It Really Does Take Two to Tango!

Some singles have a hard time deciphering whether or not their date is genuinely interested in them. People express themselves differently depending on their personality temperament or even past experiences. In fact, it's not at all uncommon for some singles to mistake attention for affection.

The key to finding out if someone is interested in you as a friend, or possibly more, is through the act of reciprocity. Think about this way. Most people are afraid of rejection, regardless if you're a man or a woman. It really doesn't matter who makes the first move, just as someone as long as someone is making a move to begin with. This gives the other person a chance to respond to the move with further encouragements or a move of his or her own.

For example, simply making eye contact with someone may not be enough to indicate interest, but if you start a conversation with someone, you can gauge their level of interest based on the response. If the person continues to engage with, that person is interested in continuing the conversations until that interest escalates or wanes. However, if the person isn't really engaging with you and is responding with simple, one-word answers, then that person just isn't interested enough to reciprocate.

The common expression "it takes two to tango" has never been more true than in dating and relationships. It's a wonderful dance of give and take to a song that never stops. The next time you meet someone with romantic potential, put out a few feelers in the form of playful comments or potential opportunities to hang out in the future and see if the response you get is favorable or revealing in other ways. 

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Show It's Just Lunch Your Movember 'Stache to Save Cash on a Membership

'Tis that time of year when men across the world start growing their moustaches to spark conversation and raise vital funds for men's health programs. These programs save and improve the lives of men affected by prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health issues.

According to the Movember Canada website, to date, 4 million moustaches have been grown worldwide.

And in honour of Movember, we would love to see your 'stache! Any man with a moustache who joins It's Just Lunch Toronto during the month of November gets $200 off a one-year membership. PLUS, IJL will match $200 with a donation to the Movember Foundation.

For more details, contact us at 1-416-703-3900 or via our website at www.itsjustlunchtoronto.com

Resources:

• Movember Foundation Canada
• It's Just Lunch Vancouver

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It's Just Lunch Celebrates 22 Years!

Its Just Lunch is celebrating its 22nd year in business this month. It doesn't seem possible! Thanks to all of our clients and employees for helping us reach this milestone!

And to think that it all started with one woman in 1991 who found herself single again after being in a long term relationship that ended when her engagement was suddenly called off. Determined to move forward with her life, she proceeded to start the dating process all over again to meet someone "normal" who was an educated, working proessional singles like herself. She posted personal ads, was set up by friends and even considered video dating services, but none of these options really felt ccomfortable to her. She decided that the best way to meet people was the "old-fashioned" way of meeting someone in the flesh where she could properly assess their chemistry; and she found that the the best way to do that was through lunch dates and drinks after work.

It started as a seemingly simple concept implemented from one location in Chicago and has since grown to more than 150 cities across the globe with locations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia. We can't believe we've grown to become the largest personalized dating service in the world and we owe it all to our clients and employees who helped make it possible for us to still be around after all these years. 

From day one, we believed the best way for singles to meet was face to face, which is exactly why we meet all of our client face to face and set them up on stress free lunch dates or drinks after work where they can meet other like-minded professional singles face to face. 

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Find your dream date on the flip side!

As matchmaker, I am always amazed at how many women come in with a ‘list’ that begins with height – “He must be 6’ tall or more!” Plus, he must be confident, intelligent, successful, fun, great looking, and he Must Love Dogs!

But the average Canadian male is 5’9”. So right away these smart, savvy women are eliminating well over 50% of the available male population. In fact, only 14% of men are 6’ tall or taller. So Ladies, your 6’ rule eliminated 86% of your matches.

Now, I am known for my love of stylish shoes. My favourites just seem to come with 4-inch heels! And I know most women do like the idea that their man would still be a bit taller than them if they have their heels on. But the average Canadian woman is just 5’4”. So even with the 3” height enhancement of your rakish 4” stilettos versus the 1” heel of his typical male dress shoe, the average man would still be a comfortable 2 inches above ‘his woman’.

