Make-Your-Own-Dinner Companies???

[ladybug777]

I saw this in another thread...

Have you heard about these places cropping up all over the country where you go and assemble meals to freeze? They do all the grocery shopping and prep work, you show up and put it all together. I did one of those once and got a bunch of good ideas, as well as recipes. If there's one of those near you, it may be worth checking out.


Does anyone know anything about these places? What is the name of the company/store?

Thanks!

[Delaney21]

My SIL just had one of these parties last week and everyone loved it. I will check with her to find out what the company was and all of the other info.

[Janey]

There are a couple of different ones near us -- Dream Dinners (http://dreamdinners.com/index2.php) seems to be the big one. I've never gone; it seems a little expensive to me. Some of the recipes look pretty good though!

[Katy]

I've done Dream Dinners. For the most part, it was quite good. My only complaint is that you have to buy either 6 or 12 meals and they're family-sized (feeds 4-6). Some can't be cut in half size packaging, leaving just the two of us with TONS of leftovers. The other thing, even with the six dinner package, that breaks down to 12, half-sized dinners and that took up our ENTIRE freezer. I'm interested it doing it again, but this time, I want to share the meals with friends so I'm not left with SO much food taking up space in my freezer.

Also, it can be a little bit pricey. It's WAY less expensive than eating out, but still about $4-$6 a serving. So you're really paying for the convience of having everything cut up and ready to go. I know Dream Dinners also let's you make a free dinner if you bring a newbie with you, if you host a private party session with your friends and I think if you just want to *try* them out as a first timer. It's worth checking into.

[JenH]

In our area we have www.dinnermyway.com and www.letsdishitup.com I plan on trying Dinner My Way soon - I am waiting because the November menu sounds better than the October one.

[looch]

wish we had one of these around here! i love the concept, but as Katy pointed out, it does seem expensive per serving.

[ladybug777]

Thanks so much. I'm going to check those out!

[looch]

i have been visiting these websites and the menus are great. i think i am going to use these ideas for a freezer cooking session!

[Ohana]

I've done Dinner's Ready (http://www.dinnersready.com) a couple of times.

The cons are that, as PP have mentioned, it's a bit more expensive than if you cook everything yourself, and some of the dishes cannot be divided. My other problem with them is that they take so darn long to cook! Yeah, it's mostly time in the oven, but if I prepped and cooked my own dinner, it would be done in less time for less money.

On the pro side, though, I like them, because DH uses them, and I therefore don't have to cook a couple of nights a week now, which is heavenly.

Mostly, though, I stole ideas on how to do a similar thing for myself, and I've cooked and frozen 8 dinners for my family in about 2 hours, for a total cost of about 50 bucks, much less than the 126 they want for 6 dinners.

[Ali]

Here is a website that list various companies state by state. Apparently they have their own national organization. They provide direct links, so you can click on those for easy access.

Easy Meal Preparation Association Directory by Location (http://www.easymealprep.com/main/direct02.php)

[camberne]

The company Let's Dish is getting ready for a large east coast campaign... they just opened one up in MD and Ashburn, VA... and there are two more planned for the first quarter of next year. The franchisee I spoke with has the rights to the mid-Atlantic and they will be doing many more of them.

Apparently there is another company called My Girlfriend's Kitchen as well.

[tirams]

Has anyone tried the Let's Dish cooking place (http://www.letsdish.com/learn/dishing/slide1.htm)? They are opening one in my town soon and I'm curious. It sounds like you go there and cook ahead 8-12 meals, they provide all the food, supplies and cleanup.

http://www.letsdish.com/

[Katy]

there's actually a thread on those sort of places. Do a search for "let's dish" in this forum and it should pop right up.

[hmbay]

I've used Let's Dish twice. Overall I was happy with them. A few of the meals seemed a bit small for serving 6 and others seemed big enough to feed 8. Their meals seem a bit more "exotic" than some of the make and take places but I don't think out of the 20 meals I made (did 8 meals one time and 12 the next) there was anything I hated although there were a few I was so-so about and several I loved. It works great in our house--I pick out something to thaw out the night before and DH cooks it. :)

ETA: I see my local Lets Dish has Asian bbq pork roast on it's May menu--I HIGHLY recommend this. :)

[Katy]

I found this one (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=9212&highlight=%22dream+dinners%22). I searched through the ADVANCED SEARCH for Dream Dinners (as I recall posting about that facility when I saw that thread).

