Dream Dinners Responds!

Longtime readers will remember my Dream Dinners saga. Well, lately, I've noticed quite a bit of traffic coming to the site and reading those pages, and I became a bit curious. Turns out, some Dream Dinners franchise owners and/or employees have been reading through my account and getting upset. One of these women emailed me, and has given me permission to reprint her email in its entirety, provided I keep her anonymous:

I just have to say a few things in response to your comments on Dream
Dinners:

First of all, contrary to what you said, Dream Dinners has a contract
nationwide with Sysco, so the product you get at one DD will be the same you
get at another.  All of our ingredients are specified.  And no, we don't use
"Sysco" brand salsa... we use Casa Solana.

Perhaps had you left the dumplings in a little longer they would not have
been so doughy.  "Note the raw, oozing biscuit dough (I cooked the time
suggested)"..... that's just it, SUGGESTED.  Every oven is different. 
Enough said.

However I do find it ironic that you had time to photograph and document
every dinner that you ate, but then complained that it took you an hour and
a half to prepare one of the meals.

Dream Dinners has an executive chef that develops recipes and specifically
tests them through the freezing process.  Not everyone has the same tastes
and we never expected or said that Dream Dinners is for everyone.  It's
impossible to please everyone.  Dream Dinners mission is simple: to get
families back around the dinner table.  And we do just that.

I realize that Dream Dinners is not for everyone. I also realize that my tastes are different than others, and that I have particularly high expectations when it comes to my meals. However, I do really love the concept of Dream Dinners. It's nice to learn how to prepare things in advance, and I loved the night out with my friends. I just was hoping for better quality ingredients (real cream vs. cream soup and fresh herbs vs. dried), and so I was disappointed. I also was surprised at the amount of time it took to heat everything up. Taking time out of my meal to photograph something is a bit different than entertaining two kids while they are waiting for their meal to appear on the table. As any mom could tell you, once the dinner is served, there is definitely some free time available for photography. Regarding the documentation, that got done after the kids were asleep.

If any other Dream Dinners employee or owner wants to weigh in, please do. I'm happy to give you online real estate to defend your company. And as I emailed to the above woman, I just post my opinion - I don't make any claims that it's more than that.

Comments

[greensunflower]

I have no idea where you live, but if you live in the SF Bay there is a place in Danville called "Now We're Cookin" and they use a combo of fresh and dried herbs. Most of the meals take 30min to cook and the food is fresh-frozen when you start cooking. They change their menu every month and always have good creative dishes.

The one possible downside is you go there and cook it yourself. Which basically consists of pouring things into various zip lock baggies. You can get them predone, but I think it is more expensive.

Also they have a program where you can get meals for 2-3 or 4-6.

[Lauren]

Fascinating. I remember being surprised that you had to cook the dinners as long as you did, since the whole point was to have dinner on the table quickly for the whole family to eat it.

[CityMama]

A contract with Sysco? That explains it. I love the idea of franchises like Dream Dinners as well, but I am completely turned off by all the processed and frozen foods they use. And I just dont use dried herbs. Ever.

I wish there was a place that took the "Everyday Foods" mag "Shop once, cook 3-4 meals" concept and turned it into a franchise. I know it would cost more to use fresh ingredients, but I definitely think that there are busy parents that would pay more to feed their families better.

Dream Dinners = yucky.

[Jen]

Sysco actually supplies food to most high end restaurants. They are the biggest and the best in the industry.

[melissaS]

There's a place near me that does do the Everyday Dinners thing very well. It's not a franchise though.

I was there one afternoon and the owner was putting together a meal with fresh ingredients right there as I watched, testing out a recipe her mother gave her to see if it would work for freezing and cooking later.

It's hard to make a franchise work well in this realm I think.

[kyooty]

I for one was glad to hear your opinion and experience. I trust from you that dream dinners suck!

[Jill]

I went to "Super Suppers" here in Atlanta with the same results. The food wasn't very good and took much longer to prepare at home than I'd expected. I could have made the same dish with fresher ingredients for only a bit more time.

Healthy, Quick and Cheap: Pick Two (at most)

[Sciteach]

Two types of people go to Dream Dinners:

1) The people who have no clue how to cook, and must measure everything, including the amount of sugar to put in their morning coffee. These are the most annoying people, because they go to DD as a last resort to redeem themselves. When the food doesn't turn out "perfect", they are offended. Heaven forbid they appreciate the amount of time and money they are saving...but wait...they wouldn't know because they live via drive thru or microwave.

