In a world filled with social media and endless scrolling, people are realizing something’s missing: actual human connection. They don’t just want things to do; they want people to do them with them. Add the rise of remote work, and it’s no surprise that more adults are craving genuine in-person experiences. That shift is fueling a comeback for places that make coming together easy.
When my husband and I moved to Raleigh a few months ago, I was thrilled about all the new restaurants to try, events to attend, and outdoor activities to explore. What I didn’t have was a group of friends to enjoy those things with, and working from home made it even harder to meet anyone. That’s when I discovered Real Roots, an app that matches women based on age and interests and sets up an 8-week series of in-person meetups.
After taking a short personality quiz, I was placed into a 12-person group for weekly meetups that were low-pressure but had just enough structure to make showing up easy. My calendar was suddenly booked with coffee meetups, mini golf, arcade bars, brunch, trivia nights, wine tastings, and brewery hangouts. By week three, we’d gone from polite introductions to swapping recommendations and planning our own hangouts beyond the app. When the program ended, we didn’t. These women became my friends, and my new city started to feel like home.
My sister was in a similar situation: a new city, a new job, remote graduate school, and she was looking for new friends, so she joined the app in her area. She had the same outcome as I did! The process worked because it wasn’t complicated: consistent gatherings, group settings that remove the awkwardness of one-on-one meetups, and a gentle nudge to keep momentum from week to week. The Real Roots app made the introductions, but the real connection happened in person.
Apps like RealRoots are gaining momentum because they bridge the gap between digital discovery and in-person experiences. Across every demographic, people are craving connection. A recent Harvard study found that 21% of adults regularly feel lonely, even while surrounded by digital “connections.” The number climbs even higher among young adults—a generation that grew up online but increasingly works from home. That blend of digital life and physical isolation has created a powerful hunger for real-world belonging, something bowling and entertainment centers are perfectly equipped to provide.
How You Can Get Involved
Through the RealRoots Partnership Program, centers can promote “Buy One, Get One Free” offers to the app’s community of tens of thousands of women, completely free of charge. The appeal is simple: RealRoots encourages social experiences, so when one guest redeems an offer, another person tags along. That means recurring revenue and new customers who are introduced to your venue through a trusted network of loyal users.
The RealRoots program works best for experiences valued at $30 or more, such as bowling packages, attractions, or dining deals. RealRoots suggests offering the best BOGO deal you can to drive immediate traffic, with the flexibility to adjust the promotion later if needed. Centers can also explore hosting RealRoots meet-and-greet or series events, which attract social, experience-seeking women looking for new places to gather. You can find out more at therealroots.com.
For centers in smaller towns or areas where Real Roots hasn’t launched yet, the principle of hosting groups and bringing people together remains a viable approach. Every community has its own “connectors,” they just might not have an app to organize them. Look for the people already planning things: the yoga instructor who hosts monthly wine nights, the realtor who runs a newcomers’ Facebook group, or the young professional who’s always organizing trivia teams or charity events. These are your local influencers, real ones, not just the Instagram kind.
People tend to show up for gatherings that feel simple, social, and low-pressure. The most successful events usually hit a balance—an easy reason to come, a bit of built-in fun, and plenty of time to relax and talk. Nights that include shareable food like flatbreads or appetizer platters, casual games like trivia or music bingo, and a friendly “bring-a-friend” vibe tend to draw a crowd. It’s that mix of light activity, good food, and conversation that keeps people lingering and coming back.
Younger generations are eager for authentic connection, but they often want someone else to make the first move. When your center becomes that place — the one that makes it easy to hang out — your customer base will grow naturally.
Whether it’s through an app like Real Roots or a few local go-getters with a knack for bringing people together, the idea is the same: make connections easy. The magic isn’t in the technology; it’s in creating spaces where people feel welcome and comfortable enough to turn a night out into something more meaningful.
Why Connection Sells
A growing body of research shows that loneliness isn’t just an emotional state; it’s shaping spending habits.
- 52% of U.S. adults report feeling lonely at least some of the time, according to the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 Advisory on Loneliness and Isolation.
- Among young adults (18–34), that number jumps to nearly 60%.
- The same report notes that social isolation has health effects comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day—a stat that’s driving a national focus on social well-being.
Where People Find Connection Today
When people are looking for something to do, and someone to do it with, they’re turning to local, social-first experiences:
- Meetup.com reports that over 2 million events are organized worldwide each year, with the “social” and “community” categories seeing the fastest growth.
- Eventbrite’s 2024 Social Connection Report found that 68% of Gen Z and millennials prefer experiences that let them “meet new people” rather than passive entertainment.
- Apartment and corporate community events are also on the rise: 74% of property managers now host resident socials at least monthly (National Apartment Association, 2024).
In short, connection has become a commodity. People want low-pressure ways to meet others—and they’re actively seeking venues that make it easy to do so.
