Anyone who has watched a dating show knows that booze can lead to bad decisions. But what if you swap Champagne for caffeine?
That's the premise for "Dream Date: A Sip at Love," a new TikTok series hosted by red-hot comedian Hannah Berner and produced by Caribou Coffee. And because the company is headquartered in Brooklyn Center, all 12 of the first singles are from the Twin Cities.
"We're really excited to showcase these connections and how they are having fun with our drinks," said Courtney Gifford, Caribou's digital engagement and loyalty marketing manager.
The series premieres Wednesday afternoon, with a new episode dropping each week. Participants, who were selected from a casting call in May, range in age from 18 to 24. In hopes of appealing to a demographic with notoriously short attention spans, none of the six episodes lasts longer than 3 minutes. At the end of each "speed date," the couple decide if they are a "dreamy match" or a "real pass."
They may be speed dating on warp drive, but episodes manage to squeeze in a wide range of unexpected moments, including a staring contest and someone showing off her ability to do "the worm."
Berner wasn't raised in the Minnesota, but she did play tennis for the University of Wisconsin-Madison and often performs in the area.
"Midwesterners tend to be more polite. I don't know if that's a good thing," said Berner, who will bring her podcast "Giggly Squad" to the Orpheum Theatre on Oct. 23 and 24. "Maybe they stick together too long because they are too polite to break up."
Berner, whose Netflix special "We Ride at Dawn" debuts July 9, brings her irreverent wit to the role of matchmaker. In one episode, she challenges the daters to sip their coffee in a flirty way — then busts one of them for looking like a serial killer.
"I wasn't holding back," Berner said in a phone interview this week from Long Island. "You try to create a space where everyone is having fun, but also are a little nervous about what I'm going to say. I want to keep everyone on their toes."
Caribou, which has been around since 1992, is hoping to take advantage of the fact that Gen Z and millennials see random encounters at coffee shops as a welcome alternative to trolling through prospects on dating apps. According to a recent survey by Eventbrite, coffee shops are the preferred place to meet someone outside of work — ahead of concerts and museums.
The "Dream Date" encounters were shot on a minimalist set at Acme Stage and Annex Studios in Minneapolis, with Caribou passing up an opportunity to showcase some of its 300-plus locations in the state. Participants won no prizes for finding romance, but they presumably got free refills of lattes and fruit shakers. Plus, they had the chance to hang with one of comedy's fastest-rising stars.
"Dream Date" could be a kissing cousin to "Han on the Street," Berner's internet shorts in which she grills men on topics from tampons to Hailey Bieber.
"She does a great job with that series," Gifford said. "She's so authentic. Plus, she really likes Caribou coffee."
Those who want to check out "Dream Date" should visit Caribou's TikTok Channel (@cariboucoffee). Highlights will appear on the coffee company's Instagram account.
