April 23, 2003

YOU KNOW WHAT it's like. You get cornered at the bar by some impossibly boring shmo who is utterly enthralled by the minute details of his life. You begin to fear for your own, when all of a sudden ... a whistle sounds, and he is magically replaced by another candidate, who may be equally charming but at least affords a fresh option. Welcome to speed dating, one more way to ease the pain of cosmopolitan loneliness.

The concept is simple: A group of single folks in the same demographic (usually young and moneyed) assemble for an evening of rotating, timed "dates," usually less than 10 minutes in length. At the end, the event's host provides contact information for those who indicated mutual interest through a scorecard or online system.

Over the past few years speed-dating events have sprung up all around the Bay Area – for the requisite yuppie crowd but also for gays, lesbians, single parents, and older folks. It's a little pricey, but if Craigslist is getting you down, it might be worth your time. Preregistration by phone or at the Web site is required by all companies.

8 Minute Dating targets the young professional crowd, and as the name suggests, each date lasts eight minutes – you're also guaranteed to meet eight people. A national company, 8 Minute Dating has been around for a couple of years and gotten lots of media exposure. It's just beginning to hold queer events and branch out into ethnic groups in San Francisco. Local host Robyn takes a hands-on approach, trying to facilitate conversation among couples. In the future she plans to organize trips to the wine country, where some dating will take place en route. Musical bus seats anyone? The next event is for straight people ages 25 to 35. Next event April 29, Jillian's, Metreon, S.F. $28.88, $33.88 with late registration. www.8minutedating.com.

Founded by Karen S. in November 2001, ExpeDate is a local company that plans events by age group and interests. Vegetarians, literary folks, and winter-sports enthusiasts whip through seven seven-minutes dates in an evening. The company hosts events at restaurants like Caffe Dante in San Francisco and Café Venezia in Berkeley. The next one is for straight vegetarians, ages 30 to 44. Next event April 24, Caffe Dante, 3101 Geary, S.F. $35. www.expedate.com.

Started in New York by childhood buddies Adele Testani and Ken Deckinger, HurryDate is geared toward the young professional with attention deficit disorder who wants some spastic bang for his or her buck. HurryDate offers the speediest of speedy dates: a minimum of 25 dates at three-minute intervals. At that rate, the emphasis is on having a good time without pressure, but you'd better take notes if you hope to recall any salient details. (At a recent event in North Beach, my 30 male dates kind of blurred into one big software engineer.) HurryDate has also partnered with Planet Out to produce gay and lesbian events at venues such as the Metro and the Cherry Bar. The next three events are for lesbians of all ages, straight people ages 25 to 35, and gay men of all ages. Lesbians April 29, location TBA; straights April 30, location TBA; gay men May 6, Metro, 3600 16th St., S.F. $35. www.hurrydate.com.

Local company Impact Date takes a discreet yet touristy approach. The events are designed to show off a neighborhood or aspect of San Francisco nightlife to people from the wider Bay Area. The locations – often private rooms in bistros – are not publicized beforehand, in order to avoid a spectacle. Impact Date attracts an older crowd; most evenings cater to the 30- to 45-year-old age range. Participants get a whopping 10 minutes for each of 10 dates. The next one is for straight folks, ages 30 to 40. Next event April 27, location TBA, S.F. $35, $25 for repeat participants. www.impactdate.com.

InstantChem has just expanded to the Bay Area from Los Angeles and targets young business professionals and college alumni networks, relying on word-of-mouth marketing. If you went to UCLA, Stanford, UC Berkeley, MIT, or Harvard, you've got a good chance of getting lucky with InstantChem, which uses online profiles similar to the personals at Nerve.com. Each of eight dates lasts 8 to 10 minutes, and so far events have been held in the Financial District and have not been strictly segregated by age. The next one is for straight, under-30 alumni of Stanford, UCLA, and UC Berkeley. Next event April 29, Chevy's, 2 Embarcadero Center, S.F. $25 online, $35 at the door. www.instantchem.com.

Pre-dating is a national service that delivers speed dating to you – you check off what you're into; they notify you about events by e-mail. Expect to get through 10 to 12 six-minute dates in an evening. Register online with host Valeri and choose from a wide variety of groups, such as interracial, Christian singles, and tall people. Next event TBA. $28. www.pre-dating.com.

The whole rapid-fire dating concept originated with the L.A. chapter of Jewish organization Aish HaTorah. In 1998, in an attempt to update the tradition of matchmaking, the group started holding whiplash singles events for young Jewish folks, and SpeedDating was born. Yoshi Offenberg runs San Francisco events out of the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, where a typical evening includes mingling and dating but also a religiously toned encouragement talk about the importance of relationships and what one should look for in a mate. You put it to practice with 10 eight-minute dates. The next one is for straight Jewish folks, ages 35 to 45. Call to sign up. Next event April 27, Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 1808 Wedemeyer, S.F. $30. (415) 292-1237.

In its seventh year, Table for Six is a somewhat exclusive dating service (with a lengthy interview process) that puts on a speed-dating event approximately every other month for its members. The service caters to straight people, and the speed-dating crowd tends to be in its early to mid 30s. Dates are five minutes long, and clients generally participate in about 12 throughout the course of the evening. Past events have been held at the Agenda in San Jose, Echo in Walnut Creek, and Azie in San Francisco. For more information call (415) 782-0680 or go to www.tableforsix.com.

10-Minute Dating is run by Joel Koosed, who also puts on the Meeting Game Salon and Dinner Date and has been producing Bay Area singles events for the past four years. The 8 to 10 dates are 10 minutes long, and Koosed also organizes nights on the town, catering to groups such as single parents and queer folks. Next event TBA. $25. www.meetinggame.com.