ENTREE VOUS: Broomfield, CO Franchise "Adventure" to Close
Entrée Vous, 1140 Highway 287, Broomfield, CO will close on July 31. Our condolences go out to franchise owners Debbie and Andy Jacobs, who called their meal prep kitchen franchise "a wonderful adventure."
Source: Daily Camera
Entrée Vous, a nationwide meal preparation franchise with several Denver-metro area locations announced this week that its Broomfield kitchen will cease operations at month’s end.
"This has been a wonderful adventure for us and we’ve enjoyed helping you put dinner on your family’s table," franchise owners Debbie and Andy Jacobs stated in an e-mail notifying customers of the pending closure.
The reasons for the closing haven’t been disclosed. Speculation includes the tough economy isn’t allowing customers the luxury of a make-and-take-style restaurant….
The Entrée Vous was concept was to make cooking convenient for those short on time, and to provide an opportunity to socialize while preparing a meal.
The trend of easy meal preparation has become popular, with more than 1,400 make-and-take outlets nationwide. The restaurants generally offer dishes, either prepared in the store or available for pick-up, that serve a four- to six-member family.
Entrée Vous’ main easy meal preparation rival within Broomfield is Supper Solutions, 1480 W. Midway Blvd.
Meal prep kitchens are closing nationwide faster than they opened, yet the media reports "The trend of easy meal preparation has become popular, with more than 1,400 make-and-take outlets nationwide…"
Don’t believe what you read in the papers…
Tip of the hat: Joel Libava, The Franchise King
WHAT DO YOU THINK? YOUR COMMENTS WELCOME.
My opinion sponsored by the letter “Que pasa se huh?”… I am so ahead on this Obama thing to speak Spanish!
uh hum,
This just in (click, click, click)
Actually the “revised” number from our “friends” at the Easy Meal Association is 1176 stores open -down some 200 from just a month ago. I wouldn’t beleive that number either.
Interesting that EMPA keeps getting face-lifts on its website-ever the optomist…
A great little piece written by a consumer Elana Centor on blogher-anyone intersted in her post can go to http://www.blogher.com and search for meal assembly.
It certainly puts to rest that this is a concept on the rise, from the CONSUMERS perspective.
EASY MEAL PREP/ASSEMBLY/KITCHEN OUTSOURC/ HOME MEAL REPLACEMENT/KITCHEN STUDIO SCORE CARD:
Sociale Gourmet is down to 10 stores
CENA-down to 7
Supper Thyme USA-down to 15
Dream Dinners – down to under 200-it’s so hard to assess them because they “hide” closed stores.
Super Suppers-lots for sale, down to 130 ish.
Those numbers in some cases represent a drop of over 50% in stores still in business.
That doesn’t include those stores still opened that are not earnign enough to even pay the owners of the store a salary, but are just waiting for their “leases” to run out before they “shutter the doors Helen!”
This industry reminds me of todays banking industry-only there is no Federal Government to bail them out!
You also should check your numbers – I know they’re wrong for at least one of the franshises. Closures are grossly estimated as well. I went to Cena’s site and counted 19 left.
It’s hard to tell how many are open, the Cena location list is so crappy. Are there even addresses, or phone numbers for the locations?
There are 20 Cena to Go locations total listed in these states:
CA – 5
CO – 1
FL – 1
GA – 2
LA – 1
MA – 1
NC – 1
NJ – 2
NY – 1
OR – 1
PA – 1
VA – 1
WA – 1
Alberta – 1
Can anyone confirm that these are open? Looks like Myrtle Beach, SC, Murrysville, PA and Frederick, MD are a few of the casualties
If you look at the distribution of these franchises, you’ll see another major problem with the expansion of meal prep chains- Either they do not understand or choose to disregard the importance of clustering units and expanding out concentrically. How can anyone get name recognition or advertising efficiencies if there’s one unit per state?
They are all open. There are actually five in California. I have been doing my own research – looking into buying, and it seems like most are open, with the exception of Virginia getting ready to close.
Karen:
Are you looking into buying an existing store or opening a new one?
Were you considering used equipment (VAs)?
I’m just curious as to why you’re considering this troubled concept… especially with the burden of franchise fees and royalties… unless your were considering opening an independent.
