It's Just Lunch :: Press Center

"It's Just Lunch" dating service leads to on-air proposal

This week, we’ve been telling you how folks around Kentuckiana are meeting their special someone. 

The majority of them say they would not resort to reality television.

Our Survey USA poll found 70% of people said they would not appear on a show to meet their loved one.

So, would you go on a simple lunch date? 

We met up with the dating service called “It’s Just Lunch” Monday morning.

They introduced us to one couple who met two years ago on a simple lunch date.

And their “happily ever after” happened live on “Good Morning Kentuckiana” when Todd Blunk proposed to his girlfriend.

“Margaret Blackwell, you know I love you… will you marry me?” 

And her reply was a resounding, “YES!”

 -Click here to see the proposal -

"I'm very happy,” says Margaret just moments after Todd popped the question.  “I'm still shaking!  I'm just excited."

These two lovebirds are both divorced.

They met through "It's Just Lunch."

It’s tagged as a matchmaking service that sets up simple lunch dates for busy professionals looking for love.

Their directors say the point of it is no pressure, no set-up and no commitments.

"I've done anything from match.com to Louisville Mojo,” says Todd.  “But this sets you up with people through a profile.  Margaret was my seventh date."

Todd was Margaret’s first date.

"I was a little nervous, pacing outside the restaurant,” says Margaret about her first date with Todd.  “I’m thinking ‘Oh, my gosh,’ what am I doing?!  But then I'm so glad I took that leap... I found the man of my dreams!  Now I'm getting married!"

"It just goes to show, you never know,” says Sequoia Harris, a director of “It’s Just Lunch.  “Just have a little faith... have a little faith in fate!"

~WHAS Channel 11 News

Valentine’s Day just like any other night for Vancouverites: survey

If the thought of finding the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for your uppity other half leaves you fearful of declaring bankruptcy instead of love, you’re not alone.

It’s Just Lunch, a business that plays matchmaker for single professionals and bills itself as Vancouver’s most popular non-Internet dating service, has just announced the results of its Valentine’s survey—and money was voted as a major issue when it came to planning a romantic evening.

While almost half of the 2,500 respondents sided with dinner at a nice restaurant as the perfect Valentine’s Day date, 63 percent plan on spending February 14 just like any other night. Is the flaccid economy to blame for the romantics missing out on a three-course spread at Le Crocodile?

“Overall we are seeing a shift in spending habits as well as the way people will spend the day with a significant other, yet the importance of the day has by no means lost its significance,” said Jacqui Brownridge, managing director of the Vancouver branch of It’s Just Lunch, in a press release.

Compared with past poll results, the number of men willing to blow $100 on a date has dropped four percent, and the largest percentage of men polled this year said they weren’t going to buy anyone a gift. But Brownridge doesn’t think the survey statistics necessarily herald the death of romance.

“People have a very real desire to connect with others, especially in turbulent times,” she said. “We anticipate this Valentine’s Day that men and women will say how much they care for their significant other in creative ways.”

    ~ Straight.com

No stigma to dating services today

The advent of the Internet made meeting people from around the world just a few clicks away on a mouse. The problem is, it’s also easy to meet people who aren’t honest about themselves.

Enter dating services.

Unlike 10 or 20 years ago, such services no longer come with a stigma attached. People have become so busy that it’s nice to have someone else narrow the playing field.

“These days people outsource every area of their lives,” said Jacquie Brownridge, owner of It’s Just Lunch Vancouver. People have personal trainers and chefs and lifestyle coaches. “Dating is no different.”

Her clients tend to be professionals who work 50 to 60 hours a week. Many travel and are active in sports and volunteer work.

“When do they have time to meet somebody?”

It’s Just Lunch makes matches and sets up lunch dates. They’ll also take copies of clients’ driver’s licences and make sure they work where they say they do.

Dinnerworks.ca has a similar policy. In their case, the matchmaking strategy is more casual and less targeted.

They organize events, such as dinners, where an equal number of single men and women in the same age group can meet and socialize.

And for those who want the face-to-face interaction with the volume of matches offered by the Internet, there’s speed dating.

