Meal Assembly Watch

Al Tomkins in his article: “Meal-Assembly Business Booming” has a few interesting comments about the meal assembly business and several links to some older articles. But one thing I found funny was:

Nearly 300 companies — all with quirky monikers playing off the words “dinner,” “supper” or “thyme”

But besides agreeing with me on some rather unusual names, the articles give a few interesting impressive and this little nugget. I find this stat very disturbing:

Nationwide, meal-assembly stores are expected to open at a rate of more than one per day, and revenue is expected to more than double to $270 million this year, according to the trade group. The industry is expected to pull in $1.1 billion by 2010.

How can the meal assembly business possibly manage to sustain itself with that level of growth? One new store a month was showing the potential for disaster, how will this industry survive with this nonsensical rate of growth?

But despite all that, one thing keeps being lost with the pre-assembled, call ahead, grab and go mentality: Customers get “two guilt-free hours out with girlfriends, yet it’s very productive for your family.

Wasn’t this the goal for this industry all along? A way for people to make meals for themselves, enjoy a social atmosphere and enjoy time away from the kids?

http://www1.poynter.org/dg.lts/id.2/aid.104135/column.htm

Other Articles of Interest:

• Tupperware of the 21st century?
• More fantastically unbelievable stats
• At least someone is making money in this business.
• Meal assembly store survives
• Store Closings and Meal Prep Failures
• Let there be blogs!
• A special note to meal assembly customers that might happen upon our site.
• Entrée Vous Is Leader In Easy Meal Preparation World
• Where did all the meal assembly news go?
• The Downward Spiral

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