Karen you’re right., I missed a “1” in front of the 7 for CENA. OOPS, my bad!
I’m curious as well as to why you would want to get involved in this industry if you’ve been doing research.
I will have to disagree with your opinion that the closures are over-exaggerated.
In my opinion they are under-exaggerated. Most stores don’t post on their websites they are closing, they just close-then it’s up to the individual HQ’s to take them off the active roster.
If you have done your research you will find that there are lots of stores listed as active or open that have no calendar or when you click on the menu it just returns to the home page. In my opinion that gives people like you a false sense of the health of the company.
If you have been researching this industry you should have noticed the wild swing of closures in the last 2 years-check out a website called http://www.mealassemblywatch.com for true stories of people that have found themselves in financial ruin. Some are even second generation owners of stores who bought them from the original owners. They are not faring any better than the original owners.
It certainly is your choice to buy or not to buy, but why grouse when someone gives you information that is counter to what you want to believe?
At this point for this industry in my opinion anyone who buys is just on brick shy of a full-load.
In my opinion-The economy is in the tank and food prices are going crazy, what makes anyone think getting into the food business right now is a good thing?
I warn anyone wanting to open a meal assembly business to prepare to lose their investment. Franchises will sell a pretty picture and a growing industry when in reality it is the opposite. I know too franchisees in this industry who are struggling to pay the rent, let alone overhead. No matter how little business someone has it is still alot of work, so in reality you are losing money and killing yourself in the process. In the end you will just have debt. When you lose the equity in your home you will regret believing those slick talking sales guys. If you are in the process of signing on the dotted line don’t go through with it. You will lose the franchise fee only and not your entire life savings. I said my peace. Believe it or not it’s your money.
You know, Joe, I feel bad for those who got swept up in all this in the beginning.
And I give franchisors the benefit of the doubt for selling franchises when it seemed to be risky but viable (at least to them – I never saw the appeal).
However, any franchisor selling these things now – with all the problems – is just a con artist and a thief, IMHO.
And anyone stupid enough to buy one of these losers at this point – with all the warnings and failures – probably deserves to be separated from their money.
If you think you can make this work while all these others are failing, you are either delusional or arrogant or, if you’re a MAK franchisor, both.
I think that there are a lot of stores that have failed – for various reasons, including signing up with franchisors with no real experience in the food business. And there are quite a few who are actually doing well, even in this economy. The folks that are doing well aren’t participating in the internet bashing. That’s part of the research as well.
I don’t believe everything I hear or read, especially on blogs. You have to question everything, even the”unhappy franchisee”. I don’t think the entrees- to-go idea is a bad one. Meal Assembly may have run its course, but take and bake is hear to stay – ask Papa Murphys. If it can evolve to that kind of model, I think it might be doable.
Cena particularly, because their food doesn’t appear to be glorified casseroles. I think that sessions are a thing of the past, which is why you don’t see many sessions available.
Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater – if you know what I mean. Just cuz the original idea didn’t work doesn’t mean it couldn’t be adjusted a little. Companies morph to to stay afloat and to stay current. Very few successful businesses are still in their first incarnation – why do MAK’s have to stay the same? So it was a rocky idea? It was a fad – it doesn’t mean there’s no hope. I’m glad you guys aren’t in charge.
Businesses are closing right and left in this economy – not just MAK’s. Except Costco. I fear Costco will be around forever.
Businesses are closing right and left in this economy – not just MAK’s. Except Costco. I fear Costco will be around forever.
Yeah, Costco is really evil… Providing great quality merchandise at low prices with a no-frill approach. Darn them for being successful.
Why couldn’t they have invited people to make their own stuff, like meal preps! Why didn’t they say: Come in to our auto center… we’ll provide the tools and you can have a glass of wine and work on your own car!
You want convenience? Come in to the Costco Bakery and you can bake your own cookies! Mix your own cake batter, then bring it home and freeze it for later!
Come in on Saturday, dink some wine with strangers and you can burn your own DVDs! Bind your own paperback books to read for later! We’ll even let you mix your own shampoo! Fill your own prescriptions!
Oh, and instead of concrete floors and metal racks, they should have put in wood floors and Corian countertops!