What’s more Ladies, there are some pretty hot guys your list would exclude! For fun, I took a look at CBC’s 2011 Top 10 Hottest Guy survey. And of those Ten Hottest Guys, guess how many were less that your 6’ rule?

Six!  That’s right…6 out of the 10 Hottest Men. 60% of the Best of the Best!

So come-on, would you really pass up a date with Scott Speedman, Allan Hawco, Jason Priestly, Seth Rogen, Sidney Crosby, or George Stroumboulopolis??? Not in this life. But yes Ladies, they are all shorter than 6’.  And your list excludes them.

And let’s check out Hollywood. Here are just some of the world’s most popular guys who measure 5’8” and under:

5’8”: Zac Efron, Mel Gibson, Jesse Bradford and Mark Walburg.

5’7”: Tom Cruise, Christian Slater, Ben Stiller, and Al Pacino

5’6”: Jack Black, Daniel Radcliffe, Elijah Wood, and Woody Allen

5’5”: Michael J Fox, Dustin Hoffman, Bruno Mars, and Hawaii 5-0’s Scott Caan (Dano)

And at 5’4”, some of the sexiest: Emilio Estevez, Richard Dreyfus, and James Cagney - #8 on the American Film Institute all time list of screen legends!

So what would I recommend? How about this as a start - Rip up your play list…and check out the flip side.  You will find a cornucopia of men…talented, witty, confident, hot, single, and they might even love Dogs! In most cases, they will still be taller than you, even with your heels on. And if they’re not, do you really care!

As Humphrey Bogart  (5’8”) once said, “Here’s lookin at you, Kid!”

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Stopping to Smell the Roses

There sure is a lot of buzzing about online dating these days. The water-cooler which was once a glorious place to waste a few minutes of a very long day is now ruined with profile speak. Heck, you can’t even peacefully grind your teeth in the 10 items or less line without being subjected to a fascinating conversation about choosing the right “user name”. 

According to the commercials, featuring the most attractive people (models), with the whitest teeth you’ve ever seen (caps), there’s a hot model with perfect gums that practices your exact religion, subscribes to your favorite reading materials (Wow! They read too!), and is just waiting for you to jump online and find them. And if for some reason, you two don’t hit it off, there are 100 more just like them.

So does all this dental work live up to its promise? Are people really falling in love left and right like an episode of the Love Boat on ecstasy? 

According to a recent study*, what online dating has accomplished is a platform where  “romantic browsing triggers” happen. Instead of considering a potential partner on specific characteristics that would align with your true ideals, speedy decisions are made, based upon finding, “the best” profile, which of course includes a picture. This study found that when folks were faced with many profiles (up to 90), they made faster decisions, and wrote potentials off quicker, instead of weighing important information. These hasty decisions demonstrated that people forgot what they were really looking for in a mate. In contrast, those who had to select from say four people, considered real options, and complex information for a potential partner. This same study also found that going on a REAL date was more productive in truly getting to know someone, than just online chatting. 

The morale of the study? Take time to smell the roses! Focusing on what you want, going out on a date, and then deciding what comes next. We at It’s Just Lunch® are proud of our 20 years of dating success stories. No user names, no photos, ...ever. Just lunch with someone specifically matched to your interests and values.

*Finkel, E. J., Eastwick, P. W., Karney, B. R., Reis, H. T., & Sprecher, S. (2012). Online dating: A critical analysis from the perspective of psychological science. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 13(1), 3–66.

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Success Story: Finding Her Soul Mate

It's Just Lunch matchmakers are responsible for thousands of second dates, long term relationships, engagements and marriages!  We have arranged over two million fun first dates in our 20 years and we love to hear when these introductions lead to something more. 

Our latest success story comes from Danielle in Vancouver. While she claims to be "picky", we like to think of it as searching for her soul mate.  Here's her story on how she found him:

____________________________

It's Just lunch has completely changed my life . My girlfriend told me to go on it since I don't like going to the bars and hate the pickup scene. I have been married before for 20 years and I knew I was really picky.

