How Couples Across America Are Budgeting for Date Night | Eater

"Owners Gabriella and Giovanna describe date night as primarily about the cooking: “We are rarely going out because we live in a really small town; things aren’t open very late. That’s when we’ll crack open a cookbook and follow instructions.” They typically prepare “a salad or side, main protein, and sometimes a dessert,” relying on pantry staples so they’re “usually just having to buy a protein and maybe whatever the fresh produce is.” They’ve added homegrown touches — “We just got a hydroponic herb tower that is popping off, so we can make our salads and we have herbs from that” — and treat the extra effort as meaningful: “What makes date night extra special is we both know the extra effort that we’re putting in — to think of what we want to eat, prep it, cook it, clean up after ourselves. Also we’re a breakfast and lunch restaurant, so we don’t ever really get to make proteins.” Running the bakery remains a driving force behind how they plan and talk about the future: “The bakery is something we dreamed about for a long time. Even though it’s hard and we cry a lot, it’s still fun, and we’re in the beginning of the journey, so there’s like, a lot of manifesting left to do. We’re always talking about the next step.” On planning and ambition they add: “It’s more like the fun stuff: How can we improve our branding? Or where do we see ourselves in two years? Or should we do a night pop-up?”" - Bettina Makalintal