ETA: As for searching without quotes - I might have to try a couple variations since it's sometime difficult to catch onto the *right* word. Or, if I've posted in the thread, I'll use the forum search and try and search using a term that I posted. If that makes sense. Or, sometimes, it helps to just ask for help, being as descriptive as possible, and usually someone will help you find it.

I'll merge/close this once I get back from vacation (unless a mod beats me to it)

[emschwar]

We have a Let's Dish here, but I've never been. I'm tempted, but it's a whole lotta $ up front.

[Camdynlyn]

I've had some friends go to My Girlfriend's Kitchen and really enjoyed it. We have one here and we've talked about going in and splitting meals because we're so picky and I don't think I could find 6 things we would eat.

[hmbay]

I've done Let's Dish twice and will be doing Mix It Up Meals this weekend. We also have Supper Thyme USA and My Dinner Party here but I haven't tried either. I liked Let's Dish but the food was more "exotic" I noticed My Dinner Party has more "comfort food" type stuff like lasagne, beef stroganoff, etc and Let's Dish has things like pork chops with peach chili salsa etc. Most everything I made at Let's Dish I liked and most stuff would definitely feed 4-6 although 1 or 2 things were a bit skimpy I thought. It is a lot of money upfront but with two kids I'm willing to pay a bit for someone to do my shopping and prep work every few months. I decided to try Mix It Up Meals this time because they don't do a flat fee like Let's Dish--they have a "workshop fee" then charge different amounts for each meal you chose to make and you can make anywhere from 1-12 meals that feed either 2-3 or 4-6.

[Brandy]

In my area we have three companies:

Thyme for Dinner (http://www.thymefordinner.com)
Let's Eat (http://www.letseatdinner.com)
1 Day Gourmet (http://www.1daygourmet.com)

I've been to Thyme for Dinner twice, both times splitting a 8 meal plan (4-6+ servings each). It was great and tons of fun. The food was really good and the people who run it are the nicest people ever. It was really nice to just pop it in the oven after work. So that was enough food for two months and now I'm kind of tired of it.

[dandelionbeautiful]

As a former owner of one of these franchises, I can honestly say all you are paying for is convenience. The convenience of not having to buy ingredients for dishes you don't frequently make. The convenience of not having to dirty up dishes and the time it saves you. All of them do things differently. Some will nickel and dime you (ie: charge you to split your portions up or charge extra for providing pans). The franchise I owned had a set price no matter which entrees you choose and would let you split up your portions to fit your families needs. For example, if there were only 2 of you or you have a baby, you could go home with 12 or 24 meals for $125. (Six meals that each meal feeds six, split them up 2 or 3 portions each) Not bad! It's a healthy alternative for the busy families who tend to eat out a lot or for those who "don't cook." Another thing a lot of our customers did was bring a friend and split up the portions, each take home a half portion of each entree and split the cost. That'd be 6 meals (3 servings each) for around $60. That's pretty reasonable for a weeks worth of meals.

[jarm]

I did a search, but couldn't find anything on one of those assemble your meal, take home places. We have one that just opened called Super Suppers. I know that there are other chains just like it. Has anyone ever been to any of these? What did you think?

TIA!

[Ohana]

I've done Dream Dinners (http://dreamdinners.com/main.php?page=order_location&gclid=CKe3yd22h4YCFUKHIgodajhdiw)and Dinner's Ready (http://www.dinnersready.com/). Both are pretty much the same thing. You check their website, reserve a day/time, and choose the items you'd like to make, and pay.

On your chosen day/time, you show up and they walk you through the procedure. They have "stations" set up for each menu item, so you just go to the stations for the items you chose, and follow the posted instructions for making the dish. After each dish is made, you put it in your designated spot in their fridge. When everything's been put together, you check out with one of their employees. If a dish comes with a side of rice or pasta or whatever, they give that to you then.

The advice I would have is to read the assembly instructions carefully before you start. If at all possible, split meals in half, unless you plan to feed a crowd. Take a cooler to get your food. home.

Although the food was pretty good, more than anything, I got ideas on how to modify my own recipes to make them freezer friendly, and I've done a home version several times, which is much cheaper and not that much more time consuming.

[kindermom]

I did Let's Dish. While the food portions were great (we are big eaters and each meal still serves 6), I do not think it is worth the money for an ongoing service.

Pros:
What I did get out the process is how to do this at home, as Ohana mentioned. I learned better food wrapping techniques for example. This was the biggest one for me. The other advantage is that you can create recipes with ingrediants you do not normally buy. This was pretty nice as well.