The staff at It's Just Lunch Vancouver made me feel really comfortable and they were so nice. I have never joined an agency before so I was a bit nervous but once I got there I was okay . For the first few months, I went on quite a few dates . . . The men were nice and professional, but I just felt it was not the right one until I met the man of my dreams.

We took it really slow and went on a few dates together. We had so much in common and had an amazing connection. We discovered we went to the same high school only two years apart, went to the same university and live only a few blocks away from each other.  It was weird we never crossed paths, but I do remember him in high school .

After our first kiss, we knew that we had found our soul mate. Now, it has been 5 years and we are very happily married. I never believed in soul mates before, but now I do. We are very much in love and have an amazing life together.

My advice for people that want to join It's Just Lunch is that it's the best thing that ever happened to me. I have never been so happy. Don't give up in finding someone right for you and its good to be picky. The girlfriend that told me about It's Just Lunch was also a member and she has been dating a man she met at (there) for 2 1/2 years. My dream came true and so can yours!

Thank you It's Just Lunch for everything you have done. 

Danielle

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Love at Third Sight?

Based on our last survey questions on sex, it’s interesting to ponder this question: what comes first, sex or love? There’s no doubt among your friends and family, two people met, fell right in love, and have lived happily ever after. It’s certainly a romantic ideal, but does it hold up in the 21st century?

Believe it or not, almost 75% of men say love at first sight still exists. Women are a little more skeptical, but a healthy 63% believe the same thing. Those romantic ideals don't translate when it comes to a question about marriage, with 56% of both men and women saying that tying the knot isn’t as important as it used to be.

Many men and women enter a first date looking to find that immediate connection. While it’s important to set expectations for yourself, it’s also nice to let loose and relax in the feeling that going out on a date is supposed to be fun. In order to do that, suspend your expectations and live in the moment on a date. You’ll find that by doing so, you’ll have more fun, exude confidence, and appear all the more attractive to that person sitting across from you.

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Sex on the Brain

But what if you do click with your date? And by click, we mean chemistry, attraction, and connectedness seem to be firing on all cylinders between you and your date. Okay, so you certainly don’t have to worry about rejection; because what may be on your mind is sex.

Of course, sex is a tricky thing. Everyone wants it, but many people are hesitant to go for it on a first date even if all signs point to yes. Do women put off sex because they’re worried about being judged? Will a man judge a woman if they sleep together on the first date? According to our results, almost 60% of women avoid sex on the first date because they are worried about what a guy will think, and almost 80% of women think a guy will, in fact, draw conclusions about a woman if they end up sleeping together on a first date. A little more than half of men surveyed believe women put off sex because of judgments, but a little less than half of men would judge a woman if they slept together on the first date.

Clearly, there’s some miscommunication going on between both sexes when it comes to sex. What is clear is that you should be comfortable with who you are. Sure it sounds clichéd, but if you happen to be more sexual than your date and you are getting judged for that, then it probably isn’t meant to be. Also, if you are the type of person who holds off until you get to know someone better, then that is equally powerful in itself. Ultimately, dating is about being confident and finding chemistry with a partner. If any egregious judgments are passed throughout the course of a night that’s supposed to be fun, then you might be better off with someone else.

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Debunking Dating Myths, Part 1: Setting Expectations

For anyone going on a first date, there are lots of initial questions that can pop into one’s head, ranging from “will I be attracted to them in person?” to “what kind of plans should I make tonight?” It’s Just Lunch recently surveyed singles around the world to get a sense for the “state of the first date”.

Heightened expectations
Do looks really matter? Most people have natural attractions toward others based on hair color, skin color, body types, and so on. Even though we’re constantly inundated with images of sexy celebs and other attractive figures, most of the time we have a general idea of the type of person we like. Some people may have a specific type, while others are a little broader in their perspective—and having a firm opinion either way is a good thing!

