Dream Dinners
By Eddie M
The term “dream dinner” may bring to mind a perfect date at a candlelit table, violin music in the background, with the meal capped by a wedding ring hidden in the champaign glass. But Dream Dinners is also a unique food franchise that's quickly growing. It involves locations where people can go to cook according to menus, then take the food home to serve throughout the month. It's one of those ideas that has people slapping their foreheads while exclaiming “why didn't I think of that?” Americans are busier than ever before. Work and school and a variety of other activities for family members mean it's harder than ever to eat well. Sure there are many quality frozen and ready made foods, but somehow it's never the same as a good home cooked meal. But when the typical day involves so much, who has time to cook, much less time to plan a menu or learn how to make the items on it? That's where this franchise steps into the picture. The program works like this. People visit the location and then choose up to all 14 items on a provided menu. Food is then purchased by serving. Then the consumers cook the meals, at the store. This can be accomplished either in public or private sessions, with cooking pros directing the preparation action. It's a little bit like a cooking show where the show gives the viewer the food then helps them prepare it along with the host. The meals are a lot less expensive than it would appear when the concept is first described. A 14 item menu costs about $3.50 per serving, with side dishes and extras like salads and potatoes purchased separately. This can bring the cost per serving for a complete meal up to around the $5 mark, but for a busy working family it's not bad. Not only are the meals provided, but the family can enjoy the cooking experience in a setting where it's ensured that they'll prepare the meals the right way. This is a franchise business. And there's been some controversy behind the franchise. It's not the food or menus or preparation, but rather the franchisees. Forbes Magazine profiled Dream Dinners in March 2008. The story didn't look good for the company. It expanded very quickly, attracting

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Mediterranean Saut? Shrimp and Fennel
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entrepreneurs with its unique concept. But it seems the business plan wasn't strong, as many of these people found themselves unable to continue the business after a short time and a lot of investment. The article detailed what was described as misrepresentations of the profit possible, and thus the overall valuation of franchises. Business controversy aside, Dream Dinners is a wonderful concept that allows busy people living the 21st century fast-paced life a way to return to some of the home spun food value of the past decades.