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!

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.

Dream Dinners®, the leading meal assembly chain with more than 115 locations in the U.S., has retained Duo PR as its agency-of-record, effective immediately. In this role, the agency will focus on supporting Dream Dinners’ major consumer marketing initiatives and new product offerings via traditional media relations and grassroots campaigns, as well as provide all corporate communications counsel.

Dream Dinners in PR News

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

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.

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.

Though 2009 was a bad year for small-business sellers, data recently released on Q4 suggests that small-business sales might be gaining momentum—especially in the restaurant space.

Selling Your Restaurant? There is Hope in 2010

Prue Leith, chairman of the School Food Trust, warned that ‘knees under the table’ dinners were dying out as parents condone all-day snacking and all-you-can-eat chip shop deals.

Death of family meals harms health

Looks like this is a desperate attempt by the owner to try and make money off some sort of franchise referral, or a sad attempt to see if anyone is stupid enough to buy a meal prep store and then unload her store on them "at a bargain price".

This is a pretty pathetic ploy. I can’t believe someone thinks this would work? Who would be moronic enough to buy into a Dream Dinners franchise, or any meal prep franchise for that matter? I can’t believe an owner would pull something like this on her customers.

Do you love Dream Dinners? Have you often thought what it would take to own your own store? Dream Dinners is looking for new franchise owners.

If you are looking for a fun, flexible, and gratifying business, Dream Dinners may be just the opportunity for you! Dream Dinners is the innovator and leader in the meal assembly business and has been for the last 8 years. There are existing stores/market areas available in North Carolina. It is a great opportunity to consider.

The investment depends on the store/location but is usually $125,000.00 – $200,000.00. You would be spending 30 – 50 hours per week on the business and a partner(s) is ideal. I do run the ****** store by myself and it is a lot of work. I am fortunate to have my original staff with me since I opened in September 2006 and they are a huge help. I love my Dream Dinners store and enjoy being there every day. The best part of my day is getting to talk to each Guest that visits the store.

I would be happy to talk with you further about the opportunities available.

But in 2005 and 2006, the concept gained a big following. Super Suppers grew steadily during those years, jumping from 40 locations to 206, according to Investopedia, an online financial reference site. Its competitor, Dinner by Design, had 55 outlets. Needless to say, when the economy started to fail, so did Super Suppers and Dinner by Design. People went back to making homemade meals … at home. Now there’s a concept.

No new Super Suppers opened in 2008, and existing owners with SBA loans began failing at a quick pace — 42 percent last year alone. Dinner by Design has also stopped selling franchises and has 23 remaining locations.

Franchises that went boom — or bust