However, we did ask both men and women a simple question that seems to come up time and time again. Does height really matter?  The results aren’t surprising. Typically, two out of three men want to date women who are shorter than they are, and they believe women want the same thing. Ladies, you overwhelmingly responded that you’d like to date guys who are taller, and believe men are on the same page. So what’s the takeaway if we all already knew this? Guys, do not fib about your height before going on a date. Adding an inch or two (no pun intended) really won’t help your cause, from a statistical standpoint.

However, when it comes to sheer attractiveness, women may not have guys figured out after all. We separately asked men and women if guys prefer looks to brains. Most women believe they do. However the guys told a different story: a majority of men would date someone who is smart over someone who just brings a pretty face to bring to the table. Ladies, use the power of wit and confidence to overwhelm your guy on a date.  Trust us, he’ll appreciate it.

The Money Question
When it comes to money, this question comes up on a date both directly and indirectly (and we’ll cover the direct part in a second.) According to our survey, both men and women candidly agreed that they want the other to make more money, which kind of brings us to an impasse. However, from what we can deduce, this isn’t about who brings home a larger paycheck. This is simply a matter of being on equal footing. While it’s nice to be able to pay for dinner or treat someone to an outing, it’s also nice to get some reciprocity once in a while.

On that note, our survey results revealed that seven out of ten women don’t always want the guy to pay the bill—and guys believed the same thing. Picking up the tab is certainly a nice gesture on a first or second dinner date, but it often isn’t required. The way we see it, if the guy picks up a tab at dinner; ladies, if you’re clicking along and having fun, treat him to an after dinner drink. Guys, if your date kindly insists on splitting the bill at dinner and you’re heading out for more fun, pick up her movie or drink tab later in the night.

To close out Part 1 of our survey, we asked both men and women the following question: “would women rather have champagne and lobster or burgers and a beer.” Again, the results were pretty clear on both sides, with 71% of men and an 82% of women responding that burgers and beers trump lobster and bubbly on a first or second date. Why? Simply put, the point of dating is to get to know someone. While it’s certainly important to impress, a nice yet casual dinner puts both men and women at ease and allows both personalities to emerge naturally. Head to a fancy restaurant, and you might not be as open as you think. Relaxed confidence is always sexy, so be human when you’re starting out and you might just click with your date better than you initially think.

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Real Chemistry Happens Face-To-Face

Dating can be complicated in today's modern world.  Busy professionals have a demanding work environment and daily commitments that make it difficult to find time for dinner -- let alone browsing online profiles, cruising the bars or enduring yet another blind date.

While technology makes communication easier, it doesn't necessarily make it easier to date, and a group of U.S. psychology professors released a report last week explaining why there is no substitute for face-to-face connections.

According to the review published in this month’s issue of the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest, online dating has three key services: expansion of one's dating pool, the ability to communicate with a potential partner prior to meeting them in person and the service selecting a match based upon an algorithm.  

The key assumption, according to the report, is that two people will experience better romantic outcomes "because the individuals are more romantically compatible from the start."

But Eli Finkel, psychology professor at Northwestern University and one of the  authors, says the typical online dating site doesn't improve one's chance of meeting a compatible mate for you can't judge chemistry. According to the report, the sites may be able to predict who appeals to an individual "in a profile but not necessarily in person." 

Finkel said in a recent article about the report, "There's no better way to figure out whether you're compatible with somebody than talking to them over a cup of coffee or a pint of beer."

And Jacquie Brownridge, director of It's Just Lunch in Toronto, Vancouver and Victoria, couldn't agree more.  

"You don't make a genuine connection with someone through texting.  But when you meet someone in person and share a meal, you see how they interact with you and the people around you," said Brownridge. "That's where true chemistry happens. Face-to-face and person-to-person."

