A thousand claps for your reasonable, rational, and refreshing take. Expectations are killers in dating. Better to keep it simple, short & sweet, and then proceed accordingly.

No one is owed a fancy dinner on a first date (or sex after) and no one wants to be stuck for hours if it's not a match. A coffee date doesn't mean someone is "low effort," it just means they're realistic.

With that said, I realize burn out and chronic disappointment make people cynical, but do the bare minimum: Clean up, show up, and put your best foot forward wherever your first date may be.