If you’re using online dating sites to meet men, good for you. You’re taking positive action toward making your dream of meeting a good man come true, which set you apart from so many other people who say they want something and do just about nothing to get it. However, if you’ve been with me a while, you know I recommend always being your best (even if just going to the cleaners) because you never know where you’re going to meet “the one.” Or bring a book.

My daughter likes to eat at The Outback (for readers outside the US, The Outback is a reasonably priced chain restaurant). Every so often before school started, she and I would go there for lunch on a weekday. And every time we went, we saw men sitting solo at the bar eating lunch. I’d estimate that four out of five of those men were well-dressed (most likely, they worked somewhere in the corporate park across the street), while one out of five worked in a trade. Then see what happens.

This men-eating-solo phenomenon presents an opportunity for the single woman who wants to meet somebody. (Were all the men we spotted also single? Probably not, but to meet the right man, you’ll increase your odds if you go where the men go.) Are you brave enough to eat solo at a lunch counter or a bar? If you do, dress attractively (not suggestively), and if you feel uncomfortable, make small talk with the server. When you make eye contact with an attractive man, smile.

This men-eating-solo phenomenon presents an opportunity for the single woman who wants to meet somebody. (Were all the men we spotted also single? Probably not, but to meet the right man, you’ll increase your odds if you go where the men go.) If you do, dress attractively (not suggestively), and if you feel uncomfortable, make small talk with the server. (NOTE: No need to do anything aggressive, like hand a strange man your business card or start yakking incessantly.)