While the connection may not be immediately obvious, fast food and swiping-style dating apps actually have a lot in common. Both bring people together and offer instant gratification.
The idea of finding love through food has, more than once, been picked up by various dating platforms. Last Valentine's Day, burger chain Shake Shack (SHAK) launched a limited-time dating app in which people could match with partners based on how spicy they like their food.
At the height of the pandemic, Bumble (BMBL) and Uber Eats (UBER) tried to get people to go on "virtual dinner dates" with a stranger by ordering in and eating it in front of a potential suitor.
Would You Like Some Sauce While Swiping Right?
The latest chain to partner with a dating app is Kentucky Fried Chicken. The Yum! Brands (YUM)-owned fried chicken giant recently launched a new Buffalo Ranch sauce and, to promote it, is partnering with Match Group (MTCH)-owned Tinder.
The sauce, which is a spicier take on the chain's classic ranch dipping sauce, is now being sold at KFC locations across the country.
BBQ, honey mustard and regular ranch are some of the other sauces one can get alongside KFC's tenders or chicken wings.
From Oct. 21, Tinder users will be hit with a "What's Your Sauce Style?" quiz that they can take for a chance to win two "Saucy Dream Date" tickets to a concert and backstage meeting with Jack Harlow.
KFC/TS
Earlier this year, the Grammy-nominated rapper partnered with KFC to design a celebrity meal based on what the 24-year-old Kentucky native likes to order when he stops by the chain: a KFC Spicy Chicken Sandwich, Secret Recipe Fries, macaroni and cheese with a side of ranch and a cold lemonade.
"This is such a fun way to spice up the modern dating experience," Tinder SVP of Marketing Stephanie Danzi said in a statement. "We know our members are connecting over food – being a 'foodie' is one of the top Interests they add to their profiles."
To take the romance theme further, KFC also launched the "Tinder Tenders" meal. Those whose idea of a hot date involves eating fried chicken together will be able to order six Extra Crispy tenders, two sides, two biscuits, two medium beverages and the new sauce through the KFC app and on KFC.com.
Tinder And Reputation: New Ventures
Launched in 2012, Tinder had seen several years of astronomical growth and set off a wave of dating apps that have users "swipe" left or right after looking at a few pictures and a short description of a potential prospect.
By 2014, the company was reporting more than one billion daily "swipes" a day. Tinder's popularity waned somewhat in an age of other options like Bumble, Hinge and The League (the latter two are also owned by Match Group.)
In August, the app's first female CEO Renate Nyborg announced that she would be stepping down after less than a year on the job. At the time she began, many analysts expected Nyborg to shake up the app's reputation that lingered after a 2014 sexual harassment suit was filed and later settled by former co-founder Whitney Wolfe.
Partnerships like the one with KFC help dating apps' image in a different way as they draw in a new audience of food fans. Match Group stock is currently down almost 70% since the start of the year.