Wouldn’t it have been great it the Meal Prep franchisors had designed Costco and sold them as franchises? Then we wouldn’t have to be grudging them their success.
Darn that Costco!
I agree with Admin, Karen you have said nothing that hasn’t been said before, usually by a FrannieZor who is poised with a pen ready to separate you from your cash. You can spend your hard earned money however you see fit.
I say- Go for it!
We’ll see you in 2.5 years here or on some other nefarious blog, griping about how the Meal Prep industry done you wrong!
The people who post on these places do it not to give positive thinkers & optimist like you a bad day, they do it so that no one has to “learn” the hard way that they did. Take it in the spirit in which it’s written. Think about losing your future on a gamble, then bash away at people who care enough to talk about the hardship they have experienced from the Meal Prep and other ill-conceived ideas.
Vive la Costco!
CB
So many things to say, so few ears who will listen.
Yeah – great quality merchandise? Have you looked at the ingredients on their ready-made meals. I don’t call that quality… I call it a chemical nightmare.
Yeah – great quality merchandise? Have you looked at the ingredients on their ready-made meals. I don’t call that quality… I call it a chemical nightmare.
I call it a successful business. You can tell by the lines of people who wait outside before the doors open, not to mention the lines of people willing to wait and check out, help put their stuff in used boxes, and line up again just to get out.
Lines… those are the things you don’t see outside meal prep kitchens.
I’m sure you are right about the chemical nightmare, etc. But the fact is that Meal Prep franchisors took on a massive job that required a massive education campaign and they didn’t have a freaking clue or any semblance of a plan for how they would accomplish it. From what I can see they were a bunch of Martha Stewart wannabes with the kind of arrogance that comes from having no real world experience whatsoever.
You thought all you had to do was build it and they will come… These franchisors had never so much as opened and operated a profitable lemonade stand yet they eagerly accepted people’s life savings and retirements for their mirage of a business.
For the love of god, you people couldn’t even decide on a name for your business concept, much less communicate to the public what the hell it is you do. I think it is unconscionable and truly wish there was some way franchisors could be sued for malpractice.
I visited a Super Suppers in Ardmore, PA on the main line of Philadelphia. This poor guy got sold the most expensive piece of real estate in an overpriced area. The genius then blocked off the front of his storefront and made the rear of the building – which looks out onto an parking lot – the front of his business. The valuable retail frontage and drive-by traffic looks like it’s closed. There are handwritten posters in the front window.
A legitimate franchisor would have never let him get into an overpriced spot like that, would have never allowed him to destroy the presentation and image that way, and would have given him guidance to have prevented the slow, costly agonizing death his business is suffering.
The real problem is that they still don’t get it… they still think they’ve done nothing wrong… and they’d still sell a franchise to anyone stupid enough to fall for this loser concept.
Karen, having superior product does not guarantee success. The business graveyard is chock full of superior products.
I totally agree ADMIN: Good quality merchandise does not guarantee anything anymore – not in this country. Cheaper, faster, louder, etc., is where its at in America. Kinda what the original meal assembly kitchen concept was trying to combat. Hmmmm.
I don’t think it was arrogance. Most people don’t wake up in the morning and say to themselves “lets see – how can I screw up people’s lives today”. Yes, most of the originals got in over their heads. My point is that for all those MAK’s out there that are still open and struggling in this economy, there might be something to salvage. The convenience of a home-cooked meal, ready-to-cook, sit down with the family, that isn’t full of preservatives, etc. Get rid of the sessions and call it good – that’s where they’re all headed. Why is it so terrible for it to morph into something slightly different. People are so angry on these boards about this – and its the same ten people over and over and again while business owners sit in their stores and try to duck and cover. Because a couple of franchisors screwed up, doesn’t mean the whole industry needs to go down – it needs to adjust.
There is great advantage at looking at what went wrong and I guess who’s to blame. But there are people in business, trying to make it and having to put up with all this negative press who are offering a good product and making people’s lives easier.
Karen wrote: I don’t think it was arrogance.
It was arrogance all right, and it still is. It was – and is – a bunch of glorified housewives who have no clue about business or marketing thinking that radically changing consumer behavior is easy, and that they could do it just because they imagine it in their heads… just because they could convince other newbies with no experience to bet the farm on it.
