Emily Chan
Lateness isn’t a good look, especially for a first date. It’s taken as a sign of bad manners and thought of as disrespectful and inconsiderate.
When you’re meeting up with a date who still hasn’t arrived a few minutes after the agreed-upon time, it can feel awkward sitting there by yourself, wondering if they’re planning to make an appearance or if you’re going to be stood up.
So, how long should you wait for a date to turn up before you leave? TikTok creator Winston Hines (@winstonhines) is asking viewers what the appropriate amount of time is to wait for a late date after a recent experience where he was left unsure about what to do.
So he set up a Hinge date with a woman he had never met before. It was to be their first date, and they agreed to meet at 7:30.
He arrived twenty minutes early at 7:10, giving himself enough time to find parking to make sure he wouldn’t be tardy. But after sitting at the spot for a while, he looked at his watch, which read that it was 24 minutes past the appointed time, and she still hadn’t shown up.
She did text him to let him know she was running behind, which was in line with dating protocol. Allowing your date to be a little bit late isn’t that huge of a deal. But most people aren’t willing to wait around all night for someone they don’t even know very well, including Winston.
When he checked his watch again, she was 30 minutes late. At that point, he was ready to leave. He ended the video by asking where he should draw the line. Is the proper cut-off time 30 minutes? Or should he have left way before that?
Several TikTok users chimed in the comments section, sharing some of the guidelines they stick by when it comes to tardiness in dating.
“15 minutes is more than enough for me to know everything I need to know,” stated one user.
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