Alexander of Date Psychology revealed that nearly 45 per cent of men aged 18 to 25 have never approached a woman in person, reports The Post.

This growing social anxiety has led to many men remaining single, while leaving space for "scammers" to exploit the emotionally vulnerable.