These brothers wanna give the people of DC ‘what they deserve’ — good date spots

So you’ve got a hot date tonight. (Nice.) But where are you going to take said date?
You want to grab a drink, maybe somewhere close to where you work, and it should be casual but not too loud because, you know, talking and all. Chances are you’ve got at least one place in mind that matches the above description, but what if you want to try something new? Where do you look for ideas?
Well, there’s always Google. But that may not be ideal for any number of reasons — and this is where DateSpott comes in.
DateSpott is a new website launching in public beta this week, and the brainchild of three local brothers — Ronnie, Johnny and Danny Dubbaneh. The brothers Dubbaneh founded DateSpott to solve their own challenges finding new and interesting places to go on dates.
“The existing outlets didn’t meet our needs, and internet searches for date ideas resulted in the same top 10 lists over and over or online reviews that were based around the customer service and food than the ambience,” Ronnie wrote to Technical.ly.
DateSpott wants to be better. How, you ask? A visit to the site’s Airbnb-reminiscent home page allows the visitor to select a neighborhood (in D.C.), activity (“eat,” “drink” and “explore” are all options) and ambience (from intimate to divey) and then get rewarded with a curated list of locations DateSpott believes meets these criteria.
“Finding the right place is essential in ensuring a wonderful experience, and I strongly believe DateSpott gives you the tools to do just that,” Ronnie wrote in his comments to Technical.ly. “D.C. is currently in the midst of a creative boom both gastronomically and artistically. An outlet such as DateSpott is essential to give the enterprising people of D.C. what they deserve: an honest look at the best places in D.C. to enjoy a night out.”
DateSpott’s stated mission is to get people (anyone “adventurous”) out of their date comfort zones ruts and encourage them to explore new places in the city. But there’s a healthy side of restaurant marketing here. In a way, the site is reminiscent of cheap drinks locator Vice Price but targeted directly at dates versus cheap after-work happy hours.
Interestingly, the brothers Dubbaneh aren’t looking to monetize just yet. First, the brothers just want to get you to the site — “We see this as a community project,” Ronnie wrote. But down the road, Ronnie told Technical.ly, they’ve got plans for events and special “partnerships” that may help drive a revenue model. It’s early days still.
For now, go plan your date already.