From an article of February 2012 Women's Health Magazine, "Feeling a spark on a first date has less to do with looks and more to do with how at easy your feel, according to a recent survey of 5,000 singles by dating service It's Just Lunch." 

According to the IJL survey, 66% of singles say that on a first date, chemistry is more important to them than compatibility.  But what do they mean by chemistry?  Though 20% are sparked by physical attractiveness, and 7% by flirty or sexy banter, the clear winner is neither of those. Instead, it’s “feeling comfortable together,” the answer selected by 44% of the singles -- and surprisingly 49% of men.

When asked what people look for in terms of measuring the success of a first date, the number one item, with 45% of the vote, was “I felt comfortable being myself.”

Comfortable is definitely the magic word. There are things you can do to make someone feel more comfortable. But there is only so much you can do. There’s also a mysterious side to being comfortable with somebody that has nothing to do with any action you can take. It’s just . . . chemistry.

And, as we stated before, that can only happen face-to-face.


Sources:

• Report: Psychological Science in the Public Interest
• Article:  Online Cupids May Miss The Mark
• Article: Report: Online dating isn't the likely route to Mr. or Ms. Right

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Times Colonist: Single Best Reason For Valentine's Day

Are modern lovers overlooking the single best reason for Valentine's Day? An article by Times Colonist reporter Richard Watts says "It's one thing to say "I love you" with a valentine. But it can be powerfully romantic to use Valentine's Day to say "I am interested in you" or "I am still interested in you.""

In this day and age when online courtship has become a popular way to find one's match, technology has removed a lot of the person-to-person connection.

However, Watts' article states that "introductions through friends still remains the largest way couples meet. Fully 28% of couples, the biggest single category, report being introduced through friends."  Watts also stated that "meetings in bars and restaurants are a start for more couples than the Internet, with about 23 per cent."

This reinforces the It's Just Lunch belief that real chemistry happens face-to-face. 
"You can chat back and forth online," said Jacquie Brownridge, managing director of Just Lunch, a 20- introductory service operating in Victoria, Vancouver and Toronto, in the article.

"But when you actually sit down across from somebody at a table, look them in the eye and you have a conversation, see their body language, you either connect or you don't," said Brownridge in the article.

Looking to connect with your partner this Valentine's Day?  Make an investment in your significant other and your relationship by selecting a gift or activity you both can enjoy.  


"It would be nice if we did this all day and every day, but at least there is Valentine's Day that tells you to stop, smell the roses and let the other person know you appreciate them," Brownridge said in the article.

Read the entire article. 

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Dating, Chemistry and Timing

After interviewing a lot of single men and women on their dating experiences, It’s Just Lunch managed to get some real, inside information on what men and women are really looking for when they meet someone for the first time. We’ve offered tips on making a good first impression, flirting and wordplay, and tips for both sexes on what they expect out of someone on a first date. However, through all the tips and tricks, sometimes it just comes down to chemistry and timing. So what are those two seemingly nebulous yet important parts of a date? 

You Can’t Force Chemistry… But You Can Coax It Along
So what is chemistry? Most people aren’t sure exactly what it is, but they know it when they feel it. If you have good chemistry with someone, such as on a first date, you’ll want to pursue more time with him or her. If there is bad chemistry, then it’s unlikely you’ll want to see each other again. Whatever the case, most singles – almost 66% of our respondents – said that chemistry is the single most important part of a first date; more so than even initial compatibility. While a couple may not be perfect on paper, a first date may reveal a lot more than what is in a profile. In fact, almost 44% of singles said that if they “felt comfortable being themselves” it meant the first date was a success. And listen up, ladies: 49% of men said that being able to feel comfortable as themselves on a first date was a sure sign of a good one.

 On occasion, there will be times where a first date will reveal no chemistry whatsoever. While this isn’t a bad thing, it might mean that one person wasn’t comfortable opening up, or perhaps there was mutual defensiveness on both sides. Again, while you can’t necessarily force chemistry, you can take some of the tips we have covered on www.itsjustlunchvancouverblog.com to help coax it in the right direction.

