LITTLETON, CO. — In a world filled with swipe-left and swipe-right dating apps, Ed Ginsburg is cooking up something unique at Harley’s — a hot dog restaurant that also serves as a matchmaking venue. For Ginsburg, the philosophy is simple: Sprinkle a little love into the community, and it all comes back around.
Whatever he puts out — be it nap-inducing hot dogs to his regulars or thousands of free meals to those in need, Ginsburg says, “It all comes around to the restaurant.”
Regular customers appreciate Ginsburg’s approach. One frequent diner, Troy Brandeberry, said Ginsburg's "a good guy, and I like coming here because he takes good care of me.”
But what if a hot dog could also lead to love? Ginsburg recalls how it all started a few months ago when he spotted two regulars at separate tables in his restaurant.
“I had a couple of regulars in and they were sitting kind of across from each other, you know, different tables,” he said. “So I introduced them, and they’ve been seeing each other for the last three or four months, and it’s kind of rewarding.”
This inspired the launch of “Harley’s Match,” a novel way for those tired of online dating to find love over a plate of hot dogs.
“We just take a Polaroid of each person to put with their questionnaire, so we could put the faces together,” Ginsburg explained.
The matching process includes a simple questionnaire, featuring typical dating prompts like age and interests, but with a Harley's twist: Which Harley’s dog best matches your personality?
“It’s more personal,” Ginsburg said. “You’ve got somebody that actually knows the parties and will put them together the way they feel would be best that they would actually get along.”
The matchmaking service comes at a fraction of the cost of traditional matchmakers, Ginsburg noted.
“There are matchmakers out there that charge thousands of dollars to do that. We’re just doing it as a community service, and the fee is like 20 bucks when you get matched up, just to cover the cost of the Polaroids and the time.”
Ginsburg told Denver7 he believes Harley's Match is just the beginning.
“We just kicked it off a couple of days ago, and we’ve got about 10 people already that have signed up and filled out questionnaires,” he said. “I’m just waiting for the right matches to come on, and I know some people in my head that I think will be good matches for them.”
