Past experience has shown that come Autumn time numbers increase in online dating! Maybe something to do with wanting to find that special person to snuggle up with through the winter chill, or finding a partner to share the festive celebration season with!

We are on the look out for some cosy new venues to fight off that freeze and nurture some warm, maybe even firey dinner dates!

Get back to me with your suggestions… think open fires, cosy seating and intimate atmospheres. And don’t forget the venues should be within Zone 1, that’s the rule, accessible for all!

Thanks folks!

Girls! (and for that matter boys – these make great gifts),

I just had to share with you my favourite lingerie brand:

La Perla lingerie

Sheer luxury. And you know beauty comes from within

I’d love to hear your hints and tips for stylish but cosy winter wear too… especially for first dates! Please share…

If anyone can help, please get in touch! We are offering a whopping 50% commission on new male sign-ups aged 30-50. Contact me for details!

Best wishes
Tina ]]> http://www.simplydinner.co.uk/blog/?feed=rss2&p=92 0 http://www.simplydinner.co.uk/blog/?p=89 http://www.simplydinner.co.uk/blog/?p=89#comments Thu, 05 Aug 2010 22:54:55 +0000 tina http://www.simplydinner.co.uk/blog/?p=89
OK folks, I really want to hear your thoughts on our ‘No Bags Involved’ advertising angle. This snappy little tag line accompanies this pic…

What do you think? ]]> http://www.simplydinner.co.uk/blog/?feed=rss2&p=89 3 http://www.simplydinner.co.uk/blog/?p=83 http://www.simplydinner.co.uk/blog/?p=83#comments Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:16:43 +0000 tina http://www.simplydinner.co.uk/blog/?p=83
Hello folks,

Sorry I’ve not been updating much recently, but I’ve been busy on a little project of mine that I’m now ready to share.

Aside from the dating agency pursuits, I dabble a little in painting and writing music, and I have just launched my own website.

www.artchristina.com

I have also discovered a great service called reverbnation, where I have set up my own music store, plus they are going to distribute my music onto services such as Amazon and Itunes. Very exciting indeed! I’ll keep you posted on how it goes!

]]> http://www.simplydinner.co.uk/blog/?feed=rss2&p=83 112 http://www.simplydinner.co.uk/blog/?p=81 http://www.simplydinner.co.uk/blog/?p=81#comments Tue, 25 May 2010 02:54:00 +0000 tina http://www.simplydinner.co.uk/blog/?p=81
Amongst all the fun and satisfaction that is generated through organising dates for people, you get the inevitable sadness and frustration when you have no choice but to let people down.

Today, I had to refund and cancel (wincingly for the third time) a dinner booking for a really lovely (unbelievably kind and understanding) lady in her sixties. There just weren’t enough sixty-somethings signed-up for the dinner.

Despite climbing the ranks in google search rankings for the top keyword ‘mature dating’ we are still struggling to gain new members in these age-groups. We are especially lacking in the male front! Where are all you single gents? This unbalance  also frustratingly filtrates through our other age-groups. I have had to cancel more than a few bookings recently because of just simply not having enough boys to accommodate all the females of the species signed up for dinners.

This is the single most trying part of running our dating service.  It genuinely upsets me to have to write that apology email informing someone their booking has to be cancelled. Especially, as often I will put considerable effort into contacting our male members (or at times even single friends we have in London) to try and get a suitable dinner group together rather then having to let someone down. Hitting ’send’ on one of these emails is really a very sad and frustrating moment  indeed.

I always try to be completely honest with members when I do this, as I believe  that offering a genuine apology and upfront explanation breeds understanding and patience. And it has to be said that on the whole, this approach pays off. There are too many faceless businesses out there with automated responses to customer queries and no real care or commitment to customer service. Whilst we may at the moment be struggling to arrange dinner dates for everyone who signs up, I can proudly say that we try our absolute hardest, and we genuinely care about each and every member’s experience of simplydinner. ]]> http://www.simplydinner.co.uk/blog/?feed=rss2&p=81 145 http://www.simplydinner.co.uk/blog/?p=77 http://www.simplydinner.co.uk/blog/?p=77#comments Sun, 23 May 2010 14:01:36 +0000 tina http://www.simplydinner.co.uk/blog/?p=77
Dear Tina,

I have been online dating now for over two years and am totally frustrated with my experience. Despite meeting a few people that I have liked enough to go on a second date with, I just still haven’t managed to find that special person. I dread to think just how much time exactly I have spent emailing people and going on disastrous, awkward dates. I was searching the internet for new ideas to date and came across your excellent blog post on how you came up with your dinner dating idea. Do you think this would work for me? I am willing to try something new, but to be honest I am so frustrated with online dating I think maybe I will just come across as negative!

Thanks, Anita

Dear Anita,

Thank you so much for your email. Rest assured, you are not alone here. As well as my own personal experiences with the frustrations you talk of, I have several good friends who have also been unsuccessful after significant time spent online dating. I am happy to report though, that since trying out simplydinner, they have all found a new energy and enthusiasm for dating and one of them is now actually in a relationship.

The main reason it has this effect is because of our completely different approach to match-making. Instead of you spending endless hours batting emails back-and-forth, you get to meet up with people without all this expectation-building banter, which I personally think is often counter-productive, not to mention one of the biggest time-chompers there is! Secondly, the group aspect of our dinner dates, means that you effectively meet several potential partners in one go! Plus being in a group setting removes that awful awkwardness that invariably happens sometimes on a one-on-one date. Even if you’re not actually attracted to anyone at the dinner, I guarantee you’ll just have a really fun and entertaining time that will re-enthuse you about dating.

We even have a dinner called ‘Dedicated Online Daters’ specifically for peolpe who have been online dating for some time and are disappointed with their experiences and looking for something new!

I hope that helps. Do let me know how you get on!

Best wishes

Tina ]]> http://www.simplydinner.co.uk/blog/?feed=rss2&p=77 136 http://www.simplydinner.co.uk/blog/?p=41 http://www.simplydinner.co.uk/blog/?p=41#comments Tue, 11 May 2010 13:05:07 +0000 admin http://www.simplydinner.co.uk/blog/?p=41

• Early one evening a gentleman scuttled out to his garage and pulled the lawn furniture out onto the driveway. Shortly after followed the lawnmower, a few gardening tools and a bicycle.
• A curious neighbor wandered over and asked if he was going to have a garage sale.
• “No,” replied the gentleman. “My son just bought his first car and right now he’s getting ready for a big date.”
• “So what’s with all the stuff?” asked the neighbor.
• “Well, after years of moving tricycles, toys and sports equipment out of the way every time I came home from work I wanted to make sure the driveway was ready for him.”

• In my sociology class, we were instructed to write down answers to some questions the teacher was asking.
• “Next question,” announced the instructor. “How would you like to be seen by the opposite sex?”
• I was thinking about my answer when the young woman next to me turned and asked: “How do you spell ‘intellectual?’”

• had a date with Joanne and it went really well. As the evening progressed they found themselves in a passionate embrace.
• Carl: “Tell me, do you object to making love?”
• Joanne: “That’s something I have never done before.”
• Carl: “Never made love? You mean you are a virgin?” Car was amazed.
• Joanne: “No, silly!” she giggled. “I’ve never objected!”