Cons:
I was surprised by how much cook time I have on my end. It really only saved me prep time. I actually spend more time cooking now!
We eat alot of organics at our home which I can not get from these places (unless I open an organic franchise ;) ).

I will most likely be doing my own version with some friends soon using the organics/better quality food. Overall rating? 7/10. Worth it for a first visit, not sure if it is worth going back.

[Decemberwed]

I just did Super Suppers a couple of weeks ago. It has been GREAT so far. I did it with a friend (and recommend that). Their full portion serves 6-8 people. So I choose 3 entrees and she choose 3 entrees (each for $60). Then we assembed each entree, but cut it in half and traded. So, I got 6 entrees for $60.00. Basically they are the meat portion of your dinner. You assemble it all slap a label on it and freeze it. Thaw it, cook it according to directions and add a salad to it and we call it a night! I have used 3 meals this week and will use 3 next week.

I will absolutely continue to do it. The food has been great and not having to plan a menu and shop and chop has been PHENOMENAL!

[jarm]

I also did Super Suppers, which was why I started this post. Ours had a demo so we got a free meal each and then I made two more and bought one that was premade plus a dessert. Yum! This is going to be great for when I return to work.

[scout]

I just saw an ad for Dinner by Design.

http://dinnerbydesignkitchen.com

There was a $20 off coupon in the ad, so I think it might be worth it.

[nawsgirl]

Has anyone ever been to My Girlfriend's Kitchen? It is one of those places where you go and assemble meals, and bring them home and cook them. Our newspaper had an article about the popularity of this type of thing, and mentioned a few companies- My Girlfriend's Kitchen, Dream Dinners, Entrees Made Easy, and Super Suppers. So far, MGFK looks like it has the healthiest and most varied options for me and DH.

So has anyone been there? Did you save money by going there as opposed to buying everything at the store? Do you like the recipes? Would you recommend it?

Thanks!

[JubileeDawning]

I've been going a couple of months now, and I really like it. Sometimes the meals are hit or miss, but theres only a few of those each month. I brought my mom and her friends the second month I went, and now they're hooked, and subsequently, my mom pays for each month for me as her way of supporting DH and I through grad school. It's nice.

I think if I were to pay for it monthly, it would be slightly more expensive than what I pay for groceries, because I also buy things to serve as sides with the meals and whatnot. However, I think its worth it for the time and cleanup and hassle and planning I save myself, since our lives are sooo crazy right now.

I feel like I'm eating less frantically and more healthy these days, and that makes me happy. It was also the best value of the other places you mentioned. HTH!

[kindermom]

I've done Let's Dish and I am on the fence about it. Price wise I thought it was a fair deal. Not as cheap as I can make meals for but definitely not outrageous.

[Katy]

There's a thread in here dicussing that sort of concept, let me see if I can find it. I tried Let's Dish - I think if it were more than just the two of us we'd do it again. But for just the two of us, even the smaller plan was just too much food.

Make Your Own Dinner Companies (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9212&highlight=dish)

[nawsgirl]

Thanks! It's not yet open near me, but I might consider going once I look at their menu. Thanks for the link to the other thread, it was very helpful! I don't know if we would have room in our freezer if EVERYTHING needs to be frozen but at the same time it might expand our dinner options a bit- we tend to eat the same things week after week.

[Katy]

yeah, that's the other thing that killed me...it took up the ENTIRE freezer *sigh*

[Traciann]

My friend does Dream Dinners every month loves it. Her family used to eat out alot, so this is actually cheaper for them. She is also not much of a cook, so she really enjoys that she has an actual meal to serve her family for dinner vs using frozen convience foods or takeout. I would love to try it one month, just to have some extra meals on hand for thse times I don't feel like prepping/cooking a meal.

[eponymous]

Although the food was pretty good, more than anything, I got ideas on how to modify my own recipes to make them freezer friendly, and I've done a home version several times, which is much cheaper and not that much more time consuming.

What I did get out the process is how to do this at home, as Ohana mentioned. I learned better food wrapping techniques for example. This was the biggest one for me.

Kindermom and Ohana - would you be willing to share some of your tips? I'd really like to pre-prep some dinners for us, but due to food allergies, I obviously need total control over my food... I've tried in the past, but it seems like things are hard to freeze that don't involve sauce, or they end up freezer-burnt.

Thanks to anyone for suggestions!