DENVER -- A lot of us get stuck in a date night rut, going to the same old places and doing the same old thing. But a Denver startup is hoping to save your dates... by planning them for you.
Mike and Courtney Neal have been married for five years and have two children under the age of 3, so a night out is a big deal.
"We'd always want to go do something fun, but found ourselves always going to same exact restaurant and ordering the exact same thing, and kind of became monotonous," said Courtney Neal.
"Say goodbye to boring date nights -- that's our motto," said Gretchen Bartek, the founder of the online date-planning company that promises to create a three-stop itinerary customized to your interests and budget.
The service is $35 for a date night, $50 for a group date and $60 for an overnight trip.
"When you're planning a date, it's not just the where to go, it's the phone calls and the booking and the research," said Bartek. "And we've done all of that already, so it's really a time saver."
So we followed Mike and Courtney's date night to see how Denver Date Nite works.
First stop, Infinite Monkey Theorem, for a behind-the-scenes winery tour and tasting. Then, we have a short walk across the street for a seven-course chef's tasting dinner at The Populist for $80 a couple. Last stop is The Crimson Room, an underground jazz club, for dessert and a nightcap.
It's not the first time Denver Date Nite has planned a romantic outing for the Neals, and every time -- they said -- has been something unexpected, from a cheese tasting to horseback rides.
"One thing I really like about it is it stretches you outside your normal neighborhoods to different nooks and crannies of Denver," said Mike Neal. "This is just a great way of getting a really unique experience through someone who really knows what she's doing."
To be clear, Denver Date Nite doesn't find a person for you to date and doesn't pay for the date itself.
The company is offering a special $45 Mother's Day package for last-minute planners.
If you'd still like to spearhead the effort of date night, head over to Visit Denver's website for some date night ideas.
