Taken to dinner, but no dessert for Oxford student.
Take Me to Dinner, the online dating service set up by an Oxford student, made the news again this week as a Sunday Mirror journalist went undercover to test quite how much he could get for his money. Gretchen Lennon, a first year Law student from Keble, was ‘shocked and upset’ to find herself the subject of the national newspaper article.
Meanwhile Grant Hodgson, the hopeful journalist, was disappointed to report that his £300 date really was a dinner- only affair, his insinuations of ‘extra’ services falling on surprised and unreceptive ears. Launched on May 19 by Balliol fourth year Nick Dekker, the Take Me to Dinner service incorporates Dekker’s Oxford Escorts company. Around forty dates have so far been arranged through the site, with several members booking four or five.
However, The London Line newspaper attempted to pull a similar trick last week to the Sunday Mirror, as former Oxford student ‘Trouca’ also declined to bed his date, one might wonder how many of these arrangements have been made by journalists. Indeed, the service is a gift for tabloid hacks, fighting to get that first ‘Oxford students sell sex’ scoop. For Lennon, the date began at the King’s Arms last Thursday night, before heading on to the Quod bar and restaurant on the High Street.
She told The Oxford Student that, contrary to the claims of the Sunday Mirror article, the subject of ‘extras’ was never explicitly broached, although a desire for such after dinner ‘entertainment’ was frequently implied by Hodgson. “However, I made it very clear from the start that I was being paid for dinner and nothing else,” she said. Although the date lasted for two and a half hours, it was Lennon who called it short, excusing herself with an essay crisis.
It was not until Lennon read the article in the Sunday Mirror that she realised Hodgson’s real credentials. During the date Hodgson was “very vague” about personal details according to Lennon, introducing himself as ‘Lee’ and telling the undergraduate that he worked in IT.
Although Lennon relinquished her membership of the service on Sunday following the publication of the article, which she described as “unwanted attention,” she told The Oxford Student she did not regret her experience, and that the date was always going to be a one-off anyway. Lennon registered with the dating service as a ‘joke’ with friends, who had in fact been present in the King’s Arms when the student met up with her date, and phoned at intervals throughout the evening.
Lennon had wanted to “have a giggle”’ although she admits that in the end, the joke was on her: “I was just unfortunate,” she told this newspaper, “hopefully others might learn from my experience … Nothing harmful happened; I was unhurt, safe, and made £300.” Paying such a high sum for a dinner date, however, Hodgson might be excused for hoping a little extra could be included in the price.
Nick Dekker, the fourth year Balliol Classicist behind the online company, told The Oxford Student that members need to, “price themselves accordingly”. For a journalist seeking to bed an Oxford undergraduate, perhaps it made safer betting to gamble on the more expensive option. Dekker pointed to the site’s ‘ultimate dates’, which currently number just six, as those dating partners who might offer the best time.
Handpicked by a special committee, ultimate dates are chosen for a combination of factors, ranging from charm and beauty to intellectual ability, according to the company website, “I was surprised that the journalist did not go for one of these,” said Dekker. However, he was quick to stress that the company is an online dating service and not an escort service, providing intelligent dinner conversation for businessmen.
He did not believe that the expectations of journalists seeking to expose the company were an accurate reflection of the other clients using the service for its intended purposes, and said: “So far, the company has had very positive feedback."
9th Jun 2005