Confidence Has A Lot To Do With Interviewing… That, and Timing
The comparison may seem a little cold, but let’s face it: first dates are very much like interviews. Exude confidence, be comfortable in your own skin, be interested and kind to your first date, and chances are you’ll get a second one. However, there is a window in which most people decide on whether or not they’ll want to see someone again. According to our respondents, 44% of women and 46% of men decide within the first twenty minutes whether or not a second date is in the cards. The good news is that since a previous survey in 2004, both men and women are gradually deciding later and later in the date as to whether or not they want to see each other again. For example, in 2004, almost 80% of guys decided whether or not to take a woman out again within the first 15 minutes!

Dating Material or Relationship Material?
If the chemistry and compatibility is right, most men and women start thinking about when they want see each other again. However, are they merely thinking about a second date, or are they thinking about a relationship? Hold on to your hats, guys: 45% reflected on a first date and then asked yourselves, “Is she relationship material?” On the other hand, almost 51% of women are more likely to consider whether they want a second date or not, while 39% asked themselves if a guy was relationship material.

Even though it seems a lot can happen within the first hour of a date that makes a single decide whether or not they want to see someone again, the best thing to do is just slow it down. Dating, and much like the relationships that can follow, are marathons; not sprints. With all the complex intricacies that can occur on in a first date, it’s tough to expect perfection. If we let our guards down a bit and relax, have fun, be comfortable in our own skin and make our dates comfortable in theirs, you’ll never know what kind of surprises you’ll discover.

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IJL Survey Reveals Valentine's Day Pitfalls

Who Plans the Date? What’s the Ideal Gift? Men and Women Disagree

If you’re a man who intends to arrange your Valentine’s Day festivities without consulting your date, you might want to change your plans, according to a new survey by It’s Just Lunch. And if you’re one of the rare guys who want to leave the whole thing up to your girlfriend, that’s not a good move either.

When the specialty dating service asked over 750 singles, “Who’s supposed to plan Valentine’s Day?”:

• 56% of women thought it should be the couple together while 42% picked “the guy”.
• For men, 48% said “the guy” and “the couple together” was a close second at 47%

But women clearly don’t want to plan February 14th on their own: About half a percent thought that “the girl” should make Valentine’s Day plans, which may come as a surprise to the 5% of men who chose that answer.

“Most people aren’t mind-readers,” says Jacquie Brownridge, spokesperson for It’s Just Lunch and director of the Toronto office. “Talk about the holiday before you decide who plans the date.”

There were also significant gaps between the sexes when it comes to “the best Valentine’s gift.”The top answer for women, chosen by 38%, was a “gift certificate for an activity we can do together.” Only 21% of men selected that answer.   Men’s top gift ideas were flowers, chosen by 43% of men, but only 31% of women.

“Togetherness seems to be the key for most women, both in planning the holiday and with regard to the gift they receive,” says Brownridge. “Men just need to be smart enough to choose something their dates enjoy as much or even more than they do.”

It’s Just Lunch is a personalized dating service for busy professionals. The company has coordinated over two million dates for clients since opening in 1991. IJL minimizes the stress and maximizes the efficiency of dating by sending people on casual, no-pressure dates over lunch, brunch or drinks after work. IJL’s team of dating specialists, not a computer, performs the matchmaking.   The company has over 150 locations in the US, Canada and internationally.

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It's Just Lunch - A Match for Toronto Singles

Thank you, Toronto!

It’s Just Lunch, Toronto’s premiere professional matchmaking service, has won the Consumer Choice Award for Best Dating Service.

Created in 1987, the Consumer Choice Award gathers the opinions, perceptions and expectations through the responses of thousands of consumers and business across Canada.   The selection process has been perfect through a third party research firm to ensure that only the most outstanding service providers are the winners within an industry.   The Consumer Choice Award is the only organization that surveys both the consumer and business community with statistical accuracy.

