Let’s Dish! Food for Thought

Author Archives: Jeremy Kugel

Here are all the posts written by this author. Click each title below to access the entire post.

June 30, 2008 – 5:00 am

Now More Ways to Get a FREE Dish!

You know about DishRewards. That’s the program we launched this spring, where you earn DishPoints (good as cash on www.letsdish.com) for doing all the things you love: dishing, recommending Let’s Dish! to friends, hosting parties, dishing some more, etc. DishPoints stack up quickly (we’ve already given away well over a million of them!). Real customers like yourself are earning $40, $50, even $60 OFF their sessions. In fact, you probably already have some DishPoints. Log in to letsdish.com and check your balance today!*

But what about our Ready Made customers? If you shop the convenience of our retail freezer, you probably want in on the action too. That’s why we created the Ready Made Rewards Card. For every purchase of $25 or more, you get a dish stamp. 10 stamps and you get a FREE dish. Essentially, it’s a Buy 10, Get 1 FREE offer! You can even see a menu sampler of dishes available in the ReadyMade freezer online. Check out the details in store and grab your card today!

Ready Made Rewards Card

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*You do need your own Let’s Dish! account to have your qualify for DishPoints and the DishRewards program. An account will automatically be created for you when you place an order under your own name and email. If you don’t have one, you can sign up in less than a minute, click here to get started!

RELATED LINKS:
> Learn more about DishRewards
> Log in and check your DishPoints balance
> Visit the Ready Made menu sampler to see the delicious Let’s Dish! meals available right now!

Posted in Bright Ideas, The Dish On | Tagged cooking, diet, DishPoints, DishRewards, family dinners, healthy meals, jeremy kugel, Let's Dish!, meal assembly, meal preparation, nutrition, quick easy meals, Ready Made, ready made meals, The Dish On, www.letsdish.com | Comments (0)

June 23, 2008 – 3:45 pm

You Help Make Our Menus So Wonderful

How do we create such fantastic menus? Well, our talented food team is always cooking up the best recipes months in advance. But did you know our customers play a big role as well?

Through the “My Orders” link once you log in to letsdish.com, customers can rate the meals they’ve dished [1 star (not for me) to 5 stars (love it!)], and can also make comments [”a little salty for my tastes” or “you guys are geniuses”]. Every rating goes into our database, which is a key determinant of which meals return to our menus… and which meals go to “dish heaven”. Even more important, your comments. We read every single one, and tweak our recipes accordingly
So next time you’re asking, “who makes these menus so delicious?”, the answer is you.

p.s. You do need your own Let’s Dish! account to add your ratings online. An account will automatically be created for you when you place an order under your own name and email. If you don’t have one, you can sign up in less than a minute, click here to get started!
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RECOMMENDED LINKS:
> “Kid-Friendly Let’s Dish! Meals featured on WUSA9”
> “Wow the crowds at home and on vacation!”

Posted in Culinary Inspiration, The Dish On | Tagged cook, cooking, diet, family dinner, family dinners, jeremy kugel, Let's Dish!, meal assembly, meal preparation, nutrition, recipes, www.letsdish.com | Comments (1)

June 12, 2008 – 5:00 am

Fall In Love With S’Mores Pie

S’mores 4 Back in May, our Let’s Dish! food team of Holly and Holly came to me with an all-new S’mores Pie they had invented. One warm, gooey, chocolatey bite later, I was in love. It was pretty much the best thing I had ever tasted. Now you can get it FREE when you sign up for an 8-meal session!* (By the way, you will also get a fancy Let’s Dish! beach chair… but trust me, you’ll like the S’more Pie even better.)

S’mores 3 - Leo If the chocolatey smiles on Leo and Sydney’s faces are any indication, I’m not the only one in love with this unique dessert. But don’t take my word for it, check out this report on Washington’s WUSA TV-9. Or better yet, come into our store and put a child-like smile on your own face.

