RIYADH: Every Wednesday, in one of Riyadh’s many restaurants, groups of strangers from all walks of life meet over dinner for the first time.

In an increasingly disconnected world, people are looking for new ways to cope with isolation and forge genuine relationships.

“I kept seeing Timeleft’s ads on social media and I thought expanding my social circle would be a great idea, as it never hurts to try new things from time to time,” Muhannad Zahra, an engineering student and freelance filmmaker and designer from Saint Kitts & Nevis, told Arab News.

He is referring to the app through which you book dinner with strangers who are selected via a personality quiz and criteria such as budget.

This new platform has gained popularity around the world as a way of linking like-minded individuals, either in their home city or while traveling.

Taiwanese tourist TaoFang Chang, who goes by the name Jessie and works remotely, decided to take a long trip to visit Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Poland for the first time.

Landing at King Khalid International Airport, she was intrigued by the country in which she found herself.

“I was interested in all the countries in the Middle East, the culture and the religion, and what the people here think about marriage and relationships. On these trips, I’m not planning to go to a lot of attractions; I’m more interested to meet with the people,” she explained.

Timeleft is popular in Taiwan, she said, but she had never tried it.

“When I saw this was in Riyadh, I was so surprised. So for me it was good, because I downloaded Bumble and set my location to Riyadh, but I couldn’t find interesting people. I thought maybe Timeleft can give me an interesting surprise to meet some new people.”

On her first night in Riyadh, she dove headfirst into an event and met 10 people from six countries, including Saudi Arabia, India, Morocco, Yemen and St. Kitts & Nevis. 

She said: “Everyone around the world is dealing with this issue of loneliness because humans are social beings. In Taiwan, we have a lot of these kinds of applications, not just Timeleft … we don’t have time to make friends.

“In Asia, because we use Instagram where a lot of information comes to us and every day we see thousands of pieces of information from the internet, we think ‘everyone is different and happy, so why is it only me (who feels) unhappy or not good enough or not successful or (without) achievement?’ but of course it’s a mask. Everyone’s the same, just posting positive things. Everyone feels lonely.”

While the platform offers the chance to meet new people in a rapidly growing city, not everyone is convinced this novel concept is a cure for loneliness.

Muhannad Zahra said: “I don’t think it’s the best idea to make new friends online or through social media. I like old school, whether from work, relatives or coffee shops. Timeleft isn’t a guaranteed friend-making platform, nor is it a dating app. It just gives you a kickstart to meet people, then the rest of the effort is on you and your personality. It’s a bit more hectic this way as people are still opening up and not used to it.”

On signing up, users complete a personality quiz that is supposed to match you with other people who have compatible traits and interests. Some users said the results seemed to be based on age, rather than personality.

Other platforms, like Bumble BFF and BeFriend, allow users to swipe left or right on profiles that do or do not appeal to them based on images. But platforms like Timeleft purport to focus solely on personality. Users have no way of knowing who their dining companions will be aside from their nationality, revealed a day prior.

Zahra’s first experience was at an Italian restaurant in Riyadh. He said: “There are some significant differences in personality from one person to another. For me, it wasn’t difficult to get along with them.

“As I joined multiple dinners, I noticed a pattern where 30 percent of users are introverts, 50 percent just moved to Riyadh and want to make new connections, and 20 percent join for no reason and no goal, and they don’t seem interested during the dinner as well.”

Ali Bin Salman met Zahra at his second Timeleft experience. The two found they connected on several levels and ended up on the same table at their next booking.

“I never have high hopes when meeting new people so as to not get disappointed later. But out of the 20 people that I met, I feel like three friendships will live on for a while,” Zahra said.

Bin Salman was born in Saudi Arabia but lived in Yemen and Egypt for six years. He was keen to re-explore the social scene on his return, leading him to check out Timeleft.

Describing the difficulty of moving to Riyadh, he said: “It’s not completely lonely, but it’s hard to meet people, especially in reality. It feels so artificial and the people are distant in a way. The ads were everywhere in Egypt, and when I came back here I tried it for the first time.”

Each Wednesday usually sees two dinner tables hosted at the chosen restaurant. At 8pm, when guests are expected to arrive, a game is unlocked consisting of ice-breaker questions such as “What is your secret talent?” or “Where is the strangest place you have visited?” It gives those attending a chance to get to know each other on a deeper level.

But the thrill of dining with strangers has its downside as well. It is up to users to build on the initial connection themselves.

Bin Salman said: “It does take effort, potentially, and you might feel like you’re not building into something. With friendships, you start as strangers, and then you build something, and then you become close friends. But if you keep going a lot (to different dinners), you will not build friendships. You will just build acquaintances at best.”