This award is considered one of the best opportunities for a company since it shows the company’s dedication and drive to fill consumer’s needs at a higher level than their competitors.

And It’s Just Lunch delivers! The company helps thousands of professionals and executives, who have an otherwise difficult time finding time to meet people, feel comfortable with the dating process. What makes It’s Just Lunch so successful is their personalized matchmaking approach to dating.  Dating experts meet one-on-one with each client before arranging a casual lunch date or a drink after work with a possible match.   The focus is on the client and their relationship goals.  It’s Just Lunch works with the client’s schedule, picks the potential match and makes the reservations.  All the client has to do is show up and have a great first date.    The company strives to make what could be a frustrating process easy and simple.  

For more information about It’s Just Lunch in the Toronto area, visit www.itsjustlunchtoronto.com or call 416-703-3900. 

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20 Years of First Dates – Part 1: First Impressions

In honor of 20 years of setting up first dates between singles around the world, It’s Just Lunch Toronto, Canada recently produced a survey based on our experiences—trust us, we’ve had a lot! From first impressions, to chemistry, to timing, we’ll share our findings with you over the next few months and give you the inside scoop on tips that are timeless, tips that are played-out, and modern tips that may add a fresh edge to your love life. Enjoy!

Did you know that you have approximately 20 minutes to make a good impression – or avoid a bad one – on a first date? The reason is it takes about that much time for singles to decide whether or not to see someone again. Now, this doesn’t mean you have to pull out all the stops in the first 20 minutes in order to impress someone; however, it does mean that there are two little things you can do to give yourself an advantage and keep a date intrigued.

Ask Questions, Remember the Golden Rule
So what is a first date all about again? It’s a chance to get to know someone. And you certainly can’t get to know someone without asking questions. Therefore, don’t spend the whole date talking about you. It’s so easy these days to get bogged down in what’s going on in our own lives, that we don’t take time to sincerely ask what’s going on with other people’s lives. The key is, be self-aware; if you know you enjoy talking a lot, take a chance to shift the conversation. If you know you’re shy, then this is your chance to speak up. Confidence is key.

Also, there is nothing more unattractive than being rude or dismissive of those serving you coffee, lunch or dinner, driving you in a cab, and so on. Remember the Golden Rule when you’re out with a new companion; trust us, your date will notice and react positively.

Avoid Deal Breakers, Avoid Deals
According to another set of first impression criteria, It’s Just Lunch Toronto respondents came back at us with a few deal breakers that could derail the potential for a second date. Among them; answering a phone call or text, drinking too much, being late, and not having any interests in common. Unless it’s an absolute emergency, put the phone away during a date— you can’t get to know someone if your distracted by calls and texts. Keep the alcohol use to a minimum and don’t show up late (and whatever you do, do not show up late and drunk.) However the biggest deal breaker is, not surprisingly, a lack of common interests. Sometimes, you might find you don’t have anything in common with your date, and that’s ok. Relax, and don’t push it.

Also, a new trend in dating is deciding on whether or not to bring an online coupon, such as a Groupon or Living Social deal to a first date. Our advice? Ditch it. Only 20% of our respondents said it’s a smart idea. We agree with the majority that it looks both tacky and cheap.

So, Would You Like to Have Dinner Again…
You managed to avoid first impression pitfalls, had great conversation, and had a pretty good first date; so what next? Arranging date number two has often been the source of mystery and speculation, among both men and women, for a long time. On one hand you don’t want to seem to aloof, but on the other you don’t want to look desperate. We’ll cover the ins-and-outs of what makes a first date great later in our series, but the bottom line is: if you think a date went well, then simply call and ask for a second! The vast majority of Toronto respondents – 65% of them – said picking up the phone and asking is the best way to secure a second date. Also, the “wait two days rule” is very 1990s. Why not the next day? Now is as good a time as any.

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