Warm and melty. Gooey and crispy. Marshmallowy, chocoaltey and grahamy. Ready in under 10 minutes. And FREE with your in-store signup this July.

Get ready to fall in love.

*Terms: Customer may select S’mores Pie as part of the Let’s Dish! in-store sign-up offer, available through August 2nd, 2008. Customer must sign up in-store for any 8- or 12- meal session, and will receive a selected FREE dessert. Offer cannot be combined with other promotions or applied to previously-booked sessions. Entries that arrive after July 31st, 2008 will not be considered.

RECOMMENDED LINKS:
> “Kid-Friendly Let’s Dish! Meals featured on WUSA9”

Posted in Culinary Inspiration | Tagged cooking, Culinary Inspiration, dessert, easy recipe, family, family dinners, homemade meals, jeremy kugel, let's dish menu, Let's Dish!, letsdish, meal assembly, meal preparation, Ready Made, recipe, recipes, summer vacation, www.letsdish.com | Comments (0)

June 10, 2008 – 3:00 am

Let’s Dish!: The savings might surprise you.

Boston Globe: Rising Cost of Groceries Graphic Gas station. Coffeeshop. Dry cleaners. Just about any place you open your purse or wallet these days, you’re spending more than ever. This is especially true when it comes to shopping for food. According to a report from the Department of Labor (cited in the Boston Globe), a year-on-year increase in food prices like this hasn’t been seen in nearly two decades. Eggs are up 60%, pasta 30%, fruits 20%, and vegetables 20% versus last year – just to name a few examples.

So where does a family turn when faced with these economic challenges at the dinner table? Let’s Dish! is part of the solution. When you compare our costs to what you’d spend at grocery, you’ll find that the more you dish, the more you save. In fact, to illustrate just how much we save our dishers, we recently did a comparison of grocery costs vs. dishing costs for two of our most popular menu items (cited in a previous blog): Thai-Marinated Flank Steak and Mahi Mahi with Red Ancho Marinade.

The savings might surprise you. Here are some of the highlights:

If you bought all the ingredients at a grocery chain, you’d spend up to 7% more per serving than you do at a Let’s Dish! in-store session.
Those leftover ingredients not only clutter your pantry but they create additional costs. That Red Ancho Marinade, for example… you only need $0.69 worth (or 2 TBS) but the grocery store charges $9.95 for one 14.4 oz jar!
Check the price of flank steak recently? We can offer you the entire, marinated meal for close to the same price as steak alone!

Accounting for waste, Let’s Dish! can save you almost 50% vs making it yourself. And who wants to go through all that shopping and chopping hassle, just to spend more money than you would by dishing?! Check out the numbers for yourself. We think you’ll agree there’s no better (or more economical) way to put dinner on the table than with Let’s Dish!.

Don’t let rising food costs force your family into unhealthy dinner choices. Let’s Dish! is convenient, healthy, and always a great value.

RECOMMENDED LINKS:
> “Surging costs of groceries hit home“: Boston Globe article cited above. Graphic (right) in post courtesy of the Globe.
> “More time and money are just a dish away“
> “Kid-Friendly Let’s Dish! Meals featured on WUSA9”

Posted in The Dish On | Tagged cook, cooking, cost savings, easy meal prep association, family, family dinner, family dinners, health, home, Let's Dish!, meal assembly, meal preparation, recipes, rising food costs, value, www.letsdish.com | Comments (2)

May 21, 2008 – 3:45 am

SingleDish: One Let’s Dish! Meal, A Life-Changing Experience

We’ve heard from a lot of folks who want to experience Let’s Dish! before stocking the freezer with a whole month’s worth of meals. Personally, my suggested strategy is to get invited for dinner at the home of a disher (talk about saving time and money!). And there’s always the Ready Made case, where you can purchase Let’s Dish! deliciousness one meal at a time. But that doesn’t give you the full experience… preparing the meal to your own personal tastes, the snacks, the in-store fun.

