Meal Assembly Watch

Archive for the ‘Commentary’ Category

This should scare the socks off you!

What’s really in your food? – Learn the truth about these four fast-food favorites

The “meat” also contains something called “autolyzed yeast extract.” Then add another 20 ingredients that make up the breading, and you have the industrial chemical—we mean, fast-food meal—called the McNugget. Still, McDonald’s is practically all-natural compared to Wendy’s Chicken Nuggets, with 30 ingredients, and Burger King Chicken Fries, with a whopping 35 ingredients.

Behold the McDeath Nugget!

February was a fast month wasn’t it? Not too much happening in the world of meal assembly, but I have seen quite a few articles about dream Dinners and their recipe contest winners. One the one hand that seems like a neat idea, but on the other, considering the bad shape Dream Dinners is in, it seems like a cheap way to get new recipe ideas. It’s old news that DD doesn’t really have a recipe development department any more, but there’s something about this that I always find irksome.

Another topic I have seen come up is Independent stores that are starting to gain a small amount of ground with customers since the big chain stores have fallen off. Have other Independent stores found a few more customers now that Dream Dinners and Super Suppers have left your area? I still can’t say there’s money to be made anymore, but it might give the opportunity to shut down things on your own terms. Hopefully no one is actually considering starting one of these businesses up now that the competition has abated. That would just be silly.

And where is Super Suppers these days? From the dwindling numbers and complete lack of news from HQ I can only assume those in charge have abandoned ship and have left the store owners to fend for themselves? Are there any Super Suppers own out there who want to fill us in on how you’re making it month to month? Are you still getting new recipes? Is there still a corporate office? Normally no news is good news, but this kind of silence is getting a little scary.

Let’s not forget about EATS, the other sale systems used by several (now defunct) Independent meal assembly stores and even one large franchise. Considering they had a large franchise contract they should be doing quite well these days, right?

Looks like EATS may be a victim of the same ills as What’s Cooking. Several of their clients are no longer in business and their site hasn’t been updated with any new clients since July 2008. It’s rather ironic that their last posts references their work with Super Suppers and getting those 140 stores moved over to the EATS system. Funny, at least 100 of those stores no longer exist.

Doesn’t look like too much is being powered by EATS these days.

Clients

Blog

You remember What’s Cooking Software, right? They hit the scene with software to help the independent meal prep owner compete in the hot and exciting world of the meal assembly industry. They were even behind an ill fated and never quite able to get off the ground coalition idea to help independent owners work together and succeed. I guess they couldn’t work together to make their site succeed.

So where are they now?

Not only are they misleading people by listing the same company more than once (makes you look bigger than you are I guess), if you click their clients, half of them are no longer in business. (At the very least they link to dead sites). A fine example of what their software can do for you.

http://www.whatscookingsoftware.com/clients.html

And let’s not forget Jim had this to say about the meal prep industry:

"The hot concept of "meal assembly" may be over, but innovations for the next market phase are well under way.   The trick is to be capitalized enough or "fending off your debtors" long enough to make it there when the pendulum swings.   And, it will swing." – June 16, 2008

Indeed, Jim, swing like the gallows. And Jim promptly closed his own meal prep store shortly after making this bold assumption.

http://www.mealassemblywatch.com/Forum/index.php?topic=274.0

It doesn’t look like the What’s Cooking Software site has been updated with new clients since June, 2008, right after Jim predicted the pendulum to swing. Go figure.

The first month of the year has come and gone, so how did things work out for you? Did the Dream Dinners blog bring in lots of new customers for you? Did Stephanie’s riveting blog give you inspirational ideas to pass along to your customers? Did Judie’s TV show make you feel better about buying into her franchise? I’m sure it did!

And how did the rest of the country fair? Sales are up, right? Well, no. More stores are now opening, right? Well, leeches are suckering in their friends and customers to buy into this dog and pony show.

According to some new figures it should come as no surprise that Dream Dinners and Super Suppers both had more store closings. Super Suppers is just inches away from dropping below 50 stores. Through miracle of miracle, Dream Dinners is somehow managing to stay afloat with 130 stores. Perhaps those Dream Dinners owners just can’t admit defeat. But in the long run 16 more companies failed and another 55 outlets shut down (more than likely the owners went bankrupt over it).

Personally, I think the numbers are much lower. I’d be surprised if Dream Dinners still had a 100 stores actually operating. They love to play fast and loose with their numbers and in the past they had no problem listing a store that had long since gone out of business as "temporarily closed". And considering they’ve actually removed the franchise link from their sites I would venture to say they aren’t selling any more locations. Probably haven’t sold a new franchise in quite awhile.

Super Suppers is on the outs. I think by the time the summer months roll around, Super Suppers will be nothing more than a bad memory.

And what about all those other franchises we used to hear about? Exactly.

As you might expect, 2010 is starting off with more of the same for meal assembly owners.