It's 4 p.m. Families, couples and singles everywhere are
getting hungry. Cornish game hens are a whimsical fantasy, but
there's a fast-food joint on the drive home. You do the cooking
math.
What's changing about this scenario is that more families
are looking for dinner options that are fast and healthy. Working
Americans are more constrained for time than ever. Over 70 percent
of mothers with children under age 18 were in the labor force as of
2004, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics--that's 35.4
million families. What's more, an estimated two-thirds of
American adults are overweight, according to the National
Institutes of Health, and nearly 31 percent are obese. Factor in
the growing number of obese children--approximately 9 million
children over age 6--and it's no wonder Americans are perking
up at the idea of skipping the battered, deep-fried chicken in
favor of a nice, light stir-fry.
Stepping in to fill the need are do-it-yourself meal preparation
services--places where time-constrained, health-conscious consumers
can prepare their meals in a hurry for up to a month in advance.
It's a new take on fast food--and one that's raking in the
proverbial dough for entrepreneurs nationwide.
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"For at least the past 15 years, the food
industry--supermarkets and restaurants-has been looking to deal
with the frantic consumer," notes Jonathan M. Seltzer, founder
of food industry consulting firm Corporate Resource Inc. in
Minneapolis and project manager for The Food Industry Center at the
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. "[These consumers are]
trying to have quality mealtime while dealing with work and
children's activities." Certainly, the evidence is in the
grocery aisles, where pre-cut or pre-made fruits, vegetables, side
dishes, and even meats and cheeses coexist happily with more
leisurely fare behind the deli counter and in the produce bins.
Indeed, in a 2005 customer survey conducted by do-it-yourself
meal preparation company Dinner By Design, fully 98 percent of
respondents cited time savings as their reason for using Dinner By
Design, and 81 percent credited Dinner By Design for "less
stress" in their lives. The Grayslake, Illinois,
company--founded in 2003 by Julie Duffy--offers make-and-take meal
preparation at its 24 franchise locations throughout the
Midwest.
Then, too, there's the entertainment value of do-it-yourself
meals--and not just from the perspective of easier dinner parties.
At retail locations like Dinner By Design's, consumers can hang
out with friends while they prepare meals. "It's a really
good bonding time, especially if you take your children with
you," says Jorj Morgan, director of life-style content for
working-mom internet portal BlueSuitMom.com in Pompano Beach, Florida.
"And it can mean new ways of entertainment--[as a
get-together] for a group of new mothers, for instance. The
entertainment aspect is very popular."
According to Duffy, having fresh, quality food on hand for a
day, a week or a month-meals that go from the freezer to the oven
to the table in about 30 minutes-appeals to families and singles
alike. "People are really thinking about what they're
serving and what the ingredients are," says Duffy, 37, who
expects sales of $4.7 million in 2006, a dramatic increase over
last year's $1.4 million, with approximately 60 store openings
planned for 2006. "They have the control back in their
hands."
Originally published in the March 2006 issue of Entrepreneur's StartUps
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