When freshman Donovan Strader and his cousin, Carter Felt, returned to BYU–Idaho after serving two-year church missions in Argentina, they knew they wanted to start a business together.
“We really wanted to find something that was actually going to solve a problem. Something we were passionate about,” Strader said.
The pair began by surveying students about any problems they could think of.
“We would go to the Dunes and everyone else was having a good time and I was thinking, I'm in business mode right now. Like, I have to ask a hundred people tonight, what's the biggest problem with dating in Rexburg?” Strader said.
Patterns quickly emerged: students often lacked ideas or money for dates, some were more eager to get married than others and many needed more confidence to ask someone out.
To address these issues, Strader and Felt invested in two vending machines, one for snacks and the other to convert into what they now call the Date Machine.
“I just wanted to make an environment to where the guys have no excuse, basically,” Strader said.
The bright pink and white machine, located in the Cedars Women’s apartment complex lobby, is filled with envelopes containing ready-made date ideas. The options range from $5 to $50, offering choices for different budgets. Some envelopes are designed for group dates, and there’s even gum stocked at the bottom of the machine, just in case.
Each date package includes a food item from a local eatery, an activity and a set of conversation questions.
Strader and Felt have partnered with several local businesses to make the dates more affordable, including Kainoa’s Hawaiian Grill, Millhollow and The Cookie Place.
Starting a business during their freshman semester, however, has come with challenges.
“I remember one time I was like, ‘Dude, I got to go steal some of our own ramen because we're running low on money, we're running low on food,’” Strader said. “It's a big risk, but it's also kind of really fun. So, definitely think just having confidence in the business and not doubting yourself, because we definitely could have quit a couple of times at this point.”
The Date Machine is located in the Cedars Women’s apartment complex lobby on 2nd South. For more information, visit the Date Machine Instagram page.