@JigokuHana11 Well it's just cultural distortion I suppose. If you take someone you like to a place that serves amazing food and atmosphere...the idea is that they feel pampered. It's not about the money as much as it is about saying "look, don't worry about a thing, I just want you to enjoy yourself without worry".
And
usually that means an expensive location, though not always. If you want to bring your date to an out-of-the-way eatery with a cosy warm atmosphere with cheap but delicious and inviting food...that's fine too, as long as your date feels the same way, and you know it beforehand. But if you spent half the time explaining why this place is a gem to you and he/she should feel comfortable, when initially they aren't..well you kind of just failed at the point.
It's not about the actual food or place, it's about how they feel about it. Choosing an unorthodox place is something you would do more casually between friends, or when your date is an informal one, or the place is somewhere you two have been before.
Somewhere along the way it got distorted, or maybe it's just easier to understand, that going to an expensive place is the whole point. Which it isn't...it just happens to usually be the ideal choice.