It’s Just Lunch Review: Is It Worth The Price?

Looking for real It’s Just Lunch reviews? You’re in the right place!

We’ve got the 411 on this international dating agency, from cost to complaints - everything you need to decide if this is the right matchmaking service for you.

💡 Key Takeaways:

• Costs vary by location - packages range from $1,000 to $5,000+, with price depending on city, number of matches, and criteria specificity
• Quality varies significantly by franchise - ratings range from 1.2 to 4.4 stars across locations, with former clients reporting differences in customer experience and match quality
• Blind date format only - no photos provided before dates, just verbal descriptions of matches from matchmaker
• Common complaints across reviews - customers frequently cite ignored matching criteria, high-pressure sales tactics, and poor post-sale customer service
• Legal issues worth noting - subject of $64.75M class action settlement in NY for disregarding client criteria despite charging for "personalized" matching

Our team of dating experts has reviewed over 200 matchmaking services, diving deep into their costs, success rates, processes, and client experiences. 

Our reviews are built on extensive research and the type of keen understanding of the landscape that comes from over 15 years of first-hand industry experience.

Let’s dive in!

It’s Just Lunch Locations

It’s Just Lunch (IJL) first started matching clients over 25 years ago in Chicago.

Since then, franchises have opened up in over 120 cities around the US, with It’s Just Lunch locations including Atlanta, Austin, Boca Raton, Boston, Charleston, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Fort Worth, Hartford, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, NYC, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Scottsdale, Tucson, and Washington DC.

The matchmaking giant also has an international presence, with offices in the UK, Ireland, Singapore, Toronto, Alberta, British Columbia, and Australia.

How Much It Costs To Join It’s Just Lunch

Matchmaking packages range from $1,000 to over $5,000, with the price tag depending on factors like what city/cities you want to date in, how many matches you want to meet, and how strict your matching criteria are.

Curious how It’s Just Lunch prices compare to other matchmaking services? Let’s take a quick look!

Tawkify is another national service that may be on your radar. Tawkify packages start at $4,900 for 3 matches and can range all the way up to $70,000+ for VIP service options.

Three Day Rule, a service founded by Talia Goldstein that has offices in 10+ cities around the US, offers a 3-month package that starts at $5,900. At that level, you’re guaranteed to meet at least 3 matches.

Three Day Rule also offers “VIP” matching, which starts at $19,500.

VIDA Select is another option worth considering. With packages offered on a pay-as-you-go monthly basis, VIDA is one of the most flexible services out there. 

Pricing highly aligns with the number of hours your dedicated matchmaker will spend on your search each month, given your criteria, number of cities you want to date in, etc. 

Packages start at only $1195 per month.

A Peek Behind The Curtain…

IJL’s process starts with an initial phone interview with your matchmaker. You’ll be asked basic questions about what’s worked (and what hasn’t) in past relationships, and why you chose this particular time in your life to work with a matchmaker.

It’s important to put some thought into your relationship desires and goals before the consultation. Deciding whether or not IJL can meet your needs is easier to do when you’re crystal clear on what you’re looking for from a matchmaking service.

Assuming you decide to sign up, you’ll select a package level, then pay for your service.

When your first potential match is found, you’ll get an in-depth description over the phone.

Your matchmaker will also tell you a little about what type of person your match is looking for. While you’ll get some background info on your match, you won’t get to see any photos. (Yes, it’s a blind date.)

Your matchmaker will coordinate all the details of your date. All you have to do is show up at the appointed time and place.

If you’re feeling mutual chemistry, you’re encouraged to exchange phone numbers during the date since IJL does not provide that info to either of you.

After your very first blind date, you’ll meet with your matchmaker in person to discuss how closely the match met your criteria. Be specific with your comments, as this will help her screen future matches. Feedback will be discussed over the phone after future dates.

The It’s Just Lunch Guarantee

All members are guaranteed matches, and IJL matchmakers will tell you clients get a new introduction every few weeks, on average.

The exact quantity and quality of introductions you’ll receive will primarily depend upon how many members they have available that meet your specific match criteria and vice versa. However, many reviewers have noted on sites like Yelp and Reddit that IJL sets up dates with matches who don’t meet the criteria established prior to purchasing a package.

In fact, in New York, the company was actually the subject of a consumer fraud class action lawsuit for charging clients for “personalized” matching services and then disregarding the clients’ match criteria. The It’s Just Lunch lawsuit settled for $64.75 million.

The best matchmaking services will give you an idea of how many potential matches there are in your general area, and whether or not you can expect more than one date per month based on your criteria. 

