Ice cream shops were a common dating destination in the 1950s.
During the 1950s, like today, dating allowed people to truly get to know someone before getting engaged or planning their future together. Few other places in the world were following this same practice of casual dating at that time, though it has since become more popular. Ice cream shops were a common location for young people to sharie time in a laid-back and charming atmosphere.
Purpose
The purpose of these ice cream dates were to develop romantic relationships while patronizing local establishments. Dates of this nature would often lead to two people "going steady" or even making arrangements to marry.
Description
During these ice cream dates, whether one-on-one or group daets, it was common for daters to indulge in sweet treats such as sundaes, milkshakes and banana splits. Ice cream shops also commonly featured standard diner food, such as hamburgers, fries and hot dogs. While the daters ate, they could talk and get to know each other better than at other environments such as school, where social time is limited, or during a movie, where silence is encouraged. Couples who dated at ice cream shops often danced to their favorite jukebox songs.
Benefits
One of the benefits of ice cream dates was the safety it provided to the daters. It was a public environment, so parents could trust that their children would be somewhat chaperoned by the staff and other restaurant patrons. Another benefit of ice cream dates during the 1950s was that they were inexpensive. For the student without much funds to spare, an expensive dinner date might not be an option, whereas an ice cream date would cost a fraction of the price.
Depiction in Media
Ice cream dates were so commonplace that they have been used to set the scene of many 1950s-inspired movies, books and television programs. For example, a regular setting in the long-running series of comic books about Riverdale residents Archie and friends is Pop Tate's Chok'lit Shoppe. Here the teenagers depicted in the series would frequently meet after school and on weekend nights for dates, where they split ice cream and milkshakes. This behavior can also be seen in movies such as "Grease" and "Pleasantville" and in television shows such as the 1970s throwback "Happy Days."
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