AND

2) DD-goers who KNOW how to cook...and WELL, but have a hectic lifestyle with young children and a husband who doesn't know how to make toast. When you go to DD, you should have some knowledge of cooking, seasoning techniques, measuring, etc., so that you can add/delete items according to how you would cook at home. Figure it out people, or be quiet. Those of you non-cooking folk who think DD is so bad...try sneaking a peak in the kitchen of your favorite take-out joint! At least with DD, you KNOW what you are putting in your food. :)

Oh, and by the way, the only difference between a fresh herb and a dried herb is the WATER. I guess those of you who complain about this have never eaten a raisin or a prune...same thing, different texture. Again, not known by morons who don't cook. And who the heck takes pictures of their food??? Sounds to me like you need a really big glass of wine and a vacation in the Bahamas. Peace.

[Cheri Campbell]

DD is not the only one out there that is less than fab - here's my Dinner by Design experience at the Kenosha WI location - note that they sent me a gift card for the ordeal - it was for $20.00, after I had spent $200.00 - I will not return! This is my actual email to the company:

I had anticipated a wonderful, fun filled evening with my sister-in-law – what we experienced was quite the opposite….

This was our first experience w/your company and will probably be my last.

Upon entering we was greeted by a very nice woman. She asked us for our names and had the print outs with our information. We had stated this was our 1st time there and we were looking forward to having a good time.

We were “checked” in & from that point on, very little went well. We asked how things worked and the explanation was “you go over there, get some containers and put the meals together.” - nothing more. Starting with our 1st entrée, we asked how we could ½ our meals (as that is what we indicated when signing up over the internet) – explanaition received: “use the smaller containiers” – not much help there – yet we proceeded.

Now the break down:

A container labeled “lime juice” had milk in it

Recipes were “above” ingredients – yet some were scattered throughout a station

Container labeled “Italian dressing mix” contained the same as the container “course Italian seasoning”

There was no butter for a recipe, yet next to the reipe card, was a container that appeared to be whipped butter and was used when creating Shrimp Diablo

Mozzarella was the cheese out in the place Swiss should have been – thus, FORCING me to remake an entire recipe for Salmon/Asparagus tart

No meat was out for calzones

Nothing was labeled (except seasonings – which was incorrect any way)

Milk and egg products were simply placed out on the counter and were not refrigerated – I asked for fresh and was given a “sigh” as though it were inconvenient for the people there to honor the request

The “Good Seasonings Mix” was no where on the premises and I was told that I “should just use what’s out there….here’s some Italian dressing”

I inquired about the ingredients/spices already on the chicken for the fajitas and was told – “it’s seasonings and stuff” I asked for and ingredient list and the owner stated none was available

When I inquired to the owner about the Swiss and stated that due to the mistake, I would have to remake something, her statement was “If you knew how to cook, you’d know the difference between cheeses”; I also mentioned that we discovered the container next to the shrimp recipe was really cream cheese and her reply was "well, you should be asking more questions!"

After this point, I was so floored by her comments that I asked if I could get a discount and/or just pay for the things I had already made – sighting that her comment was not professional for a business owner – she stated “I never said that – well, you just took it the wrong way”

I am requesting a full refund for the $199.00 paid.

Additionally, word of mouth is powerful…for the friends and fellow "foodies" I expected to share a positive experience with, will now be a negative one.

I look forward to your prompt reply, my refund and simply placing this horrible experience behind me.

[Sharna]

Wow! We just tried DD last month and have liked most meals... Each person in our fam of 4 has a favorite and one we didn't like so well. Tonight we had peanut crusted fish filets with Jasmine rice, it was SUPER yummy! For us, the beauty of DD is trying out menus we would not normally try, and to not have to think about what's for dinner. We are home for lunch and dinner at our house so we use the 3 serving meals for lunch while the kids are at shool. The fridge sheet that came with our DD meals states clearly what the cooking times are so there are no surprises. Our DD also has "Taste of the Month" nights so you can try it all before you buy... As to the dry herbs.... DD are for the masses and the masses don't cook with fresh herbs on a regular basis. If you are reading these scathing DD reviews and were thinking of tryinng DD, I'd say go check it out for yourself... I resisted for 3 years and now wish I'd done it a lot sooner. My kids don't like all the meals-a little too "pretty food" (as my husband likes to call it) for them but I like that it is making them spread their taste bud wings and try new things.... GO Dream Dinners! I've been twice and am eagerly anticipating my next session....

