"Food kind of binds people. It brings people together," said Santa Monica resident Bill Escudier.
"It appealed to me as sort of a 'non-dating' dating website," said Hollywood resident Thomas Meaney.
These guys are talking about a new way to date: An online service where your taste buds lead you to choose potential mate.
"I did it to find a girl who eats the way I eat," said SamePlate.com founder Jeff Nimoy.
SamePlate.com is the brainchild of Nimoy, who lost 40 pounds on the "Caveman Diet" and thought that breaking bread, or in this case sharing steak with a woman who enjoys the same culinary outlook, would solve a lot problems.
"I've also been on dates with women who order nothing on the date, and then I ask why and they're like 'Well, I'm on Weight Watchers and I already used up my points today and I was embarrassed to say,'" said Nimoy.
Statistically one out of three people is on a diet, so this can really eliminate food fights, especially since there doesn't seem to be a dating service that will actually pair you up with the type of weight-loss program you're on.
"I thought it was a genius idea so I went right on there and signed up immediately because I'm obsessed with food," said Hollywood resident Gigi Dubois.
But not in the way you think. It's not so much what Dubois wants to eat, but what she "can't" put on her plate.
"I do not eat wheat, dairy, gluten, sugar, soy and nuts," said Dubois.
That might faze some guys, but not Thomas Meaney, who was tired of getting teased about being a vegetarian.
"I get a little sensitive having to defend it all of the time and going out to eat and someone insisting, 'Oh, you can have one rib. Come on, they're really good,'" said Meaney.
On the flipside, Bill Escudier had fun sharing pizza pie with Italian Silvia Donati at Village Pizzeria on Larchmont.
"I'm Italian, so that's all we eat," Donati, a Culver City resident.
Nimoy claims he's taken everything that paid dating sites do, but does it for free, offering a low-key, no-cost way to look for love.
You fill in the usual, age, date, etc., but here's where it differs: Under "food preference" you can pick food types, like burgers or sushi. Or by restaurant type, like "fast food" or "holes in the wall."
And the diet types range from "Atkins" to "abs diet" to no dietary restrictions at all.
Post your pic, select your food preference and you're on your way to finding your foodie soul mate.
"To go out with somebody who wouldn't get mad at me for looking at the nutrition information on the back of food before I eat it sounded very cool," said Meaney.
"Same food, same love, same life. SamePlate.com," said Nimoy.
