Dating Service News

Definitely go to your company's holiday party, but if you're dating someone new, consider whether to bring him or her along, says Alana Beyer, vice president of It's Just Lunch, an international dating service for busy professionals. "If you just met or it's been a week or two, you may feel uncomfortable and they may feel uncomfortable," explains Beyer, whose Palm Desert, Calif.-based headquarters has offices in 100 locations worldwide.

"If you prefer a matchmaker, It's Just Lunch will happily set up a series of dates. The service costs, of course--but they do eliminate some of the frustrating decisions associated with dating: where to go (they work with some of the coolest and most comfortable restaurants in Dallas), when to go (they only hook you up for lunch, brunch or happy-hour drinks) and whom to go with (they probe your psyche, find out your interests, discover what you desire in a perfect partner and scan their files for possible mates). It's a blind date set by people you don't know, which probably has a better chance of success than the old dowry method."

"When Andrea McGinty was dumped by her fiancé just five weeks before her wedding, she came up with a unique idea: a dating service called It's Just Lunch! 'Suddenly you're single again, you're busy, you're working a lot of hours and it's hard to meet people,' Andrea says. 'And I found that when I was getting fixed up, I would either do lunch or a drink after work. But I learned really fast that 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!''

"Andrea McGinty proves anything can be the inspiration for a business. 'I was engaged,' she tells The Early Show national correspondent Hattie Kauffman, 'And I was getting married and about five weeks before the wedding, he changed his mind. And that pretty much, you know, that changed everything. It was devastating.' In despair, McGinty returned to the dating world, only to find her friends weren't very good at setting her up...That's when she got the idea for It's Just Lunch, which arranges lunch dates set up by professional matchmakers. 'It was totally my own frustration with dating,' McGinty admits, 'because I never in a million years thought, you know, I would own a dating service or be a matchmaker.'"

"It's prom season. Nightmare time for any young man. I know — I was one once. Unlike my brother, who had a girlfriend from kindergarten on, I never really 'dated' in high school. Never had a steady. I was still trying to figure out who I was, but prom season has never cared much about introspection. Come spring, you needed a date, a white dinner jacket and a corsage. And so I fell in line with the rest of the lads. For me, as for many, I suspect, prom night always was first-date night...It's Just Lunch, a national dating service, has just come out with 'must-know' tips for first dates. They translate nicely to prom nights, too. Far too late for me now, of course, but I was curious to see what they were and how close I came to using them to assure my date that oh-so-perfect prom evening."

"...A dating service is trying to revolutionize the blind date. It's Just Lunch! offers clients a chance to get acquainted over lunch. The firm does all the work, making reservations, clearing the matches with customers. All couples have to do is show up."

"There had to be a civilized and convenient way to meet potential partners. Wouldn't it be nice if there was a dating service that arranged prescreened lunch dates for busy professionals? Her clients are highly educated: About 95% graduated from college, and 80% have post-graduate degrees."

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