To discover more meal assembly resources, please click: chef substitute List of Restaurants offering counter/dining bars — SoloDiners' EAT OUT Week "2007" List of Restaurants offering communal table dining — Solo Diners' EAT OUT Week "2006" For more on the provocative following article, please visit: personal chef substitute "It's on to Plan B as a Hot Trend Cools Off" — New York Times — 2/20/08 "But growth in the industry has slowed sharply, long before reaching expectations. Industry revenue, which two years ago was forecast to reach $1 billion annually by 2010, is now projected around $650 million by then, said Bert Vermeulen, an industry consultant and founder of the easy meal association." "The Easy Meal Prep Association says about 1,149 such stores exist nationwide. That is up from four stores in 2002." " . . . Let’s Dish in Scarsdale, N.Y., part of what is now the sixth-largest chain of meal assembly places, with 33 outlets across the country. Dream Dinners is No. 1, with 225 franchises, and Super Suppers, with 207, is No. 2, according to Bert Vermeulen, founder of the Easy Meal Prep Association." Assembled Off Site, the Somewhat Homemade Family Dinner" — The New York Times — September 29, 2007 "There are more than 700 meal-assembly centers throughout the country, with 40 new ones opening up each week." "Meals for Busy Moms: New Businesses Let People Pressed for Time Make Home-Cooked Meals" — ABC News — March 31, 2006 "The centers [meal assembly centers] are opening at a rate of about 40 a month, mostly in strip malls and office parks in the nation's suburbsand smaller cities, and are projected to earn $270 million this year according to the Easy Meal Prep Association, the industry's trade group." "Meals That Moms Can Almost Call Their Own" — The New York Times — March 26, 2006 "You Made the Meatloaf. You Just Didn't Make It At Home." — The New York Times — August 28, 2005 "Two Tampa businesses — Let's Eat and Dinner Done — help busy people prepare meals for their families without having to shop, chop or mop." — St. Petersburg Times — May 11, 2005 " . . . a lot of people in their 30s and younger, don't know how to cook. Though the assembly-line preparation is not necessarily a cooking class, many participants pick up something about making a meal." P.S. Terrific article! However, there was nary a mention of how great these facilities are for singles; hence nary a mention of how they were catering to singles. Featured facilities: Dinner Done — Tampa, Florida (Carrollwood) Let’s Eat! — Tampa, Florida Mentioned facilities: Simply Dinners — Tucson, Arizona Let's Dish — Baltimore, Maryland Supper Thyme USA — Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma "The New Frozen Dinner" — Newsweek — April 11, 2005 "If you haven't heard of Super Suppers or Dream Dinners . . . " P.S. Terrific blurb! However, the emphasis was entirely on "family sized" meals. "Ready! Set! Assemble that dinner! Company does the shopping, chopping, cleanup for the families' meal" — The Boston Globe — September 22, 2004 Featured: Massachusetts Dream Dinners franchise (206 E. Main Street, Milford — (508) 473-1888) "The dinner venue also serves as a place where friends can cook together. Esta Campbell, a Marlboro resident and the business manager of a publishing company, says, "I usually go with a friend, but if you go by yourself, it's still fun. You put the meals together and socialize." "Gourmet Stockpiling: Meal Facilitation Service Home-Cooked Meals From Scratch a Realistic Alternative to Fast Food" — Time Magazine — May 03, 2004. P.S. Terrific article! However, there was nary a mention of how great these facilities are for singles; hence nary a mention of how they were catering to singles. SoloDining.com tracked down a couple of meal assembly facilities mentioned in theTime Magazine story. They are: What's Cooking — Fort Collins, Colorado Let's Dish — Minneapolis, Minnesota Dream Dinners — Snohomish, Washington (55 franchises and counting) The Delicious Dish — For those who have smaller family sizes. We are now offering 12 smaller meals that feed 2-3! (SoloDining.com was unable to locate any contact information for: What's for Dinner — Fargo, North Dakota — also mentioned in Time Magazine.) Heard about the "cupcake craze"? For details, click: all-cupcake shop Return To Top Planning a trip? Visit our sister website. Click here: SoloTravelPortal.com If you have questions or comments about this Web page or site, e-mail: webmaster@SoloDining.com. © 2008 SoloDining.com Return to Top