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to discuss this with the matchmaker before signing up for It’s Just Lunch or a similar service.

Honest It’s Just Lunch Reviews: What Customers Are Saying…

While online service reviews are a great place to start your research, keep in mind that your experience may vary depending on which It’s Just Lunch location you sign up with.

It’s Just Lunch Google Reviews

For instance, It’s Just Lunch ratings range from 1.2 stars to 4.4 stars, depending on which Google Business profile you look at.

The Minneapolis-based service has 4.4 stars on its Google profile, based on 390+ reviews. Clients reported mostly positive experiences both with the matchmaking team and with the matches they met.

The Chicago branch of It’s Just Lunch has 4.2 stars on Google, with most reviews being positive. 

The news is not as good for the Uniondale, New York location where client reviews resulted in a dismal 1.4 star rating on Google. Common complaints in the 30+ reviews included high cost, poor customer service, and basic matchmaking requirements seemingly being ignored.

It’s Just Lunch Reddit Reviews

There are multiple Reddit threads devoted to It’s Just Lunch, with most former clients reported a negative experience. Common complaints voiced on Reddit include:

• Meeting incompatible matches. As one Redditor explained, “After paying $3 000, they have NO inventory of people and they pushed men on me that I did not like.”
• Poor customer service. One former client described it as the “worst customer service of my life.” “They lie constantly, most of the employees are like con artists.They changed dating coordinators on me constantly without notifying me. They matched me up with people that were not what I asked for, without notifying me of these matches so my account would look busy.”
• High pressure sales tactics. This Redditor didn’t end up becoming a client, but was not impressed with the consultation experience. “I contacted them to talk about the service and wasted hours in what turned out to be a manipulative sales pitch. After saying no, I don’t want to sign up, I got endless phone calls about some “great potential matches” for me. Prepare yourself for a hard sell.”

It’s Just Lunch Trustpilot Reviews

On Trustpilot, It’s Just Lunch as an overall service has 3.4 stars based on 550+ reviews. 

Client sentiments ranged from “Good first match attempt” and “Listening to detail and delivering” to “Buyer beware - disappointing experience and poor value.”

Praise for It’s Just Lunch included:

• Matchmakers who were good listeners
• Meeting compatible matches
• Date arrangements being made for you 

On the flip side of the coin, common client complaints included:

• Lack of customer service after paying for a package
• Matchmaking criteria that was ignored, leading to bad first dates
• Having to work with a succession of matchmakers rather than having a dedicated point of contact

As on Google, Yelp has multiple entries for the different It’s Just Lunch branches. The star ratings range from 1.2 to 2.9, depending on which location you’re looking at. While some clients reported meeting acceptable matches, others said their experience with the matchmaking service was negative.

IJL complaints on Yelp included:

• High pressure sales tactics
• Poor communication & a lack of customer service
• Meeting people who didn’t match the specified criteria

It’s Just Lunch also has multiple listings with the BBB, with ratings ranging from 1 to 4 stars. Many of BBB reviews are negative, with customers citing a lack of customer service, lack of compatible matches, and a lack of transparency in the process.

Our It’s Just Lunch Verdict: Is It Worth The Money?

It’s Just Lunch has been around for a long time, which gives them some street cred. But as you can see from the online reviews, the quality of individual franchises seems to vary drastically.

You’ll also need to ask yourself how you feel about not seeing photos of your matches beforehand. Some people enjoy going on a blind date adventure. After all, you may have a ton in common with your match - and sometimes it’s thrilling to see if the odds play in your favor. If you’re into rolling the dice, you’ll probably enjoy the It’s Just Lunch experience.

If you prefer to be more in control of who you choose to spend your time with, and you don’t enjoy investing time and money on yet another blind date that fizzles before the drinks even arrive, you may want to also consider a more modern approach.

The matchmakers at VIDA Select understand that looks matter when it comes to your ideal partner, so we take a very different approach.

If you’re ready to say goodbye to blind dates and only meet people you’re actually interested in, you’re going to love this part. Our matchmakers will show you each match’s complete profile, including photos, and let you decide who you want to meet.

That means no more disappointing blind dates with people you normally wouldn’t even look twice at on the street.

Instead, you’ll spend just a few minutes choosing interesting singles from a list of matches curated with your specific criteria in mind.

You’re in control of every step in the process, from how many dates you want to go on to which matches you want to meet. You’re investing time and money, so wouldn’t you rather be in the driver’s seat?

It all starts with a quick 20-minute phone consultation with one of our matchmakers. Just a quick, low-key discussion to find out if we’re the right solution to find your ideal partner. Take the next step today… and schedule your complimentary phone consultation!

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