Followers of Qype will know that we love nothing more than a good burrito so when we heard about 52 Burrito Dates, we couldn’t resist a good old chinwag with the bloggers. After winning a free Chilango burrito a week for a year, Tommy Willis and Chiara Pelizzari have embarked on a year-long mission to turn each burrito into a date with a different guy/girl each week and are writing about their experiences here.
Tell us about yourself/Where are you from, what do you do etc.?
TW: I’m Tommy and I was born in North London before moving to spend most of my childhood in a remote village in the country. I’ve now gone full circle, living in London and working within media, specialising in social media. I played a lot of tennis growing up, representing Hertfordshire. I also have a season ticket at Arsenal FC, love going to festivals, going to bars with my mates and seeing the family.
CP: I’m Chiara, I’m 22 and originally from Berkshire. After graduating from Southampton University last year, I moved up to London to start a career in digital advertising and am now loving life in the city! When I’m not at work you can find me out for drinks with friends, at dancing practice or snuggled up on the sofa with a film. I also really like burritos.
How did 52 Burrito Dates come about?
TW: My former boss Richard actually started the blog and when he first joined he had a bit of a celebrity status, he appeared in the Metro and organised free burritos for the whole office! I admired him for the blog but couldn’t imagine myself going on a date a week for a whole year. So fast-forward a couple of months and Richard is on the lookout for someone to take over. He invited me, along with some other interested parties, to meet the owners of Chilango and after a few drinks, I thought I’d just go for it!
CP: Rich Fitzgerald started the blog last summer after winning a year’s supply of free burritos at Chilango. Not being the greedy type, he decided to share his prize and so set up 52 Burrito Dates to take a different girl with him every week. The blog was such a success that Chilango were keen to keep it going even after the year was up and that’s where Tommy and I come in! We were a little apprehensive at first but after a few conversations with Rich and the restaurant we decided to just go for it.
How is going so far?
TW: It’s going pretty good, I’ve met some cool girls but nothing really has come of it as yet. Some have clearly emailed in for the burrito! I think the name ‘Burrito Date’ acts as a bit of a hindrance if you’re not someone who puts themselves out there. They can rest assure I’m a pretty normal person. I just happen to have tons of free burritos to share!
CP: It’s been awesome so far! There have been a couple of nights where I’ve wished I could just have a night in rather than head out for another burrito but once I’m there, I always love it. I’m still pretty new to London so it’s been a great way to meet people and though there’s yet to be any romances, I’ve definitely made a few good friends.
What are your favourite places to take a date?
TW: A cocktail bar. However I like to keep things open, experience new places and things to do. That’s why I love London. You can’t really plan too much for a burrito date (as you may not get along) so I tend to go to Angel where there are some cool places to go afterwards.
CP: I really love all the quirky things you can do around London so have used 52 Burrito Dates as a bit of an opportunity to explore the city. I’ve recently discovered that a new ping pong club has opened near to Chilango in Chancery Lane so that’s on the cards as well as the Ice Bar and the Rooftop Cinema in Hoxton.
What has been your favourite date so far an why?
TW: Probably my latest date with Laura (that I’m currently writing up). We got along really well, had a good laugh and share similar interests. You’ll have to check out the blog to see the full story!
CP: It’s hard to say because they’ve all been so completely different! Date #10 with Alex was fun on the rooftop of Selfridges and I loved seeing Ghost the musical with Date #4. I think my first date though with Rory was still the best because we got on so well – I was laughing all evening.
What happens if a date goes particularly well? Could the fact that you have committed to a year of dates with other people get in the way?!
TW: Hmmm, that’s a tricky question. I said at the start that I would go the full distance but to be honest I know there are a couple of guys who could take over from me if the right girl came along. You have to remember that Chiara and I are swapping places each week, so if you have 20 dates left, thats a full 40 weeks to go. For someone who likes to take each day as it comes, planning for that far ahead is difficult to comprehend. But then again I said I wouldn’t do the blog originally so who knows! I do feel lucky to be in this position so whilst I’m still having fun meeting new people then all is good.
CP: A few people have asked us this and admittedly it does seem to be a bit of a flaw in the system. This is the longest I’ve been single for a very long time but I think it’s good to be independent for a while and although I can’t predict the future, I’d like to think I can make it the whole year!
Anywhere you’d really like to go for a date that you haven’t visited yet?
TW: I remember seeing somewhere that you could have meals on the London Eye. That would be amazing.
CP: I’ve always wanted to go bungee jumping. It would be an awesome ice breaker but I don’t know how well it would go with burritos.
What can Qypers expect if they sign up for a date with you?
TW: I’ll start with a tasty burrito! I’m a laid back person who enjoys meeting lots of different people. I like sports; films, live music and I will try almost anything to make you laugh. If that fails I have money.
CP: A fun evening with lots of laughs and one incredible burrito!
Looking for love and/or a burrito? Apply to go on a Burrito Date.
