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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Ever thought of being a Matchmaker?

INSIDE SALES DIRECTOR

It’s Just Lunch Toronto, Canada’s Premier Matchmaking firm, is seeking focused candidates with a proven track record of success to grow with us in one of the most dynamic and fastest growing industries in the country. We are a dynamic and entrepreneurial organization with a nationally recognized brand featured in The Globe, Cosmopolitan Magazine, NPR and on the Canada AM as well as many others Our clients expect an energetic and “recruiter-minded” individual to offer expertise and guidance during the interview process, as well as provide a realistic picture of potential matches for them within our service. Our fast-paced environment requires multi-tasking skills and the ability to communicate effectively.

• Top candidates will be confident, organized, and enthusiastic about our concept.
• Demonstrated experience in professional sales with proven closing success in prospecting, relationship building and cold-calling.
• Able to target and develop clients through existing database and new lead contacts.
• Provide a consultative approach to meet with clients to evaluate their needs and recommend solutions to ensure expectations are being met
• Ability to flexibly manage time to maximize sales and accommodate clients needs which includes willingness to work extended hours
• Must have the ability to establish rapport with a wide variety of people.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills

If you are interested in applying for the Inside Sales Director position, send your cover letter and resume to date@ijlelite.ca with Ref: 2012SalesDirector in the subject headline

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IT'S RAINING MEN IN TORONTO!

Pay attention ladies!

Our Bachelor-47
Our client is a very focused, intelligent, successful gentleman with a great sense of style looking for an attractive and vibrant woman to share his exciting lifestyle. He loves to travel to Europe, the Caribbean or to escape for a weekend to an exciting city. He truly is a carpe diem type! He pursues many interests including golf, cycling, fitness, live theatre, and even shopping! He has seasons ticket to attend sports events. He does some wine collecting and has enjoyed wine tours in France and Napa. He loves entertaining and overseeing the decorating of his homes.
We are looking for an attractive, intelligent woman with a very positive disposition who values honesty and enjoys being spontaneous and trying new things. Age:33-45

Our Bachelor-44
This elite client is an exciting, dynamic and very successful owner of several companies looking for an attractive woman who is ready to enjoy the world and life at its best. He lives between Canada, Europe and the South and enjoys boating and flying, music from popular to opera, golf, tennis and skiing. This is a very exciting and well balanced man. He has high standards and respects those close to him. The person who can always be depended upon by friends. He has traveled to over 150 cities, collects wine and fine art, and is a huge basketball fan.
We are looking for a self-confident, sincere and attractive woman who is self-confident but grounded. Age-29-40, 5'-5'8"

Our Bachelor-40
Our exciting bachelor is a very successful entrepreneur with exotic look, artistic finesse and a full sense of European style. He has traveled all of Europe, the Middle East and Asia and lived in three countries. Enjoying the best in life, wine, theatre, skiing around the world, and boating he is an avid tennis player and accomplished pianist, this gentleman is definitely one of a kind!
We are searching for that model-attractive, fresh, vibrant, fit, positive-minded, who can picture herself living traveling and living this exciting lifestyle- age 24-32, 5'6" and taller

Our Bachelor- 39

Our bachelor is a very sophisticated and successful owner of global tech companies. He has lived in and traveled to several countries and holds property here and in the South. His interests are broad and cover music from popular to classical, dance, theatre, museums, and films. He loves golf and has golfed around the world. He has a very romantic side and a spontaneous boyish side. Very fit and health conscious he enjoys basketball, the gym, boating, race cars and motorbikes, but balances this with reading, fine dining, chess and keeping up with world events.
We are looking for a very attractive, slim, classic European style woman who has a natural wisdom, finesse and a good family background. She must be interested in creating an oasis and making a relationship the priority. Age- 29-36, 5'6"-6', brunette.

Our bachelor- 39
A successful entrepreneur and very fit our client has exceptional good looks, loves the outdoors and sport. He enjoys cooking and entertaining friends and family, has respect for family and friends. Balancing life between the city and a lake house, he loves tennis, sailing, skating, and golf. He loves to take off for weekends and vacations on short notice.
Our client is serious about meeting a very naturally attractive, fit, active young woman with marriage and family as a future priority. Someone with strength of character and integrity but still spontaneous, positive and open to adventure! Age 28-33, 5'9" -6" 

Want to date the ELITE? Send us a photo and a short bio to DATE@IJLELITE.CA

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Rejection, Sex, and Love

Take a moment and think back ten years ago to 2001. While cell phones were starting to skyrocket in popularity, not many people had the ability to check email or text on a minute-by-minute basis. That’s how far we’ve come in terms of inter-connectivity. In fact, the term “hyper-connectivity” tells a lot about our personal lives, and that includes dating. Bottom line: times have changed and our latest It’s Just Lunch dating myth survey results speak to just that.

Make the Call
Even though as a society we’re hyper-connected, ironically, it’s also easier to avoid direct contact. Whether it’s email, text, Facebook, or even through a tricky iPhone app, you don’t have to necessarily see someone you don’t want to see. However, just because we’ve outsourced our communication to gadgets, doesn’t mean we have to set aside politeness. Only 15% of both men and women said they would check email if they were bored on a date or didn’t feel like their date was a match.  Even more telling was how men and women deal with rejection. About one in three women would text or email a person to turn them down. Men seemed more likely to call, with one in four preferring a phone call as opposed to a text or email.

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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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