Intelligent Dating
In this day and agewhere busy professionals are outsourcing
somany aspects of their lives, dating is no different.
all work
& no play?
THESINGLESSCENE
With over 100million unattachedpeople in
the U.S., why is it so difficult for singles to
meet? In an agewhere the Blackberry is a
true companion, and people have become
so fixatedon their real-time/ anytimecorre-
spondence, has everyone forgotten the
simplicity of communication face-to-face?
Maybe what singles really need to do is
disconnect and bring back the lunch hour.
There’s a team of dating experts who
understand that a single professional’s
daily planner may not have enough slots
open for some focus on their personal life.
It’s Just Lunch was established in 1991
after abroken engagement left the compa-
ny founder suddenlysingle. Likemanysin-
gles, she began the tedious search for a
way tomeet “normal”, well-educated pro-
fessionals. Her friends set her up on blind
dates and she tried personal ads, but she
wasn’t comfortable with these options.
The ideal first date was a lunch date or
drinks after work, she decided, because it
wouldallow twopeople toactually talkand
get to know one another in a no-pressure,
relaxed environment.
THEPERSONALTOUCH
The company’s premise is simple: a dating
solution based on personalized selection
and date coordination. After a client calls
for information, a one hour face-to-face
meeting is set up to discuss the types of
people they would like tomeet. Within 48
hours, the company calls to tell the client
all about their first date. They arrange for
thecouple tomeet for lunchor adrinkafter
work at a restaurant convenient to both of
them and even make the reservations.
After thedate, the clients call the company
and give feedback before their next match
is selected. There is no photo or on-line
profile for theworld to see.
ATEAMWITHAMISSION
Over the last 16 years, It’s Just Lunch has
set up over 2,000,000 first dates in over
100 locations worldwide and shows no
signs of slowing down. Company CEO,
Kevin Bazner, a business traveler himself,
knows first-hand how hard it is to engineer
a professional and social life which is why
his mission is to get singles out from
behind theirPDA’sanddesksandconnect-
ing face-to-face. “When I first heardof the
company, I thought, this makes perfect
sense,” Mr. Bazner said. “Whether some-
one is working at a high growth company,
a law firm or is a business owner, who has
time todate? Itmakes sense to hire some-
one to do all thework.”
...A dating service is trying to revolutionize
the blind date. It's Just Lunch! does all the
work—making reservations, clearing the
matcheswith customers. All couples have to
do is show up.
-TheWall Street Journal
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