Their initial arrogance started this mess, but their ongoing arrogance has exacerbated and compounded it. They still don’t know what they don’t know. They won’t acknowledge that their entire premise was flawed, and think that they can tweak their way to success when nothing short of reinvention with guidance from real experts is needed. Their arrogance keeps that from happening.
Karen, you are clearly a franchisor or franchisor apologist – in which case I commend you for joining the discussion. However, your last comment shows the flawed thinking that is keeping FRs from making the situation any better.
Good quality merchandise does not guarantee anything anymore – not in this country. Cheaper, faster, louder, etc….
It never did. You misread consumer behavior, skipped marketing research, didn’t study business history and now you blame society for not paying to make their own frozen dinners? This is where the non-delusional say: “We screwed up big time.” They don’t blame society for not appreciating them..
Yes, most of the originals got in over their heads.
Got in over their heads? They sold a concept that doesn’t work. People ain’t buying it. They led the lemmings to the cliff and pushed’m off. Nice try, though.
The convenience of a home-cooked meal, ready-to-cook, sit down with the family, that isn’t full of preservatives, etc….
Sounds great. They’ll go to CostCo, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s for what you described. Pick it up at Market Day. Have it delivered by Schwans. Or go to the Supermarket, since they go there already.
What doesn’t sound great is the the INCONVENIENCE of getting together with strangers to make their own meal to freeze for later. If you wanted to sell prepared foods, you shoulda opened a grocery store.
Why is it so terrible for it to morph into something slightly different?
Because a slightly different bad idea is still a bad idea. Albert Einstein defined “Insanity” as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” He also said “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”
Smart fella, that Einstein.
Karen: despite the fact that some ranters are angry, venting, etc. some, like Kelly, are making serious points that the FRs keep dismissing, but the public keeps reinforcing. First, MAKs are not cheaper, they are not convenient and they don’t have a consistently high quality or differentiation across the board. I would add that another flaw is that you don’t want to teach people in a way that they can do it themselves next time. Yet you are defending the same old line that MAKs started with: convenience, economy, etc.
It’s not working. Until you break down the old system, you can’t “morph” into something that makes sense because you keep spoonfeeding yourself the same pablum and telling yourself its lobster.
Karen your point is well taken about folks developing and franchising this failed concept with no food experience- with that in mind, let me quote from an article from the SpokemansReview.com; that I found on Cena’s own website-
Titled “Ingredients for Success” about Cena To Go- FOUNDERS-Nancy Cole-Hough & Tami Badinger- “The women, (Cole-Hough & Badinger) who two years ago were FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS at Joel E. Ferris High School in Spokane.”
Jared Paben, September, 13th, 2006.
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/tools/story_pf.asp?ID=149276
They weren’t even Home Ec teachers for cryin out loud!!
“Badinger and Cole Hough decided to start franchising their small business 11 MONTHS AFTER OPENING IT” – (my emphasis)
“We decided to bust a move EARLY (my emphasis) because if we didn’t, our franchisees wouldn’t be on the ground floor of this burgeoning business,” Cole Hough said. (HMMMM….sounds a little opportunistic in my opinion)
Those quotes PRETTY much sum up everything that is WRONG with what you have to say.
With no culinary experience to speak of with a grand total of 11 months of business experience under their belts-CENA founders started selling franchises 11 MONTHS after opening ONE store in Spokane, Washington, in my opinion, certainly NOT a representative sampling of Any Town USA where these Meal Prep/Assembly Kitchens, Kitchen Outsourcing, Home Meal Replacement have opened and where most have FAILED, even in the “perfect” demographic profiles.
Did Cena’s founders know it would be successful anywhere else?
Did they consider taking their show on the road to see if the concept was viable any where else before they started “selling” franchises for their little experimental concept?
Was their concept fully vetted or did they just see dollar signs?
My question is echoed by former FrannieZees-How can you sell an unproven concept to unsuspecting consumers after 11 months of business? All valid questions in my opinion.
Wronged FrannieZees can say what they will about Stone Cold Creamery (that is not a typo) now, but the original FrannieZors of that concept had their original store opened 19 YEARS before they started franchising…that didn’t turn out so good either.
A very reliable source told me that Super Supper’s just closed 10 stores last month….