That’s why we introduced SingleDish. You (or a friend) can spend 15 minutes making any one meal (OK, call it 16 - to account for scone-eating time), and see what all the excitement’s about. And you can always add on an extra meal (or 7) from our monthly menu while you’re there!

RECOMMENDED LINKS:
> Learn more about SingleDish
> Try SingleDish now - look for specially marked windows on our In-store Session calendar
> Suggest SingleDish to a friend - forward this post via email!

Posted in The Dish On | Tagged dinner, easy dinners, easy meal prep association, easy meal prep information, ez-meal prep association, healthy dinners, homemade meals, Let's Dish!, meal assembly, meal planning, meal preparation, Ready Made, ready made meals, SingleDish, The Dish On, www.letsdish.com | Comments (0)

May 11, 2008 – 11:50 am

Thank you, Moms

We love moms. They look out for us. They consistently prioritize our needs (and wants) above their own. And they always seem to be there with a Band-Aid and a kiss. I’ve always had a special place in my heart for moms, and now that I have witnessed childbirth, midnight feedings, and tearful preschool drop-offs, that special place has only grown larger.

This Mother’s Day, we’ve talked a lot about how Let’s Dish! can help you thank your mom - Gift Cards, French Toast Peach Cobbler, the nearly 1000 free meals we gave to new moms, etc. But long after the last cobbler-stained plate has been washed, the Gift Card run dry, and the petals have fallen from the bouquet, I think that what moms want most is a little recognition. So to all the moms out there - our staff, our customers, our fans, and especially the world’s best two moms - Judy and Katrina Kugel - thanks for all you do.

Happy Mother’s Day. We love you.

I want to join my friend and colleague, Jeremy, in saluting every mom on this special day. We’re delighted that our free-meals-for-new-moms promotion has been so well received and that we’ve been able to be a part of this special annual holiday for so many families.

Let’s Dish! is a proud part of the lives of families of all shapes and sizes, but it comes as no surprise to anyone who has visited our stores that women are really at the center of what we do- over 90% of our customers and staff are women, and most of them are moms. In fact, a lot of our early vision for Let’s Dish! revolved around moms. We wanted to help busy moms with an easier way to put nutritious dinners on the table, encouraging better health AND more family time. And we wanted to design a team and a system with convenient shifts and flexibility that allowed busy moms seeking part-time opportunities to work AND still have time to do all sorts of “mom stuff!” It’s extremely rewarding to know that we’ve largely succeeded on both fronts.

On a more personal note, I want to recognize a few moms who have gone above and beyond to make our vision a reality. My partners — Dawn Brown, Elizabeth Marcotte, Lisa Hardiman, and Alexa Corcoran (who also happens to be my wife and the mother to my two very lucky daughters) — have been the driving forces behind our growth and success. Their effort and passion have been at the center of all we’ve accomplished. And they are just like all the other moms we know– insanely busy, trying to juggle a million commitments, frequently tired, but always there for the ones they love. I, too, have worked pretty darn hard over the last four years, but I am frankly in awe of these amazing women. Thank you all so much for all you do, for Let’s Dish! and for the 9 kids lucky enough to have you as moms.

Finally, I’m biased, so I’d like to send a special shout out to my world’s best moms — Karen Corcoran, Kathy Klimas, and Alexa Corcoran. Happy Mother’s Day!

Rick’s Signature

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RELATED LINKS:

> You still have time! Buy Mom a Let’s Dish! Gift Card and print to give to Mom

> Let’s Dish! Celebrates Mother’s Day on WBAL-TV
> Make Your Mom’s Day Even Brighter

Posted in Family Matters | Tagged family, Gift, gift card, Let's Dish!, meal assembly, meal preparation, mom, mother, mother's day, parenting, www.letsdish.com | Comments (0)

May 9, 2008 – 12:45 pm

522 Free Meals and Counting! (New Moms, only 2 more days…)

Thanks to all the new moms who’ve visited Let’s Dish! this week! As of 1 PM Friday, at least 522 of you won’t have to worry about cooking dinner this Sunday!

