First Dates Ireland’s head waiter Alice Marr revealed staff "discourage" daters from heavily drinking to avoid any morning-after regrets.
The RTE dating show has seen all walks of life come through their Dublin doors over the past seven years, some consisting in awkward endings and cringe conversations - whilst others have led to memorable moments and even one engagement.
But one thing First Dates doesn’t want to lead to is regret, and Alice admits she and her colleagues try to help avoid alcohol playing any part in that.
She told the Irish Mirror: “People are adults, so we can’t have rules over them. But what we do is we discourage people from heavily drinking.
“You even see it sometimes people ask me for shots, I’ll bring them one, but then they’ll ask me for more and I'll say ‘ah just have your dessert’ or change [the subject] if it seems like people [are getting drunk]."
Alice said it is "rare" but says she does try some subtle tricks if she ever feels the need to step in.
“There is that thing where you are nervous and you are drinking your wine faster than expected. And that is normal, and it is not super common that people are heavily drinking.
“But the dates that do, if it gets to the point where we are going ‘ok we don’t want them to regret anything’ we just act like we are terrible waiters.
“Or really slow with the drinks. It takes half an hour for their drinks to come,” she laughs.
“We just slow it down,” she added, going on to joke: “I think people have wisened up a bit while they are on the first date, especially on television.”
The Co Clare-based star has been a stalwart on the show since it began in 2015, after she was scouted by a producer whilst she was working at a bar in Dublin.
And over the past seven years, the actress, who was studying drama and theatre in Trinity at the time, has been witness to hundreds of dates.
From camera hiding places, cheeky chat-up lines on the side to early morning dates, the show favourite has lifted the lid on some of the biggest behind-the-scenes secrets as well as some of the biggest shocks for daters when they arrive to take part on the show.
“It’s funny people come in and they are like ‘you are actually a normal human’,” she said, recalling some daters that have experienced a sense of being star-struck when they enter the Gibson Hotel, where the show takes place.
Meanwhile, looking back at some of the chancers who have turned their attention to her instead of their organised date over the years, she added: “I have had a bit of attention in that way, but for the most part people have a bit of cop on to be respectful to their date.
“But there is a bit, and I think it is natural, and maybe also people put their foot in their mouth a bit because of nerves or if the date hasn’t worked out and they are a bit disappointed that also might be a reason.”
Meanwhile, she revealed that many aspects of the show, from table size to date times have come as a shock to contestants when they arrive to film.
She said: “One of the things [that surprises people] is the dates starting early."
The well-known telly personality, who also works behind the scenes on Irish shows, most recently RTE drama Smother, added: “Another one is the cameras are fixed on the walls and on the odd surface so they are quite subtle, but I think people expect that there is a whole crew of cameramen over their table so they have no privacy.
“Which is not the case at all... and that’s why they open up so much, because they actually feel like they have privacy.
“Sometimes I think they don’t expect that, they are looking around looking for cameras.”
“The place is quite intimate and small which is lovely and makes such a difference because people again can feel like they have that little bit of space in their date, but people expect it to be bigger sometimes."
Covid changes and social distancing measures have also added to this list in recent years.
“With Covid, we have those unbelievably long tables for safety. So definitely that has been unexpected for people over the years,” she added.
First Dates Ireland airs on RTE 2 on Thursday at 9.30pm.