At such events, organized by companies such as the Rendezvous Club, each “date” lasts five minutes. Each person marks a card with those they’d be interested in seeing again. If—and only if—the feeling is mutual the company hooks them up.

    ~Burnaby Newsleader

Jilted in January: Many couples find that breaking up is not so hard to do in first month of year

When poet T.S. Eliot wrote that April is the cruelest month, he probably wasn't thinking about January -- which these days is being dubbed the official breakup month.

Sandwiched uncomfortably between the December holiday season and Valentine's Day, it's the time of year when more couples tend to call it quits.

These holidays and all they symbolize can be tough on relationships. For many people, January is a time for new beginnings and fresh starts -- which can mean getting out of a bad relationship.

"The holidays are probably one of our busiest times of the year," says Jim Irwin, director of the Downtown Pittsburgh office of It's Just Lunch, a national agency that arranges casual first dates only -- introducing potential mates in a low-pressure situation like lunch or coffee, rather than committing to the traditional evening out.

Irwin says January is busy, but sees it as more of a positive, fresh start approach to a new year. "People don't come in and say they've just broken up with someone; often, they're busy professionals who've made a resolution to focus more on their personal life in the new year."

~ Pittsburgh Post - Gazette

CEOs say how you treat a waiter can predict a lot about character.

Office Depot CEO Steve Odland remembers like it was yesterday working in an upscale French restaurant in Denver.

The purple sorbet in cut glass he was serving tumbled onto the expensive white gown of an obviously rich and important woman. "I watched in slow motion ruining her dress for the evening," Odland says. "I thought I would be shot on sight."

Thirty years have passed, but Odland can't get the stain out of his mind, nor the woman's kind reaction. She was startled, regained composure and, in a reassuring voice, told the teenage Odland, "It's OK. It wasn't your fault." When she left the restaurant, she also left the future Fortune 500 CEO with a life lesson: You can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she treats the waiter.

CEOs aren't the only ones who have discovered the Waiter Rule. A November survey of 2,500 by It's Just Lunch, a dating service for professionals, found that being rude to waiters ranks No. 1 as the worst in dining etiquette, at 52%, way ahead of blowing your nose at the table, at 35%.

~ USA Today

Stand Still So I Can Pick You Up

Pick-up lines have come a long way since the smarmy stylings of "What's your sign?" and "Come here often?" These quirky icebreakers suffer from a bad rap -- and unfairly so. They can be smart (and sometimes silly) conversation starters. Here are tried-and-and-oft-true approaches from the people who sit next to you on the bus and pass you on the street. Some gradually ease into the pick up, others are more bold and direct, but all of them opened up lines of conversation. Which is the whole point. Nancy Kirsch, senior vice president of It's Just Lunch, a matchmaking service that sets up would-be couples for a maiden-voyage lunch, says that whether it's your first conversation or your first date, the key is keeping things light and upbeat. "No one wants to hear about your ex or how much you hate your job," Kirsch instructs. "Listening is a great skill to have."

~ The Washington Post

The New Meet Market

Abhor blind dates? Well if you haven't heard of the new thing that is getting singles in a tizzy (even Oprah Winfrey says she's a fan) it's the new dating scene called "it's just lunch". Apparently even though you're meeting a stranger to eat and converse with in broad daylight during your much-cherished lunch break, because it's just lunch , things are a tad easier. Why? Well according to Andrea McGinty (who came up with the zany idea), the best thing about lunch is this: "Lunch has a beginning; lunch has an end. It's kind of easy to say goodbye, there's no good-night kiss - it's just really easy!"

~ Sydney Morning Herald

Single men are chivalrous

It’s Just Lunch, the dating service for busy professionals recently conducted a survey that had some interesting results...  At least as far as I’m concerned.

This survey with nearly 3,600 participants revealed the following:

82% of single men say that the man always pays on a first date when set up by friends. However, 46% of single women believe that the bill should be split evenly between the two parties.

When the waiter comes to the table to take their drink order and their date says “I don’t drink,” 62% of single men will order water or soda and skip the alcoholic beverage. Single women don’t care if their date doesn’t drink, but it doesn’t mean they can’t; 41% of single women will order a glass of wine, even if their date orders only water.