One super Suppers store in a town in Ohio closed after being opened only 6 months.
The Supper Supers Ardmore store that Admin relates is frightening and again burns my biscuits to a veritable southern fried crisp…where is the professional FrannieZor guidance franchisees PAY for when they buy one of these “opportunities’? Where is the support?
I’m VERY familiar with that area, having worked there for several years- it’s pretty much recession proof. (due to the outrageous amounts of Pharmaceutical companies who have huge campuses dotting the area from Bucks County to Montgomery to West Chester County, the area SEEMS to have the absolute PERFECT demographics for this type of venture, according to Meal Prep industry “experts”) – a recession proof area from my research seems to be one of the important pre-requisite for even limited success of this type of business.
In my opinion “Limited” because the owners of the stores in appropriate demographic areas may never see a ROI-but MAY be able to eek out some type of “living income” from it-like working for food for example. In my opinion it’s damn bloody unlikely, but hope springs eternal for some in this business.
( a side note-two of these types of stores one called “The Food Experience-who was the FIRST in the area to open one of these businesses has closed after 5 YEARS of business, and the most recent to close was a Supper Thyme USA in Trappe, PA- that was opened LESS THAN 2 years).
I agree with Admin Karen, thanks for joining in on the conversation, but I have just debunked your assertion that CENA is the “go-to” company with the answers..
It doesn’t have anything new to add to the mix, nothing new to bring to an already passe party, just the same ol’ tired same ol’.
So, how does a Meal Prep Industry apologist explain the MASS failure of the Meal Prep/Assembly kitchen franchises that DO have a Culinary expert at the helm, Entrée Vous & Super Suppers spring to mind-neither one is doing all that well either. So that argument is shot all to hell too, right? Even Franchise Great veteran Ex-Gov. John Brown shuttered the doors of his version of the concept after 6 months and 2 or 3 stores under the name “Suzanne’s Kitchen” (as in Suzanne Sommers). He claimed the concept was too labor intensive for consumers and was going to let experienced experts revamp it to be more customer friendly and re-open. That was nearly 2 years ago, I’m guessin’ he was smart enough to see the writing on the wall and got the hell out of Dodge with minimal financial loss- unfortunately the same probably can’t be said for the Franchisees in that organization either. At this point my opinion is that unless you actually eat the food for them it’s not going to get any more customer friendly.
Karen said: “…The convenience of a home-cooked meal, ready-to-cook, sit down with the family, that isn’t full of preservatives, etc….”
The food quality issue is funny because as stated somewhere else on this board, you all get your inventory from the same manufacturers, most from the same distributors.
There is no magic Meal Prep faerie that delivers minimally processed, preservative free ingredients to Meal Prep stores. Don’t get me wrong there MIGHT be some stores that provide that type of finished product, but it comes with a premium price tag, and is therefore no longer cost effective for the consumer.
Folks will actually have a better chance getting better quality, less expensive minimal preservativized ready-made, frozen or M&T meals from Whole Foods, Wild Oats, Tesco, Trader Joes, or even Costco who has take & bake organic fare now, and yes, even from the grocery store; than from ANY Meal Prep/Assembly, Kitchen Outsourcing, Cooking Studio, Home Meal Replacement store. It’s just simple economics and scale of buying power.
Besides, most “meals” from a Meal Prep store have to be prepped at home, thawed before cooking, or at least have some minimal planning that goes into the consumption/usage of the meals.
That is generally beyond the preference/normal practice of most busy family food preparers.
Karen said: “…there might be something to salvage. Get rid of the sessions and call it good – that’s where they’re all headed. Why is it so terrible for it to morph into something slightly different?”
Sorry to be Captain Obvious here, but that is indeed called a grocery store or a restaurant, not a “meal prep/assembly store”
So then my question for you is this: There “might-be” something to salvage- and you’re willing to risk a lot of money on “might be?” I certainly wouldn’t be.
“Why is it so terrible to morph into something SLIGHTY different”-how about not even in the friggin ball park?
When a caterpillar “morphs” into a butterfly it becomes a totally different species. Unfortunately in my opinion, the Meal Prep caterpillar will NEVER fly, no matter how many attempts at “morphing” go on.
