CURRENT ISSUE
| Cover Story |
| Columns |
| ‘Culinary Adventure’ |
| Profile | |
| By Kate Burrows | |
| Monday, 30 April 2007 | |
 Entrees Made Easy helps its customers assemble healthy, family style meals to take home and cook when needed. However, Entrees Made Easy has embraced Reagan’s idea, making it a corporate mission to create more time for friends and families to spend together and less time spent cooking in the kitchen. The Mesa, Ariz.-based franchise helps its customers assemble healthy, family style meals to take home and cook when needed. Customers spend roughly two hours building up to 12 entrees at an average price of $3.50 per serving. In-house chefs shop for ingredients and prepare everything necessary for each meal. According to Vice President of Operations Lisa Stroud, the staff also prepares spice blends, sauces from scratch and fabricates all proteins in-house. “Customers will only get the amount of each ingredient that they actually need for the meal,” Stroud says. “This is great, because not only can they try something new, but they don’t waste anything or have any products left over cluttering the cabinets.” The company changes its menu monthly, offering seasonal options along with traditional crowd-pleasers. Customers can choose up to 12 out of 15 entrees to prepare per session, Stroud notes. The Local Option The company prides itself on local sourcing and using the highest-quality ingredients possible while keeping meals at a fixed price. “We work closely with local suppliers, and try to establish relationships with them,” Stroud explains. “The way we look at it is, we should support the community that supports our locations across the country.” Franchise operators are not required to work with certain suppliers; instead, each store is encouraged to develop relationships with local vendors. “We approve suppliers to ensure quality, but we don’t mandate them,” Stroud explains. In addition, the company’s corporate chefs research extensively to incorporate a variety of flavors in its recipes. “Our chefs are always putting together new recipes from different regions around the world,” Stroud explains. “Through our menus we highlight different regions and showcase two new entrees from a different part of the world each month. It’s like a culinary adventure; you can travel anywhere in the world through food.” Each store features a full kitchen, as well, Stroud notes. In-store chefs are able to more easily adapt recipes to fit the needs of customers. “In order to stay ahead of the culinary trends and serve the freshest food possible, we knew that we needed full kitchens in every store,” Stroud says. An ‘Intense Process’ Although potential franchisees are not required to have culinary experience or training, they are required to undergo an extensive interview process, Stroud notes. “It’s a truly intense process to be awarded an Entrees Made Easy franchise,” she says. The company’s outside sales team screens potential candidates before the interested parties meet with management. “We spend a lot of time making sure potential franchisees believe in our culture,” Stroud explains. “If both the potential franchisee and our team feel that the relationship will be mutually beneficial, we move on to the next phase, which is what we call ‘discovery day.’ This is where potential franchisees come to Arizona, are presented information from our corporate staff and are able to test the food. On this day, we spend time making sure they are committed to the business and understand what it takes to open an operation like this.” The next phase of training is Entrees Made Easy University, which is a five-day program consisting of half in-store and half classroom-based training. “Here, they learn everything they need to know about how to run a successful store,” Stroud explains. “And, when the store is ready to open, we send a member of the corporate staff to their store for five more days, to help train employees.” A Bright Future Looking ahead, the company anticipates extensive growth in the future. With 15 stores open, Entrees Made Easy has more than 230 locations contracted to open nationwide in the coming years. “We will be in every state within the next few years,” she says. “We’ll continue growing as long as our franchisees are successful and customers continue to multiply.” Although the company “hasn’t been aggressive” in its advertising and marketing efforts, it has a unique approach to each store opening, Stroud says. “When we open a new location, we always do a grand opening charity event,” she explains. “We’re an organization that builds community one meal at a time. One of the core values of Entrees Made Easy is to prosper by doing what we are passionate about,” she continues. “What this means is that we feel it is our job is to help the franchisee run a successful business, while our stores assist the people in their communities with putting dinner on the table.” |
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