There's a lot of things people tell you about the first few years of adulting, but one thing nobody prepares you for is how much work it takes to make new friends.
The Philippines is one of the friendliest countries in the world, but it also happens to be one of the loneliest—a Meta-Gallup report claims we're the second globally. Clearly, hitting the clubs or swiping on Bumble BFF (yes, that's a thing) aren't cutting it. It's just not in our culture as Filipinos to approach and befriend strangers out in the wild, but what if we were presented with the right circumstances?
This is where Timeleft comes in.
Timeleft is an app designed to create social connections by organizing weekly dinners where participants can meet and eat with total strangers. Since launching in 2020, it has expanded to 60 countries and 275 cities but it was just introduced to the Philippines in August of 2024.
With Timeleft, users complete a personality test, and based on the responses, the app matches these users with individuals compatible with them. At the dinner itself, there are several conversation cards that serve to break the ice among the group. And no, it is not a dating app.
ALSO READ: Running Clubs Are The New Dating Apps, Says The Internet
How Timeleft works
Meeting new people and making genuine connections are two wildly different things. The former I'm no stranger to—being in the media industry exposes you to a lot of new faces—but the latter is something that's proving to be a challenge. So when I saw a Timeleft ad pop up on my newsfeed, best believe I signed up immediately. I came to the restaurant with no expectations, and you know what? I gained friends even before the food could be served.
Scheduling the dinner
TimeLeft schedules dinners every Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. without fail. It's not the most ideal time given the traffic situation, but to find something that sticks to a fixed schedule in this chaotic world is kind of refreshing. Either you can or can't go—there's no room for excuses here.
As of writing, TimeLeft is available in these major cities in the Philippines: Bacolod City, Cebu City, Davao City, Iloilo City, Makati City, Muntinlupa City, Paranaque City, Pasig City, Quezon City, and Taguig City.
Downloading the app might be free but the dinner coordination is not. After all, Timeleft's algorithm is working hard to make everything happen as smoothly as possible. The participation cost for each dinner costs P399 but you can save more by subscribing to Timeleft: P599 for one month, P1,190 for three months, and P1,790 for six months. I opted for the one-month subscription since it was only P100 more than the single ticket. This is still exclusive of the actual cost of the dinner, which will be paid kanya-kanyang bayad (KKB) at the restaurant.
Reservations for dinner can be made up to three weeks in advance, with free cancellations up to two days before the scheduled date.
Restaurants are selected to match your food preference and budget. Once booked, the app will ask what menu options you'd want to see at dinner (very inclusive, very mindful). There are options for vegetarian, halal, and even gluten-free eaters. Price points are also asked to make sure you're comfortable with the amount you're spending, which I loved as a highly budget-conscious person. That is until....
I chose the most affordable option (the single P of the PPP) when the app asked how much I spend on night outs. I expected P to be in the P200-P350 range but was surprised to find out Timeleft translates P as "less than €20," which is roughly P1,200. So that's something to keep in mind when signing up for a Timeleft dinner.
After asking for the basics like age, relationship status, and religious affiliation, the personality test is next. It is brief but personal enough for Timeleft to ensure you're not paired with anyone who might be a total mismatch. Questions include:
- Do you consider yourself more of a smart person or a funny person?
- Are your opinions usually guided by logic and facts or emotions and feelings?
- Do you enjoy discussing news or politics?
Now for the waiting game.
One of the intriguing aspects of TimeLeft is the mystery surrounding the event. You won't actually know the restaurant's name until the day of the dinner.
As for the strangers you'll dine with…It's all too common for people to look up—or more accurately, stalk—via social media who they’re about to meet as a kind of crutch, but TimeLeft eliminates this pre-meeting anxiety by keeping everyone anonymous until the night before the dinner. Even then, only their industries, zodiac signs, and nationalities are revealed so it's not much to work with.
Attending the dinner
On the day itself, Timeleft revealed my dinner would take place at Café Guilt in the Tomas Morato area. Those running late may press the "I'll be late" button on the app (which I did), but the app failed to send the notification to the group.
By 7:10 p.m., I was at the restaurant. As instructed by the app, I said "Timeleft" to the server, like it was some kind of secret code so I could be ushered to this company of strangers I was about to meet. There were already five people at the table—four girls and one guy—who are in their mid-20s to early-30s. I was the last one to arrive but I was just in time for the introductions.
We ended up using what little information we had about each other from the app as a way to break the ice. Armed with just stereotypes, we wagered guesses on each person's industry and zodiac sign. Don't ask us how we did—let's just say it was a hilariously effective way to navigate our first impressions from the get-go. It was all our first time trying Timeleft, save for one girl who was already on her second dinner.
Conversation flowed naturally. Every now and then, there would be a lull—that much was expected when dining with strangers—but there was nothing awkward. It was comforting to know we had conversation cards to turn to whenever we needed a prompt to restart the chitchat and laughter.
Not even an hour in, these strangers were opening up on relationship issues, mental health struggles, and embarrassing stories they've never even told anyone else—and the craziest part about it is that none of it felt forced. Our diverse backgrounds only added to the richness of our conversation: One lived in Canada their whole life before moving solo to the Philippines; another just got engaged to their longterm partner.
There's just something so freeing about sharing an intimate evening with strangers who listen. It turns out a little spontaneity—and a good meal—can go a long way in making new friends. No alcohol needed (well, two of us ordered Sangrias but that's beside the point).
ALSO READ: Unpopular Opinion: There's Joy To Being Off Dating Apps
After the dinner
Café Guilt closes at 10 p.m., so we had to cut our evening short. We exchanged Instagram usernames before parting ways because, well, this is the 21st century. I was pleasantly surprised to find out I had no mutual IG friends with any of them—a true testament to the "stranger" part of the app's claim.
As it turns out, the feedback was unanimous: it was a great night. That one girl who has tried Timeleft told us she ended up enjoying this dinner more than her last one. We actually would've loved to take the conversation elsewhere but the dinner happening on a weekday made it difficult for us to continue the evening. So we bid our goodbyes and promised to keep in touch—and that we did on Instagram.
You can assess your compatibility with each attendee on the app by clicking a thumbs-up or thumbs-down button in the feedback section. That way, TimeLeft will take note not to match you with that same person in the future. If the feeling is mutual, a private chat will also open between the two of you.
Of course, each Timeleft experience would be unique for everyone. It's the people who will make or break a dinner, so one Wednesday might be completely different from the next. What's magical one night could be merely pleasant the next, or occasionally, a bit awkward. You get the gist.
Whether or not you're ready to try out something like this is up to you, but Timeleft makes a compelling case for forging new friendships over a shared meal—without the hassle of the messy scheduling we've grown so used to in our adulting years. Sometimes all you need is a silly little app, the pressure of a cancellation penalty, and a table for six.
***
This article originally appeared on SPOT.ph. Minor edits have been made by the Cosmo.ph editors.
