IT’S JUST LUNCH! Raleigh blog

As you look ahead to 2008, do you see yourself meeting lots of great singles and going on great dates? If not, then create your destiny with It’s Just Lunch.

Forget about going to bars (unless you’re out with friends and having a good time!). Forget about getting matched up by your friends. And forget about online dating sites, where people can lie or exaggerate.

This year, make dating easy by signing up with It’s Just Lunch. You’ll meet great singles on your lunch hour, and we find the dates for you. Whether you’re looking for casual dates or something serious, our personalized service can match you up with singles looking for the same.

So, stop all the methods of dating that just aren’t working! This year, It’s Just Lunch is the only number you need in your little black book.

Match.com has launched a new “service” where friends can play matchmaker. We cannot stress enough what a BAD IDEA that is!

Let’s start with the actual matchmaking. Your friend could have many reasons for making the match. Perhaps they just don’t want their two friends to be lonely. Perhaps they have a slight attraction to one friend, but not enough to date them - so they hook them up with someone else. Even when they’re really taking into account their friends’ personalities and interests, sometimes things just don’t click.

When matchmaking dates and relationships don’t work, it puts a strain on the relationship with the friend or family members who made the match.

But when you use a matchmaking service, that added stress is removed. You don’t feel as obligated to make it work because you can go back to the matchmaker with feedback, which provides better results (aka dates) in the future.

Also, if a relationship formed through matchmaking ends in a breakup, you run less of a risk of running into your ex. And your matchmaking friend doesn’t feel the need to “choose” between friends.

Leave matchmaking to the professionals!

NPR star David Sedaris got his start from a commentary entitled, The Santaland Diaries. He recounted his experience working as an elf at Macy’s department store. The commentary was eventually adapted as a play. Local actor, Dan Sipp, will be performing the one-man play at Common Ground Theatre in Durham this month.

If you love irreverant humor about the holidays, then you’ll love this play. And, there’s a chance this might be a great second date with an IJL single. Here’s a tip: Take a date who has a dark sense of humor!

Tickets range in price from $10 on Wednesdays and Thursdays to $14 on Fridays and Saturdays. The show runs Wed-Sat from Dec 6-22. The Common Ground Theatre is located at 4815 B Hillsborough Road in Durham. Click here for directions.

Every December, the public has the opportunity to tour homes and gardens of private residences in the beautiful Oakwood district in Raleigh.  Oakwood is located in downtown Raleigh near Peace College, in a neighborhood that is rich with history and Victorian homes. What better way to explore the area than on a second date with a great Raleigh, Durham, or Chapel Hill single you met through It’s Just Lunch.

This year, the Candelight Tour will be held Saturday, December 8 and Sunday December 9 from 1-7pm.

Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 the day of the tour.

You can purchase advanced tickets online or at any one of the following locations:

• The Oakwood Inn, 411 N. Bloodworth Street, Raleigh
• Quail Ridge Books, Ridgewood Shopping Center, 3524 Wade Avenue, Raleigh
• Logan’s Trading Company, 707 Semart Drive, Raleigh
• Minata Jewelers, 201 S. Estes Dr., University Mall, Chapel Hill
• Fallon’s Creative Flowers, 700 St. Marys Street, Raleigh
• Fallon’s Creative Flowers, 5001 Falls of Neuse Road, Raleigh
• Frances T. King Stationery, Cameron Village, Raleigh
• Frances T. King Stationery, The Lassiter at North Hills, Raleigh
• Capital Area Visitors Services, 5 E. Edenton Street, Raleigh
• Side Street Restaurant , 225 N. Bloodworth Street, Raleigh
• West Side Furnishings, 3520 Spring Forest Rd., Raleigh
• Raleigh City Museum, 220 Fayetteville Street Mall, Raleigh
• Conti’s Italian Market, 618 N. Person Street, Raleigh
• Garner Chiropractic Center, Timber Crossings Shopping Center, 205 Timber Drive West, Garner

Day-of tickets can be purchased at The Oakwood Inn, 411 North Bloodworth Street.