And for those who’ve not yet made it in, remember that our Free Meals For New Moms (those with children born in 2008) goes until Mother’s Day… so stop by with your baby’s birth certificate, birth announcement or hospital bracelet and get in on the action!

Posted in The Dish On | Tagged children, cook, cooking, dinner, Gift, gift card, jeremy kugel, Let's Dish!, meal assembly, meal preparation, mom, mother, mother's day, www.letsdish.com | Comments (0)

May 6, 2008 – 11:45 pm

100 Free Meals and Counting…

Jennifer Bernhardt and her 8-week old son, Tyler, came into the Let’s Dish! store in Fairfax, VA, on Tuesday afternoon to pick up their free Japanese Miso-Glazed Salmon. Congratulations, Jennifer! Even if you’re not sleeping through the night, at least you know dinner is taken care of!

New moms, come in by Sunday, May 11th, to take advantage of our offer of Free Meals For New Moms (see full details here).

Happy Mother’s Day!

Posted in The Dish On | Tagged cook, cooking, family dinner, family dinners, Family Matters, Gift, gift card, jeremy kugel, kids, Let's Dish!, letsdish, meal assembly, meal preparation, mother, mother's day, Offer, parenting, salmon, www.letsdish.com | Comments (0)

April 30, 2008 – 4:15 pm

More time and money is just a “dish” away.

No matter where you’re getting dinner, it’s hard to find a better value than Let’s Dish!. You can efficiently make dinner at a terrific cost per serving. Who wouldn’t like MORE time and money?!

With the busy lives we lead these days, time is precious. And, it’s about more than a few extra minutes during the day tackle your “to do” list. It’s quality time to spend and enjoy - or a little bonus time to work on a special project or even pick up a new hobby. Plus, when is the last time you put a value on your time? In a world where an hour is very valuable personally and professionally, you should calculate how much your time is worth. One or two hours invested making meals at Let’s Dish! earns you back a whole lot more when you don’t have to shop, chop or prep dinner.

Now, let’s review the savings:
First, we showed you how Let’s Dish! is less expensive than dining out at a casual restaurant. You’d probably guess that our meals are a better value than dinner at…say, Chili’s… but did you realize that on a typical Let’s Dish! menu, you’d SAVE anywhere from $7 to $15 dollars per person. Multiply that time six and you’re saving $42 to a whopping $90 on ONE meal! Next, we compared Let’s Dish! to cooking from scratch. In a comparison of two meals, you could save up to 50% over shopping and preparing the meal yourself.

Time Magazine agrees: “The other nice thing was the price… clip as many coupons as you want, but you can never make a dinner as cheaply as these kitchens can…” (1/31/08 report on meal assembly industry: “Outsourced Home Cooking”)

So, here’s the summary: more time and money is just a “dish” away.

Come on in for a session!

RELATED LINKS:
> See how much you save with Let’s Dish!

> Cost comparison: Save up to 50% over cooking from scratch

> FOX News: Food Costs Rising Fastest in 17 Years, Squeezing Poor Families

> Mom’s new battle: The Food Price Bulge: Read how families are creating new ways to stretch their monthly grocery budget

> Soaring Food Costs: Share your story: Tell CNNMoney.com how Let’s Dish! lets you enjoy healthy, family meals at a great economic value

Posted in The Dish On | Tagged cooking, cost savings, family dinner, family dinners, home, Let's Dish!, letsdish, meal assemby, meal preparation, parenting, recipes, rick corcoran, rising food costs, The Dish On, value | Comments (1)

April 23, 2008 – 12:00 am

Cost comparison: Save up to 50% over cooking from scratch

We’ve told you how much Let’s Dish! saves you over dining out, but did you realize that Let’s Dish! can be more affordable than shopping and cooking on your own? Add the time you save (and it’s more than a “dash”) and you’ve got to seriously rethink cooking from scratch!