Other dating trends with dining:
•     32% of single men would ignore food stuck in their date’s teeth; however 55% of single women would point out discreetly to their date that they had something in their teeth
•     80% of singles converse about their favorite cuisine prior to meeting for a first date
•     Top cuisine choices for a first date—46% Italian, 19% Steakhouse, 16% Japanese, 11% Mexican, 8% French
•     Red or white? While men generally prefer a Merlot, 58% of single men will skip red and order a bottle of Chardonnay if white wine is their date’s preference
•     75% of single women would skip sharing a bottle when wine preferences differ from their date and insist they each get their own glass
•     Time for a second date together? 82% of single men would like to pick their date up, while 46% of single women prefer to meet at the restaurant

So, what do singles do when a steak ordered medium comes out well done? 39% of single men could care less and eat the meat; 70% of single women would politely mention to the waiter that her steak wasn’t prepared to her liking and ask for a new one.

The amount tipped on a date almost certainly will affect future dates. 61% of single women would surmise their date is cheap and not see them again if they tipped only 10%, while 24% of single men would just think that their date is bad at math.

My own surprises come from the results according to the men, however, the results as far as the women - they don’t surprise me much.  Having heard several of the horror tales from several male friends, I find it rather surprising that men would want to date at all.

I happened to be one of those who chose to pay my own half - I’d only tell if there was food stuck in the teeth if I had hopes of a kiss later - I’d likley not return a steak that was cooked wrong unless it was undercooked.

Though men are found to be more chivalrous then many had thought, isn’t it safe to say that women are growing more and more high maintenance.

~ DatingDames.com

Dating Attitude of Singles in Cities All Over the United States

In celebration of National Singles Week, It’s Just Lunch, the premiere dating service for busy professionals, has released results form it’s Annual Report on Dating. A survey of 3,571 singles reveals that 38% rated New York City as being the most fun city for singles and 32% rated the Big Apple as having the most attractive singles in America.

Most Fun City for Singles                
1. New York – 38%                    
2. Las Vegas – 23%                    
3. Miami – 18%                    
4. Los Angeles – 11%                    
5. Chicago – 10%                    

Most Attractive Singles
1. New York – 32%
2. Los Angeles – 26%
3. Miami – 23%
4. Chicago – 13%
5. Las Vegas – 6%    

“Our survey also found that singles in different cities have varying opinions on dating, said Alana Beyer, Vice President of It’s Just Lunch. “Everything from how often singles date to whether they prefer to date people younger or older than them changes depending on which area of the country you are in. You may be surprised to find that 28% of singles in Charlotte go on only one date a month, while 5% of singles in Detroit go on 4 or more dates a month.”

Interesting findings from the It’s Just Lunch Annual Report on Dating include:

43% of singles in Buffalo say there career is their top priority, while 53% of singles in Tucson rate their love life as their number one priority.

29% of single males in Detroit would not be comfortable dating a woman that made more money than them, while 93% of single men in Charlotte say they would have no problem dating a woman that made more money than them.

71% of singles in Sacramento have been in 3 or more relationships lasting over a year. 29% of singles in Buffalo have never been in a relationship that lasted over one year. 30% of singles in Detroit have been in one relationship that lasted over a year.

Men in Tucson and Sacramento prefer dating younger women, 97% of the men surveyed in Tucson and 83% of single men in Sacramento date women that are 5-10 years younger than them. In Detroit 33% of single males date women that are at least five years older, while 8% of single females in Detroit typically date men that are 10 years younger than them.

Nationwide, singles agree, 32% think Thursday night is the best night of the week for a first date. 55% of singles nationwide have been in a long distance relationship, while 25% feel like they are to busy to date. 49% believe that common values and goals are necessary to make a long term relationship work.

~ PR Web - Press Release Newswire

Age matters in the dating game...

US dating service It’s Just Lunch has released statistics confirming the age-old prejudice about the attraction between older men and younger women. According to a survey of 3,571 singles, 76 percent of women date men at least five years older, while 80 percent of men date women at least five years younger. Of the 18 percent of men who date older women, 6 percent admit to dating a friend of their parents.

~ The London Paper