How We Met

From spending hours sorting through online profiles looking for a good match to trying to connect via pokes, winks and email, dating can suddenly feel like a full-time job. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just fast forward to the fun part of dating? That’s exactly what newlyweds Desireé and Michael Schlitt say It’s Just Lunch, a dating service for busy professionals, did for them. The matchmakers at It’s Just Lunch took the time to learn what they were looking for in a partner and then delivered.

With so many dating options out there, why did you choose It's Just Lunch?

Desiree: I travel a lot for work, so I’d read about It’s Just Lunch in airline magazines, and then I ran into a friend who was attending the wedding of an attorney in town who’d met her husband through It's Just Lunch – the fact that those two events happened so close together, I thought I should call them. At the end of my work day I didn’t want to come home and go look at profiles online. I felt like it was a waste of my time.

Michael: I had gotten a divorce and then did online dating for a while before joining It's Just Lunch. I joined mainly because it’s a lot of work to do the online thing. You have to keep up on it. You never really know who you’re going to meet. It's Just Lunch was just a lot easier. They found people for me based on what I was looking for and I just had to show up. You don’t have to do much work.

What would you tell a friend who was apprehensive about investing the money on It's Just Lunch?

D: I thought if someone is going to pay to join It's Just Lunch, they’re going to be more serious and what I’m looking for – it’s easy to do online dating; anybody can do it. I wanted somebody who was serious about finding someone and wanted a real long-term relationship.

M: I’d ask, “Are you looking for a relationship or not?” With online dating you never know who’s on the other side of the line. It's Just Lunch had better quality people who were interesting to me. It truly was an experience that was tailored for me.

Describe your first meeting with an It's Just Lunch matchmaker?

M: I had a phone interview first and then went in and met with a matchmaker. It really made me think. Online you can say anything, but if you’re paying for this I assume you’re not going to lie about what you want.

D: She asked me questions about myself, what I like to do, what I want in a relationship, whether I’d marry someone who already had kids, how important religion is, that kind of thing. It would take much longer to find out someone else’s answers to those questions through online dating. This was black and white.

Tell us about your first date with one another.

D: I never went on lunch dates because I was always busy at work so I met Michael after work at a downtown restaurant. The conversation just flowed. I was attracted to him from the start. I remember it turned into dinner.

M: I’m good at having a conversation if I’m interested in somebody, and I was interested in her. We had a great conversation. I don’t think either of us wanted to leave.

What was your favorite part about dating through It's Just Lunch?

D: I met my husband, so I guess I would say that! It’s Just Lunch – it’s just a lot of fun. I remember I’d get off a plane and have a voicemail from the matchmaker saying she had a potential date for me. She would tell me about the person and was flexible with scheduling.

With online dating, you can go back and forth and waste a month with someone and not really get to know them. With IJL, you go meet your match and if you like them, you see them again, and if you don’t, you’re done.

M: I liked that they’d just call me up and say they had a date for me. You have to eat, so it was a nice way to meet people. If you’re interested, then you move forward. If not, then you don’t have to do anything.

At first, Larry Chiarelli, director at a tech start up, thought he was doing all he needed. Sign up on multiple dating websites. Meet lots of women. Eventually, the right one would come along – except she never did. So he decided to bring in the professionals and hired It’s Just Lunch. IJL’s matchmakers got to know him and his preferences. They selected his dates, arranged schedules, and even made the restaurant reservations. Dating became stress-free and fun. Larry was a practical guy and didn’t believe in love-at-first-sight, but that was until IJL introduced him to Ping.

What was your dating life like before joining It’s Just Lunch?

Lawrence: Chaotic! I was meeting a lot of women but not the right women for me. Online dating was time consuming and stressful. I needed someone to help out, to relieve me of the dating busy work so I could feel some breathing room. I needed to slow things down to speed them up. IJL fit that criteria perfectly for me.

Ping: I was very busy with work when I discovered IJL. I was seeing different people I mostly met through friends and by attending events. Online dating seemed so time consuming so I was never willing to invest what little time I had into something so hit and miss. I used to tell my friends: Who has time for online dating…browsing through profiles all night when I could be doing something else with my time."

Why did you decide to join It’s Just Lunch?

L: A good friend of mine mentioned that IJL may be a good resource for meeting women who were a better match for me. Plus, joining would let me get back some time in my life that was sorely lacking.