If you’ve grocery shopped lately, you know the situation: food costs are higher than ever (according to FOX News, food costs are rising the fastest in 17 years).

To show you just how much we save our dishers, we did a cost comparison of grocery costs vs. dishing costs for two dishes from our May menu: Thai-Marinated Flank Steak and Mahi Mahi with Red Ancho Marinade.

The savings might surprise you. Here are some of the highlights:

If you bought all the ingredients at a grocery chain, you’d spend up to 14% more per serving than you do at a Let’s Dish! in-store session.
Those leftover ingredients not only clutter your pantry but they add up the costs. That Red Ancho Marinade, for example… you only need $0.69 worth (or 2 TBS) but you’ll pay $9.95 for the 14.4 oz jar!
Check the price of flank steak recently? We can offer you the entire, marinated meal for close to the same price as steak alone!
The average price per serving can jump $0.25 to over $3.50 more when you make the same meal from scratch.

Click to continue reading “Cost comparison: Save up to 50% over cooking from scratch”

Posted in The Dish On | Tagged cost savings, ez-meal prep association, jeremy kugel, Let's Dish!, meal assembly, meal preparation, rising food costs, savings, The Dish On, www.letsdish.com | Comments (2)

March 27, 2008 – 3:15 am

Become a Let’s Dish! “fan” on Facebook!

Show the world you’re a fan of Let’s Dish! and enjoy exclusive offers through Facebook, the Internet’s most popular social networking site.

Let’s Dish! has recently set up a fan page on Facebook and we want to see you there. Become a “fan” (it’s easy and free), and we’ll keep you up to date on the latest events, recipes and offers from Let’s Dish!. You can also post your dishing photos, family photos, recipes, thoughts, whatever. We’re just getting started on Facebook, but are already amazed by how simple it is and how much fun it can be. Give Facebook a shot!

Click to continue reading “Become a Let’s Dish! “fan” on Facebook!”

Posted in Most Popular Posts, The Dish On | Tagged facebook, facebook.com, jeremy kugel, Let's Dish!, meal assembly, meal preparation, www.letsdish.com | Comments (5)

February 2, 2008 – 6:00 am

Winner of our Resolution Solution Spa Day Sweepstakes!

Congratulations to Marilyn M, from the Let’s Dish! store in Ashburn, VA — winner of our “Resolution Solution Hyatt Spa Day Sweepstakes”!

Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina in Cambridge, MD Thanks to our friends at the Cambridge Hyatt Chesapeake Bay, Marilyn and a guest will be making good on their resolution for “self-pamperization,” enjoying a fabulous day of treatments at the best spa around. Enjoy your day, Marilyn… and when you’re relaxing there with those cucumber slices over your eyes, please remember to tell anyone who will listen that Let’s Dish! sent you.

Posted in Resolution Solutions | Tagged jeremy kugel, Let's Dish!, Resolution Solutions, www.letsdish.com | Comments (0)

January 28, 2008 – 6:00 am

Here’s to your heart: A preview of heart health month at Let’s Dish!

February is American Heart Month. It’s an important time at Let’s Dish!, and of course, an important time at Food For Thought, the Let’s Dish! blog.

Heart disease is this country’s #1 killer, claiming over 900,000 American lives annually. Fortunately, and thanks in a large part to the great work of the American Heart Association (AHA), US heart disease death rates are down around 20% versus a decade ago. But millions of Americans live every day with heart disease. And who among us hasn’t been touched by the disease, through a relative, colleague, neighbor or friend?

Sadly, heart disease will never go away entirely.

Click to continue reading “Here’s to your heart: A preview of heart health month at Let’s Dish!”

Posted in Heart Health | Tagged american heart association, go red, heart disease, Heart Health, jeremy kugel, Let's Dish!, nutrition, www.letsdish.com | Comments (1)