Franchise
News: Dating and match making franchise
Love
is Always in the Air
The
market goes up, the market goes down.
The weather's too hot, too wet, too cold
or too dry. The world's at war. Times
are peaceful. It's baseball, basketball,
hockey or football season. The only constants
these days seem to be death, taxes and,
of course, love.
Regardless
of what's going on around the world
people are always looking for "The
One." Whether it's a soul mate
or a lunch date, we want to connect
with each other. Unfortunately that's
getting hard to do these days. Our jobs
are demanding and time is always running
short. Where do we turn to find love
and companionship?
Luckily
there are an array of franchises that
specialize in bringing people together,
either for an afternoon or for a lifetime.
And, since love never goes out of style,
a matchmaking franchise might be the
best match for your entrepreneurial
talents.
It's
Just Lunch
Sometimes we need to take baby steps before
taking a dramatic plunge, especially if
that plunge is taken with a significant
other. It's Just Lunch (IJL)
is a franchise system that looks to move
the dating process along for busy professionals.
The company doesn't arrange first "dates"
but instead specializes in friendly introductory
lunches. IJL has been around for
a dozen years and has the business of
setting people up down to a science. Interested
professionals are scheduled for confidential
interviews. They are then sent out on
casual "short and sweet" non-dinner
dates with compatible people. The premise
is that a casual setting like lunch, brunch
or after-work drinks (and not dinner)
removes some of the stress and formality
surrounding a first date. Franchises are
based in metro areas where professionals
are more likely to work and eat. The company
prides itself on the relationships it
has established with some of the best
restaurants in town. There are currently
more than 50 IJL franchises throughout
the U.S. The company is presently interviewing
potential franchisees to operate outlets
in another 35 cities around the world.
Eight
at Eight
If having lunch is supposed to downplay
some of the first-date anxiety, dining
with a group of like-minded people should
also remove even more dinner date apprehension.
Eight at Eight is a relative newcomer
to the singles scene (launched in Las
Vegas in 1999/began franchising in 2003)
and its concept is rather innovative.
The service operates as a dining club.
It arranges dinner parties of four single
men and four single women who share common
interests and have similar backgrounds.
Gone are the one-on-one dates which can
be ghastly if the connection just isn't
there. Eight at Eight encourages
its members to meet at dinners and other
group events like cocktail parties, weekend
brunches, concerts, dinner theatres, wine
tastings and sporting events. The events
are hosted by an Eight at Eight
representative who buys the first round
of drinks, makes introductions and promptly
exits the restaurant at eight o'clock
when the party is seated for dinner. The
company is fairly adamant about the fact
that it is not a dating service. Its stated
purpose is to introduce single professionals
with similar interests who enjoy a good
time, good food and good conversation.
Eight at Eight is looking to expand
its operations beyond its home base of
Las Vegas and is currently targeting 29
U.S. metropolitan areas.
MatchMaker
International
With 30 U.S. locations (and growing) MatchMaker
International knows that its clients
are looking to find that "special
someone" and do not wish to waste
time or money. In most cases they have
already squandered enough time in online
dating chat rooms and dropped significant
dollars in singles bars. With that in
mind, the pros at MatchMaker International
have streamlined their compatibility surveys
to get clients started right away. Clients
fill out confidential preliminary questionnaires
before meeting with a MatchMaker
rep for a more in-depth conversation about
who that person is and, more importantly,
who that person would like to meet. For
as serious as MatchMaker is about
finding the right matches for their clients,
the company is also out to find their
own perfect franchisee matches. MatchMaker
is seeking candidates with strong leadership
abilities and good interpersonal skills
who are willing to commit their time and
attention to a MatchMaker International
franchise. Having existing business/management
skills is a real plus. The company is
currently looking for franchisees to open
new locations in the U.S. and Canada.
The
Right One and Together Dating Service
For The Right One, the right move
was to get together with Together Dating
Service. The two companies merged
in 1999 creating the largest dating service
franchise system in the U.S. Although
they both fall under one corporate umbrella,
the two companies have retained their
original brands and identities. The folks
at The Right One are on a mission
to make sure that all single adults have
the opportunity to find the right one,
for fun or for life. The company walks
its clients through an extensive evaluation
and interview process to help them build
accurate profiles of themselves and to
form realistic expectations of what they
are looking for in the right match. Once
clients have gone through the evaluation
and background checking processes, potential
pairings will each receive confidential
envelopes with the names, bios and contact
information of those thought to be the
perfect fit. It is up to the individual
parties to contact each other and set
up their first date (The Right One
supplies all of its members with a handy
guide to arranging and surviving first
dates). If the match made by The Right
One turns out to be all wrong, they
will happily find another suitable member
for another first date. Together
Dating Service has been in the dating
game for more than 25 years. The membership-based
service aims to match compatible individuals
through its ten-step application, screening
and evaluation process. Throughout the
duration of a client's membership with
Together, the company strives
to treat all members with respect, encourages
them to meet new friends and companions
and provides members with honest feedback
and assistance. Together's consultants
work very closely with their members
to ensure that introductions are made
between people looking for the same
level of relationship. There are currently
more than 80 franchises in the Together
Dating Service/The Right One system.
Both companies are looking for franchisees
who have a "little bit of Cupid
in their souls" to open additional
locations throughout the U.S. and Canada.
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