Screw the whole bar scene though and just make it "geo-aware".
You pre-define picks and as you travel throughout town, it let's you know when one of those picks is close by.
I disagree. People go to the bar when they're ready to socialize and meet people, and they'll value something that makes that easier. Making it more geo-aware makes people have to decide which parts of their day they want to be interruptible, and I think makes the app more intimidating.
I like the bar tie-in, it provides a pleasant addition to something people are already doing.
For an area, you have each user pick a place.
All the places go up for vote.
On whatever night, it's date night at that place and it's like a flashmob meets speed dating.
I would think you'd only need a handful of people in any given geographical area for this to work (though I could be wrong).