The Hottest Social Scene in Town Isn’t the Singles’ Bar. It’s the Supermarket.

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When Bob Schneider goes out on a Friday night, he no longer heads to the local singles bar. Instead, he goes to the grocery store. “I once dated a woman from the potato section at Mariano’s,” says Mr. Schneider, a 67-year-old semiretired, twice-divorced lobbyist in Oak Brook, Ill. “The next thing you know we’re at the wine bar and then we’re dating.”

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Supermarkets—those havens of the not-so-scintillating chore of scouring numbered aisles, pushing carts and perusing produce—are finding a new identity as a social hub in communities. Parents now bring their children here to play, retirees gather for Bingo, and singles find romance. Grocery stores are fulfilling the new role as traditional gathering spots, from shopping malls to social clubs like Lions Clubs and Rotary International, continue to shrink from decades-earlier peaks. Malls, in particular, are in danger of extinction. Credit Suisse has projected that up to 25% of malls will close over the next five years, as the internet continues to reshape the way Americans shop. As more shoppers consider alternatives including online shopping apps and meal kits, grocers are finding ways to avoid a similar fate. Many are reinventing themselves as destination spots. “Getting people into the store is the number one objective,” says Laurie Rains, Nielsen’s group vice president of retail strategy. Retailers are also drawn to the higher margins that in-house prepared foods, coffee and cocktails can offer. By offering space for people to hang out and play, grocery stores are making a calculation that customers will stay, shop longer and come back more often.

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The social scene can be annoying for customers who just want to run in and get what they need. Jenny Perin says navigating the evening wine-tasting crowds that cluster in the aisles of her favorite grocery store, Walt Churchill’s Market in Maumee, Ohio, has made her rethink when she does her shopping. “I get irritated,” says the Waterville, Ohio, nonprofit consultant. Owner Walt Churchill says the tastings are intended to be in back of the store, but that people sometimes wander. “It’s like herding cats sometimes,” he says. Mr. Churchill plans on confining the tasting area more in the future. Simply roaming the aisles can inspire friendships, and even love. Dan Wilson and Alissa Clapper met—and had their first date—over burgers at a Hy-Vee supermarket in Ankeny, Iowa, last summer. Having an in-house restaurant made the date possible, says Mr. Wilson. “It was 90% of the reason she even said yes,” he says, “because she didn’t have to get in the car with a stranger.” The couple recently got engaged.

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