Intelligent Dating
All WorkandNoPlay?
In thisdayand agewhere busyprofessionals areoutsourcing
somanyaspectsof their lives, dating isnodifferent.
THESINGLESSCENE
With over 100million unattached people
in theU.S., why is it so difficult for singles
tomeet? In an agewhere the Blackberry
is a true companion, and people have
become so fixated on their real-time/
anytime correspondence, has everyone
forgotten the simplicity of communicating
face-to-face?
Maybewhat singles really need to do is
disconnect and bring back the lunch hour.
There’s a team of dating expertswho
understand that a single professional’s daily
planner may not have enough slots open for
some focus on their personal life. It’s Just
Lunchwas established in 1991 after a
broken engagement left the company
founder suddenly single. Likemany singles,
she began the tedious search for away to
meet “normal”, well-educated professionals.
Her friends set her up on blind dates and
she tried personal ads, but shewasn’t
comfortablewith these options. The ideal
first datewas a lunch date or drinks after
work, she decided, because it would allow
two people to actually talk and get to
know one another in a no-pressure,
relaxed environment.
THEPERSONAL TOUCH
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 theywould like tomeet. Within 48
hours, the company calls to tell the client all
about their first date. They arrange for the
couple tomeet for lunch or a drink after
work at a restaurant convenient to both of
them and evenmake the reservations. After
the date, 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.
A TEAMWITHAMISSION
Over the last 16 years, It’s Just Lunch has
set up over 2,000,000 first dates in over
100 locationsworldwide and shows no
signs of slowing down. Company CEO,
KevinBazner, a business traveler himself,
knows first-hand how hard it is to engineer
a professional and social lifewhich iswhy
hismission is to get singles out from behind
their PDA’s and desks and connecting
face-to-face. “When I first heard of the
company, I thought, thismakes perfect
sense,”Mr. Bazner said. “Whether
someone isworking at a high growth
company, a law firm or is a business owner,
who has time to date? It makes sense to
hire someone to do all thework.”
“...A dating service is trying to revolutionize the blind
date. It's Just Lunch! does all thework—making
reservations, clearing thematcheswith customers.
All couples have to do is show up.”
-TheWall Street Journal
