Dating Service News

Sure, single women may be toying with the idea of chasing a taken man, but that doesn't mean most are about to pull an Angelina Jolie, says Jacquie Brownridge, managing director of It's Just Lunch, a dating service franchise in Vancouver.
"I don't think it necessarily means that all women are like Sex and the City, looking to find any man that's attached and go for the jugular," she says, noting that a similar study of single women past university age may yield different results. Read full article.

Rules are ubiquitous in the dating scene, and have both helped and hindered potential couplings for generations. They're the driving force in I Hate Valentine's Day , a soon-to-be-released romantic comedy with Nia Vardalos playing Genevieve... Tearing up a list of physical requirements was the best decision Rae Ratslef ever made. Back in April, the 37-year-old single mom in Surrey, B.C., walked into the offices of It's Just Lunch, a dating service, with the aim of dating a guy who was at least 5 foot 10, who made more money than her and had dark features. She soon learned to loosen up and widen the pool. Read full article.

People who don't like dating but want life partner hire the experts I appreciate my husband for many reasons. He's kind, funny, smart, talented and he's still here. The latter is important because if he weren't, I would be single and you know what that means?...For the full article, click here.

Ain't no mountain high enough THE DATING CHRONICLES By SARAH ROWLAND After all, legend has it, that's how Jacquie Brownridge of It's Just Lunch fame met her husband. Unfortunately, I didn't count on all the buffed bachelors ... For the full article, click here.

Lookin' for love Sarah Treleaven, For Canwest News Service Published: Saturday, August 16, 2008 It's Just Lunch (IJL) is a matchmaking service that works with upscale restaurant partners. You can buy 14 lunch, brunch or post-work drink dates as part of a $1,995 one-year membership. Christine Morela, who owns IJL franchises in Calgary and Edmonton, says that the matching process starts with an hour-long interview to assess hobbies, employment status and dating preferences. The total pool of clients between the two cities is ...For the full article click here.

"If you ask them [the average single Vancouverite] what they did the previous week, they probably ran a marathon, put in a lot of different hours at work, did volunteer work, etc," says Brownridge, referring specifically to the West Coast lifestyle. "So when they stop to land and find that they're all by themselves, that's when it hits them." ... "It's a numbers game," she says, addressing both sexes. "You have to make more time [to meet people]. Be proactive. And don't be afraid to approach people or make the first move ... You just never know what's going to happen." Click here for the full article.

Clients come from diverse backgrounds. There are doctors, lawyers, architects, professors, engineers, entrepreneurs and journalists. Successful professional people understand that they must be as proactive in their personal lives as they are in their professional lives. With more than two million people in the Greater Vancouver area, clients understand that, left to chance, they will come in contact with a limited number of these people. All have no trouble dating, but are not meeting the type of person they would like to. Click here to read entire article.

Click here to view our segment on Living Vancouver.

Click here to view our segment, "Love is in the air" on Vancouver Global.

Click here to view our segment, "Finding a Mate" on Canada AM.

"My Girlfriend and It's Just Lunch teamed up for The Bachelor Makeover Contest, offering Vancouver bachelors the chance to win a potentiall life-changing grand prize worth over $4,000... We looked into matching Peter with someone who is sporty and loves the water, which is a must where Peter is concerned. She also runs marathons, so she can keep up with Peter!" Click here for the full story.

"Should you ask someone for a first date on Valentine’s Day? You’ll likely encounter a fair amount of trepidation, according to a survey of 2,378 single people by It’s Just Lunch, a company that arranges first dates. More than 40 percent of men reported that they would not ask a women out on a first date on February 14; 62 percent of women, on the other hand, stated that they would go on a first date on Valentine’s Day, whereas 26 percent of females felt it would be too much pressure. Jacquie Brownridge, managing director of the Vancouver franchise, told the Georgia Straight in a phone interview that New Year’s Eve is still seen as the toughest night to be without a date..." View entire story

"For this Valentine’s Day Hannan teamed up with West Vancouver’s Jacquie Brownridge, owner of It’s Just Lunch Vancouver, to find a deserving bachelor and spruce him up for a big Valentine’s date. And on Jan. 26, they found him. West Vancouver’s Peter Weddigen was selected after his friends and swim team members nominated him for the competition. The active single will receive nearly $4,000 in services through My Girlfriend and It’s Just Lunch, said Hannan, adding the makeover will be “inside out and he’ll look fabulous." Click here for the full story.

