Coffee Meets Bagel’s very own Co-Founder and -CEO Dawoon Kang braved Reddit’s r/IamA January 22 to answer the questions on everyone’s mind: from tips for online dating, to where the name “Coffee Meets Bagel” came from. (And seriously, who’s the coffee? Who’s the bagel?!)

There are a lot of juicy questions and answers to sift through, so we’ve organized them and picked out the best. Here’s what happened after Dawoon Kang said, “Ask me anything!”

Tips for Online Dating

1. How Can I Increase My Match Rates on CMB?

Low match-rates are a big online dating frustration for many. However, CMB’s Dawoon has some helpful advice when it comes to making your profile more effective.

“When you answer profile questions, speak from your heart and talk honestly about what’s important about you and what you’re looking for in a date,” she said.

That’s because, Dawoon sums up, longer profiles are better than short ones. For more tips for online dating, skim Dawoon’s Reddit answer below.

2. Is Dating Sunday Really the Busiest Day for Online Dating?

Dating Sunday isn’t just folklore! In fact, the co-founder says Dating Sunday “was so big for us that it actually broke a record — it was the biggest chat day in CMB history!” The next most-popular day for chatty Cathys? The following Sunday, January 13.

But if you forgot to log in during peak dates, don’t worry. All of January is a popular time for Coffee Meets Bagel, so you still have time to connect.

3. What Are Some of the Best Online Dating Icebreakers?

In person, singles are forced to think quickly when it comes to breaking the ices. But, online? While more time to perfect a great opening line sounds pleasant, it can also be overwhelming. Should you tell a joke? Use a pick up line? Ask a question about something on their profile?

Dawoon responded with enthusiasm. “Jokes are GREAT,” She said. “Awesome to make someone laugh!” Secondarily, commenting on someone’s profile is also a great way to hit it off. Just be sure not to be generic.

Once, Dawoon said, she used one of her favorite quotes from one of her favorite books, “The Alchemist,” on her profile. “I loved it when someone tried to guess where it was from,” Dawoon said. “It was a great convo starter.”

4. What’s Dawoon’s Online Dating Philosophy?

Something Dawoon has said in the past is that, “It’s not about getting as many Likes as possible — it’s about getting one right like.” And, Dawoon suggested, that’s why Coffee Meets Bagel is razor-focused on curating limited quality matches instead of an endless pool of singles.

Another Redditor, “usctrojan415” gives further insight: “You don’t date online…at the end of the day you need to be able to transition offline effectively.”

Coffee Meets Bagel: How It Works and More

5. How Does ‘Discover’ Work?

To new community members, how Coffee Meets Bagel works might seem confusing. However, the platform is simple (even if our algorithm is complex)! Coffee Meets Bagel’s main draw is the “Suggested” section, where CMB’ers receive limited curated matches daily. The section is 100 percent free to use and to Like people.

But when CMB’ers want to search for extra Bagels using their own Advanced Filters (such as age, location, and education), they can choose to use the “Discover” section, too. In this section, it’s free to browse, but community members must use Beans or have a special subscription to Like people.

As “happyaboutlife100” puts it below, “[Discover] was meant as just an adjunctive part of CMB – i.e. the cherry on top.”

6. What’s CMB Doing About Online Dating Bots?

Scammers and bots are the reality for many dating apps, and Coffee Meets Bagel is no exception. When Redditor “superken00” asked what CMB’s strategy was for dealing with these fake profiles, Dawoon responded candidly. Take a look!

7. What Does the Name ‘Coffee Meets Bagel’ Mean?

Thank you, “dl2ew” for asking a question everyone is ready to get to the bottom of! What does the name “Coffee Meets Bagel” mean, and where did it come from? Is the premise that you’re supposed to meet up for coffee? Dawoon gives a three-fold answer — see what she says in the screen-cap.

OK — so we didn’t learn who the coffee and who the bagel is on Coffee Meets Bagel. But, perhaps the magic is in the mystery. To see more of Dawoon Kang’s “Best Of” from her Reddit AMA, follow CMB on Instagram or view the full r/IamA.

Become your best Bagel by downloading dating app Coffee Meets Bagel.

At Coffee Meets Bagel, our mission is to deliver high quality, meaningful connections to the millions of active Bagels using our app. To help us achieve our mission, we love to experiment with different layouts to ultimately understand how to deliver the best online dating experience.

What Have We Changed?
Selected Bagels from our Community will now see a new redesign of the Suggested tab: we have introduced a new way to view and Pass or Like your Suggested Bagels with a scroll-like style feed. The changes will take effect for the Android Community only when you download the latest version of Coffee Meets Bagel from the Google Play Store. (iOS Bagels will not experience any changes.) With previous styles of the Suggested tab, Bagels were presented in order and you viewed the next Bagel by Liking or Passing on the current Bagel. With the new Suggested feed design, you’ll be able to Like your Bagels in any order. Bagels will also no longer disappear once you’ve Liked them.

You can still experience the same depth of profile information as the original layout by selecting the Bagel’s photo.
By now, you might have noticed we removed the Pass button feature with the new redesign. With this option, you only need to Like a Bagel by selecting the heart icon. To Pass, simply take no action and the Bagel will disappear from your Suggested feed in 24 hours.

Why Are We Doing This?
At Coffee Meets Bagel, we strive to empower our Community with a platform designed around authenticity and ease. Our latest Suggested feed is built on best practices we learned from previous design changes. When we rolled out similar feed-like designs with the Discover section, we saw a 90% increase in connections!
Replacing our Suggested tab with a scrolling feed will help remove the pressure of making an irreversible yes-or-no decision on a potential Connection. Now you’ll be able to view all your Bagels at your own pace and without the urgency to say no.

Where Is The Pass Button?
With the new Suggested feed redesign, we’ve removed the ability to Pass on a Bagel. Instead, simply take no action on a Bagel if you don’t wish to Connect.

Tips for Using the New Suggested Tab:

To see more about the Bagel, simply select their photo and you’ll be brought to their profile page.
From the Suggested feed, you can Unmatch by clicking on the three dots on their photo.
To Unmatch and Report, go to the Bagel’s profile and select the same icon to bring up a menu with the additional Report option.
If you want to “Pass” on a Bagel, simply take no action. (We will count taking no action as a “Pass.”)
Regardless if you Like or Pass on a Bagel, all your Bagels will remain in your Suggested feed until the next noon.
If you have a lot of eligible Bagels in your area, you can “Unlock” an additional opportunity using your Beans at the end of the feed.

How Can I Help?
We pride ourselves on being a source of strength for our Community and your feedback directly influences the future of Coffee Meets Bagel in the online dating space. Please send us your comments and suggestions for our latest update at [email protected]

Did You Miss Dawoon Kang’s Reddit ‘AMA’? Here’s 7 of the Best Q+A