Having dinner at home alone again? Blame her boss. Women are more likely than men to cancel dates because of work-related issues, according to a new survey by It’s Just Lunch, a personalized dating service for busy professionals.

In the survey, ladies admitted that they “always make time for dates” only 36 percent the time, compared to 50 percent of men. But that doesn’t mean that the foxy CPA is more psyched about tax brackets than cocktails with you. “Single women are more focused on their careers than their personal life,” says Irene LaCota, spokeswoman for It’s Just Lunch. “They have worked hard to obtain high-level positions and don’t want to lose this status.”

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It’s Just Lunch asked more than 4,300 U.S. single men and women a series of questions regarding how they view dating issues related to work.

Forty-five percent of women said they like to talk about work to start a conversation on a date, compared with 30 percent of men.

Fifty-five percent of men said business discussion was interesting from time to time, but they preferred to discuss other things, while 11 percent of men and 7 percent of women said when work day was over, they preferred to forget about it and talk about anything else.

The survey also found: women preferred to date a business executive; men preferred a medical professional; more women preferred to not date someone who works in their office; women were less likely to date a client and the ideal first date was a drink after work.

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Personal matchmakers certainly aren’t the only way to find a mate. Dating websites remain popular, and there are national matchmaking services such as It’s Just Lunch.

But several factors could be contributing to personal matchmakers’ popularity, said Lisa Clampitt, who co-founded The Matchmaking Institute.

Higher divorce rates mean more people are single. Newly divorced people might feel like they need coaching after being out of the dating scene for several years. And some people tire of the bar scene and online dating and want more personal help, she said.

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DATING SERVICE STRUCK GOLD FOR COUPLE

Jeff Grace, president and CEO of NetEffect, an information technology company, was a busy man whose first marriage had ended eight years before.

“I was kind of frustrated,” he said. “I was 40 years old and really wanted to be happily married and have children.”

But time was running out, so he turned to dating services.

Two years and too many dates went by before he hooked up with It’s Just Lunch, a dating service that matches busy professionals. By the time December 2006 came around, he was still looking for the right woman.

About then, Dina, his future wife, turned to the same service. Her first “date” was with Jeff.

The moment Dina walked in the door, Jeff said his interest was piqued. Then they started talking.

“We hit it off immediately,” he said. “Dina’s very smart, so we connected on that level. She’s got a great sense of humor. Within the first five minutes, we were laughing and having a great time. She went back to It’s Just Lunch and said, ‘Wow. Show me more of those (kind of guys).”

They discovered they had similar interests, such as appreciating the outdoors and hiking.

Dina said she’d stipulated to It’s Just Lunch that she wanted to meet men who were smart and funny, with no kids and who were open-minded and spiritual. Jeff matched up perfectly, so perfectly that they could have spent all afternoon talking. But It’s Just Lunch has rules.

“They (require) a time limit, that your first date last no longer than 30 minutes,” she said. “I was kind of sad at that time limit. I could have talked to him a lot longer than that … our conversation just flowed.”

A couple of weeks later, on New Year’s Day, they had their first real date, taking to the trails of Red Rock Canyon. When Jeff’s nieces and nephews were in town, he watched Dina’s natural interaction with them. By February, they decided to date exclusively.

Dating, for them, was grabbing takeout Thai food and sitting and talking.

They were married in August 2008. Their daughter, Bailey, was born in August 2010. Son Haiden arrived in August 2012. He and Bailey share the same birthday.

Dina said meeting her husband on her first matchup was perfect because he was the cream of the crop.

“He had to kiss a lot of frogs,” Dina said. “I got lucky. I only had to kiss one frog.”

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Fifty percent of U.S. men versus 36 percent of women say they would choose a date over work, a survey for the specialty dating service It’s Just Lunch said.

It’s Just Lunch asked more than 4,300 U.S. single men and women a series of questions regarding how they view dating issues related to work.

Forty-one percent of the women said work and dating held near equal importance in their lives and they made time for both.

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When asked in the It’s Just Lunch survey, “Would you go out on a date with someone whom you knew was unemployed?” one-third of women responded with a flat “No.” A larger percentage (42%) gave “Maybe” as an answer with the stipulation, “I wouldn’t want to throw a lot of time into it unless they had a game plan for getting back on track.” Men were asked the same question, and roughly two-thirds said they’d be up for dating someone who was unemployed: 19% said they had no reservations whatsoever about going out with a woman without a job, and another 46% said they’d date an unemployed women but were interested in finding out how they spent their time not working.

