A one-on-one discussion with one of the founders of Eurolunch, a unique lunch dating service that arranges midday meals for both daters and businesspeople.
Eurolunch began in early 2007 as a way to provide introductions for singles looking for love or just a new business acquaintance.
How did Eurolunch get started? What prompted the idea?
- Eurolunch started in the beginning of 2007. The idea was inspired to satisfy a basic need of a human being: personal human contact. This is important for business and for pleasure. No other virtual method could replace the great interaction of human senses.
Eurolunch is different from other "lunch dating" places in that it also caters to professionals looking for business networking opportunities. Do you have any members that fall into both categories? Which side the business is more popular?
- We have 30 per cent of our members that fall into both categories. The dating side is more popular.
Who are some of the restaurants you partner with?
- We are now using many restaurants in different cities with no specific partnership agreements. Our company chooses the best menus and locations according to our member's requests. And particularly the kind of food they would like to experience. Food and wine are key to the success of a good lunch. Europeans are particularly demanding about quality of product and services. Of course we have our favorites like The Belga Queen (Brussels) and Mayfair Mews (London), etc..
Any advice on lunch dating etiquette?
- For dating lunches, we always recommend a good look in the eyes of the other person for a while (like silent dating). If you enjoy this moment, you will probably have a great lunch. Sincere smiles and good sense of humor are highly suggested too. And in any case, remember to enjoy the meal.
Any success stories you'd like to share?
- We consider that living a great moment is a success story. We are helping people to achieve objectives but enjoying their journeys and the present moments. It is combination of choices and destiny. One funny story about a woman and a man that were ex-couple years ago. They met again because their compatibilities in the Eurolunch questionnaire. They solved their issues and got married. This is an example that you should trust your intuition and enjoy the journey. You could have nice surprises.
What advice can you give to daters who are reluctant to try lunch dating?
- They will have nothing to lose if they try at least once. It is much better than having lunch alone. If they are afraid, we would like to remind them that fears are creation of our brains and they could easily be erased by a different way of thinking. If they do not believe in matchmaking, they should at least try to enjoy good meals with potential new friends. Lunch dating is a relax way of getting to know people.
Anything else you'd like to include?
- We noticed that many people need to go in a journey within themselves to open up and prepare for a good dating or business lunch. In these cases, Eurolunch not only coordinate the lunches but also provides the guidance of good professionals (like psychologists, therapists, healers, coaches, teachers, financial advisers, etc) that could really connect our members with their internal and external goals.
This interview took place via email on August 24, 2007.
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