Super Suppers has already become “your make & take place”, Make and on the Take Gourmet has muffed it and puts out these outrageous PR articles, MGFK’s original FrannieZOR has taken the money and ran by selling to another player in this troubled industry for pennies on the dollar to the detriment of former MGFK store owners, Dinners By Design second CEO thinks that a centralized community freezer for stock-piled meals for customers to pick-up or kiosks at Malls for pick meals is the way to go. I think all the players in this game have weighed in and pretty much have this half-baked “morphing” idea covered. And in opinion-all stupid morphisms my. All the while happily “skipping” their franchisees into financial oblivion.
My spidey senses are tingling and I have a sneaking suspicion that nobody in the game has a clue.
.
Then there are those poor schlubs who bought one of these dogs under the original incarnation, what about them? Now these poor (literally) people are being told, there’s nothing “wrong” with the concept, we’re just “morphing and evolving”
So just for the sake of argument- if there was nothing wrong with the concept why does it need to morph or evolve????? Talk about the dumbest rationalization qualifier I’ve ever heard.
Some have even gone so far as to blame the franchisees for getting into this business to make money. Inconceivable! Make money running a business, why, how outrageous!!
This stuff is so good you can’t make it up!
Again Karen good luck with whatever it is you do; whether it’s damage control for some lucky frannniezor, a crack PR person, a MAK apologist, propagandist for the industry or if you are indeed a person who is looking to buy one of these things and “morph-it” into a whatever you positive thinker types are calling it now, good luck and God’s speed, you are going to need that and PLENTY of cash in reserve for the lean years.
Thanks for playin’, but where I come from there’s an old sayin’-
“You can’t fix stupid.”
CB
No Admin – I’m not a franchisor. I actually have a brain and think for myself – so you don’t have to commend me for joining a discussion that really doesn’t exist.
What exactly is a franchise sympathizer??
I’m a gal, plain and simple. And I find it humorous that if I have a different opinion on this matter, that I must be a mole.
Quality did used to mean something – you must be under the age of thirty.
They ARE cheaper, maybe not quite more convenient, unless your MAK fixes all the trimmings, which some do.
I agree that some folks having this “discussion” have many points – I don’t deny them. You seem to be missing my point. You make assumptions and assume its the whole industry. Everyone is arrogant. Everyone’s out to make a buck at the expense of everyone else.
When did take-and-bake become “a slightly different bad idea”. Its kickin’ in my town. Whole Food and Trader Joes don’t exist everywhere, actually there is only one TJs in my area and the closest WF is an hour away.
As for Einstein … Your no Einstein. You make to many assumptions.
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Quality did used to mean something – you must be under the age of thirty.
You missed my point. If society doesn’t give a rat’s behind about what you define as “quality” and you go out and create a business based on “quality” and not no one comes… who’s fault is that?
Liver & onions has great nutritional value. Much healthier than McDonald’s. If I open a liver and onions drive thru across from a McDonald’s and then complain that society doesn’t value what I’m selling, who’s the joke on? You’re blaming the public for not wanting what you’re selling. Why start a business selling a product people don’t want? The customers are stupid for not buying… not the person who sunk $200K on a bad guess.
Here’s the problem with MAKs: not enough people want what you’re selling. Period. Either it’s a loser product, or the MAK frs failed in education and marketing.
Either way, they didn’t know what they were (or are) doing, yet are willing to sell people on investing their savings, home equity and more on their boondoggle.
To come back and pretend that “take-and-bake” is some new innovation is hilarious indeed.
If you wanted to be in the take-and-bake business, why didn’t you start a grocery store? Or a restaurant? At least Olive Garden and Chili’s to Go sell food made by professional cooks, not people who need to have a cookbook read to them.
Just my opinion Karen you’ re certainly welcome to enter the crazy upside down world of MA. Play a little game of Truth or Dare with your cash. That’s the wonderful thing about capitolism, even stupid people can play!
This is not an issue of quality, unless maybe you’re talking about quality of life for you, that’s not so good either. This is a matter of does the consumer WANT what you are offering, the answer is no. I’m sorry if you can’t /don’t want to accept that.
Admin is correct you can’t sell an MApathetic public on an ill-concieved, poorly executed concept that has proven in the larger market-place to be a failure.
