It's Just Lunch :: Press Center

Get Matched May 2008

Sonia Boonchanasukit, BK Magazine

Dating in the 21st century—here’s how you do it. 

You already know it—your mom is not going to hook you up. She might have plans, but that “nice” girl or boy she picked, well, it’s just not going to work out. Problem is, you’re still single.

So if you cannot get a “nice” girl or boy thanks to mom (or the village matchmaker), what are you going to do? Network! The name of the game, when it comes to hooking up, is meeting up with a lot of people—and it doesn’t stop with Facebook and singles bars.

You Need a Pro

You’re partying every night, you’ve got 1453 friends on facebook.com, you’ve exchanged business cards with everyone in town who has one (and even handed out a few to people who didn’t) and you’re still single. Time to get professional help and some one-on-one appointments with like-minded people who have decided to get serious about hooking up.

But before we introduce you to a matchmaker, let’s just put it out there—you’re not a desperate soul and opening up to a stranger is not as bad as you think—especially when they’ve been trained to do it. You’re going to be asked about everything from your daily routine to what your past relationships were like—so get ready to spill the beans with someone who might be a stranger now, but could potentially be the first person you call later.

It’s Just Lunch

The Matchmaker: Anisa Hassan

The Process: Hassan’s service has been in the business for over 17 years and has offices worldwide with branches from Singapore to New York. Because it’s an international brand, you’re probably not going to be talking to Anisa herself, but trusted with a senior consultant from the Singapore office who will conduct the interview process. Once they’ve picked your match, your first name is revealed to the person but nothing else. They set up the date at a restaurant and your job is to show up (on time) and have a good time. If you’re made to shift locales for work, your membership can be transferred to a different city.
The Deal: B25,000, one-year membership, 12 introductions.
Verdict: It’s worldwide, which suggests international-standard  professionalism. Plus! You get to get cozy with our neighbors from Singapore!
Contact: www.itsjustlunchbangkok.com

Ace the First Impression May 2008

Sonia Boonchanasukit, BK Magazine

Five female dating experts share their secrets on acing that crucial first date.

Looks Matter
Dress according to the venue, the time of day and your comfort level. Do not douse yourself in cologne or perfume or adorn yourself in anything too revealing or, as us commoners would call it, skanky. “Ladies, a nice dress and stilettos always work like a charm! For men—a nice crisp shirt and crease-free pants and good shiny shoes. Those are the basics,” says Anisa Hassan from It’s Just Lunch. See Lookin’ Good page 13.

Confidence
Ah! The big “C” word. Careful, though, you don’t want to have the four-letter “O” word attached to it which can almost guarantee your placement within the “cocky and self absorbed” category. “Make lots of eye contact and hold their gaze. This shows that you are not intimidated and plus, it’s more attractive to the other person,” says Chanunchida Pathomkulmai from Who is Match.

Drop the Expectations
“Keep an open mind and don’t expect sparks to fly immediately. Set your expectations right so you can be pleasantly surprised,” says Anisa.

Yap Yap
Try to engage in light and casual—but at the same time intelligent and interesting—topics of conversation. “If you’re concerned, be sure to read a newspaper or watch a news program that day so you’re up on world events,” says MeetNLunch’s Nikki Assavathorn. There seems to be one big consensus among our experts—refrain from talking about your exes!

Smile
Look, even if you don’t have the whitest teeth, smiling can never derail a smooth running first date. “Be happy,” says Bangkok
Matching’s Kulchulee Subsinudom, “people can sense and feel the happiness from you, believe me!”

Men: Pull a George Clooney
“Ladies, if the man offers to pay, offer a sincere thank you,” says Anisa. Chivalry: it still exists and —almost always—the woman will be floored.

Time Is Money, Baby!
Being on time can be a big determinant of your character. So don’t just flash the Cartier—use it! As Nikki would say, “There’s no greater sign of disrespect than being late for your first date. Get directions!”

Relax
“Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. It’s all about having a good and positive attitude about entering the dating scene again. If you end up meeting someone then it’s great! But if you don’t, you just have to keep going out—give yourself a chance to meet more people. The biggest secret is to be happy with yourself,” says Kulchulee.

Love by the numbers May 2008

Laura Schaefer,  Happen Magazine

The statistics of romance tell a fascinating story about who is dating whom, how many of us are still single, and what to expect when love blossoms. From who pays for what to the age at which we march down the aisle, it can all be neatly summed up by numbers, some of which will definitely surprise you. Just think about it this way: Would you rather be the average or on the edges when it comes to love? See what you think as you read these facts and figures.

To call or not to call?
There is only a 1 in 8 chance that a first date will call you for a second date after 24 hours, revealed a survey by matchmakers It’s Just Lunch. But say you do like the person, then what? Here’s what a 2006 survey by Match.com revealed: On the ladies’ side, 49 percent of women never call or they expect the man to call first; 20 percent of women call two days later, while 15 percent call the next day. Of the guys, 45 percent call the next day, 32 percent call two days later, and 14 percent call three days later.

·         View photos of singles in your area - FREE

·         Meet nearby singles - See profiles & pics now

·         Complete Chemistry's personality quiz & get matches

Date-night data
According to 41 percent of singles, Wednesday is the best day for a first date, and 46 percent of people surveyed by It’s Just Lunch say Italian is the cuisine of choice for first-date dinners.

Working on love?
Office romances are quite a gamble, it seems, according to data from the American Management Association of New York: You could end up married—or losing your footing work-wise. 44 percent of workplace romances lead to marriage, while 43 percent of women and 25 percent of men who had an office affair that ended badly reported their work suffered as a result.

From wink to real world
It takes an average of four weeks before Internet daters will arrange to meet off-line, says a 2005 study by Love.com... so don’t be put off if bantering emails don’t lead to a date right away.

Putting a price tag on romance
51 percent of American men spend over $100 monthly on dates, and 29 percent spend over $150, according to an It’s Just Lunch survey. What’s more, 68 percent of men treat on the first date. Now, nearly 2/3 of U.S. women spend less than $50 a month on dating, but the female of the species likely empties her pockets for Cupid in a different way, buying cosmetics and new clothes.

I’ll drink to that…in moderation
86 percent of American men and 91 percent of women agree that two alcoholic drinks is the maximum on a first date, say the folks who took an It’s Just Lunch poll, and one in five would refrain from drinking.

Who’s doing the dumping
So who is bringing down the ax when people part ways? 29 percent of men polled by eNation, a service of Market Facts, say that they were the one who called it quits, while 51 percent of women say they initiated their most recent split.

How you mend a broken heart…
36 percent of adults say they get over an ex by dating someone new, according to the same eNation survey. 22 percent drown their sorrows in alcohol. 15 percent say they go shopping—and a jet-setting 10 percent go on a vacation.

Single solidarity
As of 2004, Census Bureau reports revealed that there were 89 million single Americans who were divorced, widowed, or had always been single. That’s more than 40 percent of the 18-and-older population. In fact, on the average, Americans now spend more years of their adult lives single than married. This is due to the fact that many people are delaying the age at which they marry — most recently measured at a median of 25.8 for women and 27.4 for men; the highest on record — and many marriages don’t last forever… So being single hardly makes you odd man (or woman) out anymore!

Laura Schaefer is the author of Man with Farm Seeks Woman with Tractor: The Best and Worst Personal Ads of All Time.