New Service Will Help DC Millennials Find Dates in Real Life

DC resident Rebecca Yarbrough and her former roommates, Meghan Benton and Liz Eggleston, wanted to offer twentysomethings looking for a connection something besides Tinder—something a lot more personal than a swipe to the left or right.

“People are fatigued with the online dating process,” Yarbrough said. “We noticed that it’s more efficient for people to meet someone in person.”

And so the idea for the Offline Society was born. Inspired by New York’s Spring Street Social Society, Yarbrough wants her Washington-based, in-real-life social society to bring DC’s great catches together in creative spaces and group outings.

“DC is unique because the people here are so transient,” Yarbrough said. “They’re people focused on their careers, they’re constantly moving—people we might miss out on knowing through online dating and apps.”

The Offline Society advertises bringing “curated groups” of “romantically unattached” people together for supper clubs, private music shows, boat parties, whiskey events—outings that are more than just weekend happy hours in Dupont Circle.

Questions—mainly about your social life and interests—in the online membership application help Yarbrough create these curated groups of people who have similar traits.

And, as the social group’s name suggests, the events will be completely offline—members will be asked to put their mobile devices in a box at the beginning of the event. “We don’t want phones to be a crutch for people,” Yarbrough said. “We want people to make in-person connections instead.”

The Offline Society’s opening event will be Thursday, June 18, from 7-10 p.m. The event location will be announced June 17. For more membership information, go to offlinesociety.com.

UPDATE: Offline Society’s opening event will be held at Mess Hall Culinary Incubator (703 Edgewood Street, NE) and are also partnering with the ridesharing app Split to offer free rides for attendees to and from the event. For more event details, go to offlinesociety.com.

Ryan Weisser

UX Designer

As Washingtonian’s UX designer, Ryan works with Washingtonian’s editorial and digital teams to design digital products that address reader’s needs online. Her background in interactive journalism and web production influence design strategies that ensure users have the best possible experience–on any platform.

Ryan enjoys running, trying new restaurants in DC, and Instagramming her favorite places around DC. You can follow her on Instagram (@ryan_weisser) and on Twitter (@Ryan_Weisser).