No amount of education is going to make this industry a “winner.”
Smarter people than you have failed at attempting to make this business work for them. Much smarter people than you have looked at this failed concept and gave it two thumbs down.
Let me be VERY clear, in my opinion-if you want a business that will actually MAKE money FOR YOU, this is not it. This is only a money maker for the FrannieZors who collect your royalties every month rain or shine, red ink or black ink, when you have decide do you pay your rent, your supplier ? Your FrannieZor still gets their cut from the very top. It’s a contractual thing. For you it would be a money pit.
This is indeed the business for you , If you’re looking for a mission field, there’s no money in it & lots of hard work but a “reward” in knowing you’re helping families or if you have capitol that you want a tax write-off for, OR you’re a wealthy Mom looking for an expensive hobby, or you’re just arrogant and think you know better than the evidence that is all around you that this industry is a dog.
Here’s what I suggest though, I suggest that you take your $35,000 or whatever amount would be your franchise fee and walk into your bathroom and flush it down the toilet ORif you want to have some fun go to Atlantic City or Vegas and have an actual good time with that cash and have better odds at getting a return on your investment.
I say stick a fork in it it’s done!
CB
I guess I’m done. You seem to be missing MY point that you are lumping everyone together in an industry with many different models, quality, and people of intelligence. Chilis to Go food is out of a prescribed pre-formed PACKAGE and NOT put together by actual cooks.
You don’t know what you’re talking about. Don’t spout just to win an argument.
Quality doesn’t have anything to do with liver and onions. Your analogies suck.
I DO have experience in the field, I OWNED one a MAK and no matter HOW much experience you have, it isn’t gonna work.
And you Karen are no Einstein either-Jeez what a doofus-people are trying to HELP you, talk about saying nonsense to win an argument.
You know what, you need to buy a Cena and lose your ass, I think that what the MAK industry NEEDS is one more jackass to line the Zors pockets. You’ll fit right in.
Have at it and show us all how good you are and how smart you think you are.
Hold the Phone Henrietta….
Karen said:”Chilis to Go food is out of a prescribed pre-formed PACKAGE and NOT put together by actual cooks.”- What the hell is that supposed to mean?
Many different models-NONE of which work…
people of intelligence-that’s up for debate as well especially in light of some of your inane comments..
CB
Just a guess but did you live in a commune in the 60’s?
I’m sure that CostCo and Chili’s are panicing right now because a Meal Assembly Kitchen expert disapproves of how they run their business.
In the business graveyard, the epitaph for the MAK concept will read:
“You Guys STILL Don’t get it!!!”
Speaking of Costco, have you ever had their Macadamia Nut cookies? Those things are banging. I’m also a big fan of the chemical-laden Chicken Bakes they serve there at their snack bar. They’re less than $2 and we split one in order to save room for dessert.
I actually like the view from the “cafe”: the check out lines, a rack of tires, the aluminum siding/home improvement display and the service desk. I take the missus there for a romantic dinner every Friday night (Bring your own wine and candle).
Here’s the secret to enjoying this economical evening out: Just pretend you’re in a trendy new Costco-themed restaurant. (It helps to frequently say: “Man! They have got this decor down TO A TEE!”)
I forgot to mention the only disappointing thing about the CostCo Cafe:
They don’t let you assemble your own food and freeze it for later. They actually assemble it before you get there, then cook it and serve it ready to eat. What a stupid model – I doubt that will catch on.
I’d much rather sit around with some alcoholic soccer Moms who need to down a bottle of Pinot Grigio and pretend they cook for their families.
Sorry… that’s harsh.
And who’s Henrietta?
LMAO you are such a guy!
Of course the hubby and I were just there over the week-end for their lovely luncheon buffet-My treat!
Macadamia Nut Cookies are indeed killer-still have the GREAT transfats-love that stuff!
This southern Belle MUST have her crisco., lard and butta! I will tell you that the food Nazi’s are killing my love of snacky cracky’s food-have you had a twinkie or tasty cake lately-GOOD GRIEF-let me die a happy death with plaque in my arteries for heavens sake-I want my Transfats back-the battle cry of the Middle aged will no longer be “Give me my MTV!” it will be “GIVE ME MY TRANS FATS!”
CB