On Tuesday, a beloved Memphis restaurant found itself in the middle of a perpetual date etiquette debate among Black culture.
A quick search of Huey’s into your Facebook search bar will show that the restaurant chain’s recent virality was not the result of its iconic burgers and wings. Rather, it was the setting for a conversation about date nights and first impressions.
This viral debate feeds into a recurring internet frenzy that resurfaces weekly across podcast discussions and TikTok live panels. In short, if you want to stir up a storm online, just ask whether “insert popular chain here” is an acceptable first-date spot. Huey’s is the latest casualty in a long list of places swept up in this conversation — following the footsteps of Chili’s and countless local coffee shops.
In a post that has since been deleted, a Facebook user by the name of Jada Renee said a potential suitor of hers said she was on a “high horse” because she didn’t want to go to Huey’s on a first date.
“Baby you ain’t even my kind,” the post read. “Hueeeeyyysss? Where they spit at the ceiling?”
Within minutes people began to share their thoughts on the matter, with some saying they had been on first dates there with no complaints, while others were appalled by the idea of it.
“Paige and I had buffalo wings with fries at Huey’s on our first date. We actually shared it,” a user by the name of EJ Daplugg Busby said in a post with more than 200 shares. “If she likes you, the location doesn’t matter and we still go there to this day.”
The post was shared with mixed reactions with many saying the venue didn’t matter to them, as long as they were with someone they loved, while others expressed they preferred more “upscale” eating for a first impression.
“Huey’s is a spot once you and shordie locked in — not no first date,” MuneyMan Ant said in a post.
A user by the name of Danielle Antoinette shared another side of the argument, sharing that women may worry that they’ll be be perceived as “not down to earth” because they don’t want to go to Huey’s for a first date.
When asked what an ideal first date looked like to her, Antoinette said: “It would depend on the person, the age range, and the budget. I’m personally at the stage where I like to do activities as a first date. Top Golf, mini golf, sip and paint, wine bar, etc. Usually I’ll just say that or tell the man to give me three options. I won’t assume he can read my mind if we just met.”
Several users shared the post, agreeing with Antoinette, with some nixing the idea because of the ambiance, while others simply don’t like the food.
User Donna White took it a step further to go to the Huey’s in Southaven on Malco Boulevard to see if she could find a “Pickmesha” on a date.
For those who may not be chronically online, Pickmesha is a play on the term “pick me.” It was coined by internet users years ago to describe a woman who typically sides with men on topics, or goes out of her way to gain male approval in hopes of being “chosen.”
Pickmeshas have often been seen as somewhat of an antiheroine by popular dating content creators. This archetype often exemplifies someone who settles in the dating world, and will relate to the lowest common denominator without acknowledging their worth.
White said she didn’t see a pickmesha at the Huey’s she visited.
The conversation seems to have wrapped up, but Huey’s took this as a perfect opportunity to plug their “2-for-1 Happy Hour” paired with their appetizers as the “perfect date night.”