An It’s Just Lunch spokesperson reads these numbers as an indication that “women’s old-fashioned beliefs about sex roles seem to apply,” and that men are more desirable if they have jobs and are good providers.

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According to many dating and relationships experts, it says a lot. Whether it’s beer, champagne, a mixed drink, or wine, the drink you order can indicate to the person across the bar (or table) your personality and the attributes you’re looking for in a significant other. “More important than what you actually order, most telling is whether you know what you want,” says Janice Christopher, a relationship and dating mentor (and the voice behind What’s Ideal For You). “In a drink or in a relationship, knowing the elements that are perfect for you is key to stealth-dating for success. If you can go to the bartender and say ‘I’d like an extra dry dirty martini with citron vodka and three habanero-stuffed olives, shaken not stirred,’ you probably know the qualities and characteristics you are looking for in your Mr. Right.”

The biggest tip we heard over and over: be conscious of your surroundings. And we don’t just mean watching for someone grabbing your drink. Be aware of the kind of bar or restaurant you’re at, and drink accordingly — nothing says high maintenance like a glass of champagne at a dive bar.

As on any first date, it’s important to make the date one to remember, and that means transforming your “casual beer” into a meaningful experience. How to do that? “Something [that's] really nice when two people are drinking the same thing, [is] when one of the people wants to try what the other is having, or they ask ‘what would you like to drink?’” says Fran Greene, the former “Flirting Director” for Match.com and the author of The Flirting Bible. “It’s a way to be connected to someone.” Another pointer? “I always recommend on first dates that people order a drink that will take a little bit longer to drink,” says Irene LaCota, from the matchmaking website It’s Just Lunch. “Since both parties are often a little nervous and might have the tendency to sip on their drink more frequently, you want a drink that can’t be consumed in three sips.”

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In an article posted on yourtango.com on September 12th, author Kait Smith discusses “3 Modern Day Deal Breakers”. The post references an it’s Just Lunch survey that interviewed over 1600 people. Respondents were asked whether income, education and career matter when seeking a partner. Questions were specific to work, education and money. Smith argues the results show that some women are still looking for protectors and times have not changed as much as we might think.

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Okay, we admit it, lunch could lead to . . . something.

The Cornell University research article published in Plos One titled “It’s Not Just Lunch: Extra-Pair Commensality Can Trigger Sexual Jealousy” finds that “people are evolved to recognize that eating together tends to involve, or perhaps lead to, something more than food.”

The study included 76 participants and was produced by the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University. Authors Professor Brian Wansink and Kevin M. Kniffin discovered that meals with the opposite sex consistently elicit more jealousy from significant others than face-to-face interactions.

It’s not necessarily any situation where food is shared that elicits jealousy though. It’s the time you congregate and what you consume that counts. For instance, morning coffee is innocuous vs an evening meal, which is seen as more of an intimate interaction. Instinctively many of us are already aware of this and for It’s Just Lunch the nuances of this interaction are an art form. In fact we were delighted to see the topic under scrutiny. We encourage you to check out the article for an interesting perspective on what time, place and type of food can indicate.

Online dating photos can motivate us to make a decision about a person too quickly. Frank Partnoy summarizes his new book “Wait: The Art and Science of Delay” and references It’s Just Lunch as one of his case study examples in this short KPBS News video clip.

Procrastination is underrated according to Frank Partnoy. In his recently published book, “Wait: The Art and Science of Delay”, he discusses the possibility that there is too much pressure to make quick choices and that we can all benefit from taking the maximum time allotted before making a decision.

Professor Frank Partnoy is a Professor of Law and Finance and the director of the Center on Corporate and Securities Law at the University of San Diego. He is one of the world’s leading experts on the complexities of modern finance and financial market regulation.

In his book he draws a relationship between delayed responses and successful actions. The stock market, sports and dating are a number of examples he uses to show that measured, calculated and patient responses are superlative. It’s important to note though that he is not insisting you drag out the decision making process unnecessarily. He is simply saying, that once you ascertain the appropriate time frame, allow yourself until the very last moment to arrive at the outcome. This way you are likely to make a better decision.

In “Blink” a book about rapid cognition, Malcom Gladwell supports the theory that often our first decision is the right one, but even so he references gut instinct as a successful tool for experts. Partnoy does not overlook the need for urgency; rather he cites studies that show emergency room doctors who practice waiting one minute longer before deciding how to treat a life threatening injury have better success in saving the lives of their patients. The reality is though that almost all the decisions that we make in our lives every day are not life threatening, including choosing who we date, so ultimately time is a luxury we do have. Why rush it?