Dating : Table for Two at Your First Date Restaurant

In movies, first dates look like romantic picnics in the park, a tapas restaurant with plates to share, or a cutesy 60s diner where the two of you share a chocolate milkshake and giggle over childhood memories.

In reality, my first date took place at a stoner-themed sandwich shop on the campus of Arizona State University, where a 4-inch sub was called a Nug and a 12-inch sub was a Blunt.

The menu features sandwiches titled “Magic Mushroom, “Bowl O’ Balls,” and “Dank.” It was every girl’s dream to have her crush take her there in between college classes. Sense the sarcasm?

I can’t hate on Cheba Hut too much, though. After all, I am about to marry the man who ordered two “Hot Box” cocktails for us.

During a pre-coronavirus cross-country road trip, we revisited the good ol’ times with a pitstop in Tempe, Arizona for one last sub at Cheba Hut. Holy shit that place had changed!

Same menu, same marijuana theme, but my god they must make a fortune off hip college kids. They had enough money to buy the store next door and expand their interior. They put in a new bar top, additional tables, and spruced up their restrooms, which looked sketchy AF when I attended ASU.

Little did I know that one lunch date at Cheba Hut would blossom into an 8-year relationship with a wedding planned for October.

As unromantic as it seemed at the time, I now wish I lived in Tempe so we could eat there more often to celebrate our relationship. Maybe on Valentine’s Day or our future wedding anniversary.

During our revisit, I noticed how few words my fiancé and I spoke over lunch. It was like both of us wanted to sit in silence to let the memories sink in.

Strangely, it felt as if we stepped into a time machine and could see our college selves once again in the stages of puppy love when you first develop a crush on somebody. No words needed.

To this day, I remember how my fiancé asked me out to lunch. It was raining in Tempe (once in a blue moon) and he offered me a ride home after class. In the car, he asked if I was hungry—I wasn’t, but I said yes just to spend more time with him.

When you revisit your first date spot (even if it’s not a restaurant or bar), you instantly sense this rush of euphoria, puppy love, infatuation, and lust, almost as if you two are meeting for the first time again.

Sitting inside Cheba Hut for the first time, I had no idea this dude in front of me would become my husband. We don’t often envision marriage on the first date. I thought he was hot, smart, and edgy with his beard and tattoos. Not once did I think “marriage material.”

But hey, believe it or not, shit sometimes works out and goes your way in this crazy world. It’s rare, I know, but that’s why we must cling onto it.

I don’t believe in God or any religious figure but I believe in something. Something spiritual that set our relationship on the right course … starting with fuckin’ Cheba Hut.

From there, it was up to us to do the work, put in the time and energy to make our relationship thrive.

As you sit at the same table where you shared your first kiss, you should feel incredibly proud of how your relationship has grown and progressed. Look how far you’ve come! Look at all the obstacles you’ve overcome as a team and clink your champagne glasses to that.

The American Psychological Association claims that a whopping 40-50% of couples get divorced. I refuse to succumb to that statistic and I’m sure you do, too.

As the counselors and experts say, marriage takes time, energy, and even money to work. I can’t imagine my relationship would be where it is today without the occasional fancy dinner date or a lavish vacation to Singapore.

I don’t care if your first date took place at a freakin’ Starbucks, Taco Bell, or the dingiest dive bar. I don’t care if you have more money than you did back then to wine and dine your partner.

Return to your love’s origin story and read it one more time.