"...At a New Year's Eve party, she ended up chatting with a couple who had met through the service, and says she was intrigued by the business -- at the same party, she adds, a couple who she had personally set up was also in attendance. It was only days later that she heard the franchise was up for sale. "When it actually became available I thought this is just absolutely perfect -- I love the nature of the business," she says. "I look at the dating industry as an HR strategy as well, because when someone's happy in their home life, they're definitely more productive in the business."Click here for the full story.

Vancouver 24 Hours decided to follow four 30 something women in their quest to find a guy before Christmas. One will be going it alone while hree of the women will be using an assigned dating service, including It's Just Lunch.
Week 3: "My second fix-up was with the Greatest Guy Ever. We talked and laughed for hours - it was just so easy."
Week 4: "I'm three for three with IJL. Last week's date was tall, dark and handsome, and the only thing keeping us apart now is his abuse of the word "heck"..." "There may not be romance on the horizon, but he was fun to be with and I'd love to split a Canicks Ice-Pak with him."

Vancouver 24 Hours decided to follow four 30 something women in their quest to find a guy before Christmas. One will be going it alone while hree of the women will be using an assigned dating service, including It's Just Lunch.
Week 1: "It's honestly the last option I ever imagined for myself. But if the last few boyfriend-less years are anything to go by, I clearly can't be trusted to do this on my own. It's time to call in reinforcement. Outsourcing. Everyone's doing it. Plus, It's Just Lunch owner Jacquie Brownridge says fall is a good time to get started. Apparently, it's raining men."
Week 2: "Delightful! First date through IJL proved to be a surprisingly enjoyable venture. Met a man I would never otherwise encounter."

"...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."

"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!''

"A survey by the professional dating service It's Just Lunch found that while 55 percent of Vancouver residents tried to hook up through exercise, the great outdoors could be a pretty lonely place. 56 percent of Vancouverites actually found their last date from a dating service."

"Newspapers lately are rife with stories of agencies set up tom connect people, all claiming vast success at helping people hook up meaningfully. [The dating service] It's Just Lunch is a growing operation with annual revenue of more than $30 million (U.S.). It has 70-odd franchises already and plans to expand all over the world."

"Just in time to give that New Year's resolution a push, [the dating service, It's Just Lunch] published a book giving specific dating information and advice for single Torontonians. The It's Just Lunch Guide To Dating In Toronto is the latest in a series of guide books on dating covering a number of North American cities. Authors Andrea McGuinty and Nancy Kirsch are the founder and director of the company and they've compiled lists of places to go and things to do in the city as well as solid advice on dating behaviour and basics."

"According to worldwide survey of 1,016 singles by It's Just Lunch, a dating service for busy professionals... 32 percent of single men say a woman who serves up a sexy French maid costume would certainly grab their attention at a Halloween party, while 28 per cent said they would like to come face-to-face with Cat Woman."

"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!''

"[The dating service] It's Just Lunch…began as a timny one-woman shop in Chicago 14 years ago after Entrepreneur Andrea McGinty was dumped by her finacee five weeks before their wedding. It has since blossomed into a 70-office operation with annual revenue of more than $30-million (U.S.). Now, with millions of first dates under its belt, the company is expanding into Canada, Europe and Asia. The first Canadian franchise opened in Toronto last summer to a flurry of interest, and locations in Vancouver and Montreal are set to open later this year."

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