For more information on the 2007 Historic Oakwood Candelight Tour, click here.

This Thursday, November 29th, the legendary Stevie Wonder will be performing at the RBC Center. With hits such as “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours!,” “Living for the City,” and “You are the Sunshine of My Life,” this is bound to be one hot concert. It’s the perfect event to take a date you’ve met from It’s Just Lunch.

Tickets are still available through Ticketmaster. The concert starts at 7:30pm and doors open at 6:30pm.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for Holiday parties - unless your single! Then it can be a drag. And it’s also more difficult to meet new people because there’s so much going on.

That’s where lunch dating comes in!  It’s an easy way to meet singles that fits into your schedule. And it’s a great way to meet people who make great dates for Holiday functions.

Think of it as a Christmas present to yourself! After all, do you really want your friends to give you the gift of dating by setting you up on another date? They mean well, but matchmaking among friends can get a little crazy.

Let us take the pressure off you and your friends. And get ready to enjoy a fantastic Holiday season!

So you like the person you met on a first date arranged by It’s Just Lunch Raleigh. And now it’s time for a second date.

This weekend, the rock band Lifehouse is playing a free concert at the Tree of Lights at the Streets at Southpoint, an annual event sponsored by NBC 17.

The band hits the stage at 7:30pm. Before that, enjoy a pre-show featuring the 82nd Airborne All American Choir, Sissy Harrington, and the NC Dance Institute.

For more information about the event (including parking!), click here.

We live in a fast-paced society. We’ve grown accustomed to getting what we want pretty quickly. Email can be checked from almost anywhere, and things we don’t know suddenly become knowledge after a quick search on Ask.com, Google, or Yahoo.

So naturally, we think we should just know if someone is right for us after just one date, right?

Wrong.

What if the person you had a first date with…

- Had a stressful morning at work?

-  Lost electricity overnight and accidentally overslept, throwing off his/her entire day?

-  Recently heard bad news about a friend or family member?

- Is just in a funky mood that day?

There are many reasons why a person might not be quite themselves on a first day. On a second date, you have the opportunity to view this person in a whole new light - and that light might be the spark you’ve been looking for.

So you’ve been set up on a lunch date by your It’s Just Lunch matchmaker. Great - now make a good first impression by dressing appropriately.

Many men in the Triangle work in casual atmospheres because they work in software programming, IT, etc. These industries are famous for jeans in the office.

But the lady you’re meeting might be dressing business casual or, well, business business so you don’t want to look drab next to her, do you?

On the day of your date, opt for business casual. Wear khakis if you’re used to wearing jeans. If your office is more formal, no problem, you’re set. Though nixing the suit jacket for lunch may make things more casual and relaxing.

A button down shirt is the next order of the day. And last but not least, avoid the sneaks for this date.

So, let’s review. Khakis, button down shirt, and boat shoes or oxfords. That’s the minimum.

Now, just show up, be yourself and have fun. After all, it’s just lunch.

Figuring out what to wear on a first date that is also a lunch date can be a bit complex. Dressing for work and also for a date is not a simple task.  Thankfully there are some simple tips to help you have success both at the office and the restaurant.

The first tip is to dress business casual. No jeans, not even dressy ones, and not even if your workplace is a casual one. Why? If your date is dressed in a suit, then you’ll be mismatched. But if you have on nice pants or a skirt, then you’ll remove an unnecessary layer of awkwardness.

The other consideration is how you want to be sexy without being inappropriate for work. You might try a blouse or sleeveless shirt that pairs well with a sweater. The sweater can be removed for the date, where you can spice things up a bit and placed back on for the office.

Ultimately, don’t stress too much about the outfit. Be comfortable, look nice and be yourself. After all, It’s Just Lunch!