Josh Peck and Ben Soffer Say Men Are Missing These First-Date Basics 

If you’ve been anywhere near TikTok lately, you’ve probably stumbled across the latest dating debate: should a guy send an Uber for a first date, or is that asking way too much from someone you’ve never met?

The internet is thoroughly split. Some call it basic courtesy, others call it an outdated expectation. On Good Guys, Josh Peck and Ben Soffer wade right in, and somewhere between the jokes, accidentally lay out a genuinely solid playbook for not fumbling the first date. 

So, do you actually have to send the car? 

“You don’t have to send a car, but if you don’t want to send a car, then you should pick them up,” Soffer says. “The idea that you like someone and they showed up there on their own, it’s pretty strange.”

To him, that’s not romance. It’s just basic consideration. “Josh, we do this for each other and we’re not dating or married,” he points out, recalling a recent dinner where he drove home a guy he’d only just met. “I’m driving anyways. Once I’m in my car, I’m in my car.”

Broke is no excuse either. “If you don’t have money for a car or to pick her up—or if you don’t have a car—go walk to her door, knock on the door, pick her up and take the subway together, or take the bus together, or walk together.” Nobody’s actually asking for a chauffeur. They just don’t want to feel like an afterthought before the date’s even started. 

What’s the move with the bill?

“Settle the bill before she gets there,” Peck says. “Just hand your card to the waiter.” Soffer immediately points out the flaw. Showing up early to secretly pay means, well, you can’t also be the guy picking her up. But once they commit to Peck’s imaginary perfect date, even Soffer has to admit it’s a good look. “In this world where you sent a car for her, you show up early, you take care of the bill. Wow, you’re crushing.”

But the logistics aren’t really the point. Peck’s bigger argument is that “girls love a planner. They love when you’ve thought of it already.” No awkward check dance, no quick math at the table, just a night that runs itself.

Are you supposed to text after the date?

“Definitely check in on her to make sure she got home,” Soffer says, genuinely thrown that this is even a question. “Are guys not doing that? Are guys just like assuming? That’s crazy.” The bar here is not high. He even drafts the text out loud: “Hi, I just want to make sure that you weren’t kidnapped. Are you home?” 

You’re not confessing your feelings or trying to lock down a second date. You’re just making sure the person you spent the evening with got home safely, which somehow counts as standout behavior in 2026. 

And if you actually like her?

“Put some skin in the game,” Peck says, arguing that both people shouldn’t have to sit around wondering who’s going to text first. From there, the guys land on a pretty simple formula:

• Don’t disappear, and don’t play games for a week. “If you can do it, wait a day,” Soffer says. “Just one, nothing, no weeks, none of this”
• Keep it easy. Mention something from the date, bring up whatever ridiculous thing you were already laughing about, and ask clearly. Something like, “You went out on a Tuesday, text her on Thursday and say, ‘I had the best time the other night. Are you free for dinner tomorrow?'”
• Don’t come in too hot, which Soffer knows from experience. His old move was texting “that night, that minute” with the full golden-retriever follow-up: “I had the best time with you. I can’t believe it. Let’s do it again tomorrow.” The result, he jokes, was always the same: “You’re suffocating me. Block.” 

So, basically, be interested—not unhinged.

Listen to the full episode on Good Guys, available wherever you listen to podcasts.

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