[Jill]

As for the food snobs out there I want you to know that I am a total food snob (nicer than most of you) but also a working mom of two. I love to cook - yes, gourmet, even - am well educated, have traveled the world and believe it or not, now own a Dream Dinners franchise. As those of you more realistic types know, my herb garden on my deck and my corn and veggies in my garden just don't get used like they should because of my crazy schedule. Believe me, I love fresh herbs but as Sharna so accurately stated, the masses don't use fresh herbs and that's so true. Dream Dinners was a blessing to me so I could still serve a semi homemade meal that is generally great (not all meals are for everyone), instead of hot dogs and mac and cheese every night. Cooking a meal that I enjoy cooking meant I wasn't getting dinner on the table until way past the kids bedtime and I would suggest you take a look at the prep times on the DD meals before choosing, most months at least 10 of the fourteen meals can be cooked in 30 minutes or less. I won't ever stop being a food snob and someday I'll actually have some time to use my fresh herbs and prepare some gourmet meals but for now I choose to spend my meal planning, shopping, and cooking time with my kids instead. Gourmet food will always be available but my kids will only be young once and I for one have made the choice not to miss it. Cheers.

[Malawry]

I have a friend who is in the process of opening a DD franchise, and I was googling around for info and found all this. Funny when you find a blog from somebody who you know from elsewhere on the intertubes. Hi.

I just HAD to mention based on that nastygram you got that Sysco has their own line of Tex-Mex products, called...Casa Solana! (They also make Arrezzio products, which is their Italian-American line, and a few other "house brands" besides.) I triple dog dare any DD employee to find a Casa Solana product that did NOT come from Sysco. If they do, I'll eat my words.

(And I KNOW, because when I was a sorority chef I ordered nearly everything I served my girls from Sysco. I am actually a fan of many Sysco products, including...Casa Solana salsas and chips!)

[Nichole]

My dream dinners service is fun and of very good quality. I'm very happy with it. I'm also not a perfectionist, expecting miracles and perfection from every little thing in life. all i know is that dream dinners has saved me so much head ache from having to figure out what the hell i'm going to eat for dinner and serve my family and all the hell of not having the right ingrediants when i want to cook something which i love to do. i do not love to plan meals though and they do it better than me. but i also don't have kids so i don't have to deal with that headache. it sounds to me like you're wanting to blame dream dinners for your lack of planning and structure around your meal time. it's not dream dinner's fault that you can't get your kids to shut up while you're trying to cook dinner, that's your job. i did have one item not go right with my service, but shit happens, so just get over it and get on with your life. that's what i do.

[Rox]

When I first tried Dream Dinners, I didn't like the food either. I'm a picky eater, so I tried it again, narrowing the selection of foods. I just pick 3 or 4 meals and get 2 six-serving meals of everything. I work full-time and am a full-time graduate student as well, and DD was a lifesaver for me! Since it's only me and my husband, I cook on the weekends, then put everything in tupperware for lunch and dinner for the rest of the week. It works out great. I do look forward to the day when I will actually be home for dinner every night and can go back to cooking my own food and stuff, but for now, DD is what I do, and I'm so thankful for it. Oh, and I must comment that the customer service at my location (Mar Vista, CA) is impeccable!!!

[Jessie]

As far as fresh vs. dried herbs, not every fresh herb represents well after being frozen in a meal. I went to Entree Vous and made a couple of meals with fresh herbs. They were lovely while I was assembling the meals, but pale green and limp when I defrosted them. Ew.

Dream Dinners and the rest of the meal assembly industry is designed to help out on nights when I'd be likely to order pizza or grab fast food. I'm happy to have a healthy alternative.

[Kati Kennedy]

I tried Dream Dinners and it was... eh, ok. But I'm super glad for the experience, because it got me thinking that I could do that in my own home. I'm now gearing up for the third installment of "Kiki's Kitchen" which is essentially just a party at my house where my friends come over and cook with me. At the end of the night, everyone goes home with 6 or more meals. I do all the shopping, and we just split up the costs evenly. I use higher quality ingredients than the stuff they have at DD, and also get to pick the menu. My friends have really enjoyed it, and even more of them are asking to do it, so I might have to add a second night!

By the way, I found you by doing a google search on "Dream Dinners" because I'm preparing my own post on this very subject!

http://roundoaktablev2.blogspot.com/

[Jillian]

As a Dream Dinners employee I can assure you that our ingredients are quality and no we don't use sysco brand salsa- we use Casa Solana. Why don't you all get off your high horse and shut up. If you don't like the meals then don't go back. I'm sorry Campbell's soup isn't high enough quality for you but people use it daily in kitchens all over the country. You sound so snooty. Not attractive- you or your behavior. We'd prefer to NOT have you as a customer anyways.If you have such high standards hire a personal chef.

[Kate]

There is nothing wrong with using dried herbs in recipes. Fresh herbs are sometimes not right for certain dishes. Don't add as much if you don't like dried but fresh won't stand up well to being frozen.