The first speed-dating event took habitat at PeteâÂÂs Café in Beverly Hills in late 1998. Lickety-split afterward, not many retailing services began offering secular round-robin dating events across the United States. By 2000, speed dating had really taken off, perhaps boosted by its portrayal in shows such as Masculinity and the City as something that glamorous people did. Supporters argue that speed dating saves time, as most people decide if they are romantically compatible very quickly, and first impressions are often permanent.
In 2002, a Wired annual article forecast that, "Twenty years from now, the estimate that someone looking for devotedness without looking for it online will be silly, akin to skipping the card Indian Dating catalog to instead wander the stacks because 'the right books are found only by accident.' Serendipity is the hallmark of inefficient markets, and the marketplace of love, like it or not, is neat further efficient" .