P: I fly frequently for work and for fun, and when I saw It’s Just Lunch in the airline magazine, it was as if the matchmaker was talking to me! One day after a particularly long flight and wanting to snuggle with someone and watch a movie, I decided it couldn't hurt to give it a try.

What did you enjoy most about the It's Just Lunch process?

L: Having someone doing all the work to select and schedule a date. It was like I had my own personal dating concierge to take care of all the details. All I had to do was be on time for my date and be myself. It really was a stress-free experience.

P: The stress-free experience! I had a professional matchmaker to select matches and set up restaurant reservations for me. All I needed to do was to show up and focus on getting to know my date.

What was it like working with the It's Just Lunch matchmakers?

L: Easy and convenient. At the time the company I was working for was going through a merger so I was away from home quite a bit in all day meetings. I’d finish my day and there would be a voicemail from my matchmaker telling me about my next match. I’d call back, get the details and run through my availability. The next thing I knew I was in front of an interesting woman having a great conversation.

P: Stress-free and fun! Exactly what I needed because dating can be so frustrating. I always looked forward to meeting my next match.

Do you have any advice for singles who want to meet that special someone?

L: I often ask my clients: Would you rather drive across the country in a Toyota Corolla or a BMW 5 series? They always say the 5 series. You get what you pay for. Investing in yourself and your future with someone special means investing in the right matchmaking service. For me that was It’s Just Lunch.

P: Invest in your own happiness, it is always worth it. I never would have met Larry if I hadn’t joined It’s Just Lunch. It’s the best decision I've ever made.

With a career that took up a lot of his time and energy, online dating had begun to feel like Rick Swanson’s second job. He spent hours filtering through online dating profiles and arranged multiple dates on his own—but time after time, the spark just wasn’t there. There had to be a better way.

That’s when Rick saw an ad for It’s Just Lunch in an airline magazine and decided to give matchmaking a try. Today, Rick credits It’s Just Lunch with introducing him to the love of his life, Kristina.

Life before It’s Just Lunch?

Kristina: My dating life was totally scattered and unfulfilling. I had just started Stella*s PopKern and, as a single mother, I just found the whole online dating thing completely unmanageable and daunting. I wanted someone who knew me to “fix me up” and when a friend suggested It’s Just Lunch, I did some research and found it to be the right “match” for me.

What was working with a matchmaker like?

Rick: The interview process was really valuable. Sandra, my matchmaker, was genuinely interested in learning about me. She really wanted to understand what I was looking for in a woman, what I found attractive, what I found interesting, what intrigued me. We talked about my work, my outside interests, etc. When someone is leading you through the process, it makes you think. Sandra got me to reflect honestly on what I was looking for.

Best part of the IJL experience?

K: It was super easy because It’s Just Lunch arranged the dates. All I had to do was get ready and meet at the restaurant. And unlike online dating, I felt that my dates were interested in meeting quality people, not one-night stands. Your matchmaker calls you up with a match and then gives you the details of the date. All you have to do is show up and have fun!

What makes you two a great match?

K: He’s comfortable in his own skin. He loves the fact that I am confident! I can just be who I am, and I’ve never felt so at ease with anyone else.

R: She’s got this gigantic personality; she’s self-confident and brilliantly smart. The way she ‘geeks out’ on the things she enjoys, the passion she has… I mean, who else could take something as commonplace as popcorn and turn it into a food group? It’s totally refreshing.

How has your life changed since?

R: It’s like a piece of me that had ceased to be is back again. Having somebody to share life with, who is even more passionate than you are is special. I’m a radically happier person than I was.

Advice for singles considering It’s Just Lunch?

R: Dating is a real challenge in our fast paced, always connected, and frequently impersonal world. Having a real person on your side, helping to find the right partner is a huge plus.

“Troy and I were set up by It’s Just Lunch. We met at Blue Mesa for drinks which turned into dinner and so much more! The connection and chemistry was apparent from the get go. Troy is a loan officer and I am a pharmacy director. We were both busy professionals who had been married before. Denton is not the best town for a single thirty something and I was not interested in internet dating. I saw an ad for It’s Just Lunch in the American Way Magazine during a business trip and thought that this was something I could do. Troy and I dated for 3 years before we were engaged and then married. We are so happy and owe it all to It’s Just Lunch. What a great experience.”