A no-nonsense single woman has revealed how she walked out on a Hinge date at a restaurant after he dropped a major family bombshell on her.
Amanda Martinez, from the US, has always been transparent about her non-negotiables on her dating profile, including that she doesn't want to date a single dad or have her own children in the future. After matching with her most recent date, she asked to speak with him over the phone so she could set her relationship boundaries.
'My non-negotiables are listed out on my Hinge. If you have children or if you want children in the future, everything says do not swipe on me,' she said in a video. 'Every time I match with somebody, I make them have a phone call and I reiterate every single thing that's on my Hinge profile prior to us even meeting up because you know it's 2026, people don't read.'
After the phone call, Amanda agreed to meet the man for a first date at a restaurant. 'We're waiting for our food, everything's going good. Then somehow the conversation turns to kids. He's like, "Oh I have something to tell you",' she recalled. She said the man started giggling before casually telling her: 'This is so funny. I actually have a kid.'
Stunned, Amanda responded: 'Beg your finest pardon? What do you mean by that?' The man confessed: 'I have a whole child.'
Amanda took particular issue with the man for ignoring her clearly stated boundaries, confronting him over why he never disclosed on his dating profile or during their phone call that he was a dad. 'I'm sitting there... I already know at that immediate moment we're never going to see each other again. The second I walk out, I'm ghosting you. And he's trying to explain himself, he's trying to justify,' she said. 'His main justification is had he told me that he had a child, I wouldn't have shown up on this date. So that in itself kind of p*ssed me off.'
'The fact that he knew it and still said it - not that it came from a place where that's a tough conversation to have, or that he could have explained it in a deeper way. The simple fact is that he just said, "You wouldn't have shown up on this date". Right because it's almost as if that's my boundary.'
Quietly seething, Amanda excused herself to the bathroom. 'I'm just thinking to myself, you know what? Why should I go back to the table? For what? I'm just going to start leaving dates at the table,' she said. 'I'm just sick of it. I don't have many Fs to give in life anymore when it comes to dating. The moment you make me uncomfortable, the moment you say something you shouldn't have, the moment you lie to me and the moment I know you're lying to me, I'm just going to walk away from you.'
As she walked out of the bathroom, she told a waiter to bring over the bill so she could pay for her half. 'I said to the waiter, "Hey, I don't need the food but can I just get my check? I want to leave",' she said politely. Amanda calmly sat down at her table as she waited for the waiter. 'I didn't say anything. As soon as the waiter came over, I filled out my check. Then he's like, "What's going on?" I was like, "I'm leaving",' she said. 'He's like, "What? Why?" I said, "I have a boundary and I have a boundary for a reason. And the fact that you didn't respect it and that you lied to me means it's a done deal".'
Taken aback, the man responded: 'Are you really about to get up from this table?' She responded: 'Yes, yes I am.' Filming herself leaving the restaurant, Amanda said: 'I just left my date at the table, literally mid-date. I just left him. I don't even care. Honestly, I'm so sick of people. I don't even care anymore. There's a part of me that feels bad but there's a part of me that really doesn't.'
She shared her experiences on social media, with the caption: 'New mantra: leaving dates at the table.' Her video has been viewed more than 5.4 million times, with many applauding Amanda for standing her ground. 'Do not feel bad! You respected yourself and your time and honestly his. Let's all be more upfront in the beginning,' one said. 'I 99 per cent agree with you, but I couldn't ditch my food. I'd have asked for a to-go box and hid in the hallway until it was ready to go,' another suggested, laughing. 'What did he think that you were going to fall in love with him so hard in the first couple minutes of the date that you would throw away all your boundaries for him?' one pointed out. 'Withholding information is a form of manipulation,' another added.
Others pointed out that Amanda was 'too nice' for paying for her half, with many admitting they would have walked out - leaving the bill to the man. Many suggested normalising leaving a date the moment you spot a red flag. 'Let's normalise leaving dates if they lie or withhold information,' one said. Another agreed, saying: 'Normalise leaving during the date. Don't waste more time.'
Other singles shared similar experiences, with one saying: 'I SPECIFICALLY say on my profile I don't want kids. Every date has tried to convince me I'll change my mind. I am so sick of it.' Meanwhile, one woman revealed: 'I went on a date once and the guy said he just came from the hospital. When I asked why, he said it was for a friend. A week later he told me he was at the hospital for the birth of his son. The BIRTH of his son!'
