Tag Archives: 74

July 8, 2008 – 6:10 am

If You Love a Meal… Dish More of It!

Relax-the-max on most Let’s Dish! meals

Due to popular demand (i.e., yours!) we have relaxed our limits on the maximum quantity of any individual meal you can order at a session. 

For many meals, we have set the max at 4 (or 8 splits).  A few meals have lower maximums, either because they take longer to dish or have excessively high cost-of-ingredients (as much as we’d love to offer 8 salmons, we have to pay rent!). 

So check out our new menus, and (for the most part) dish as much as you want of any meal! 

Happy dishing!

About Jeremy

JerkChickJerkChickJerkChick

RECOMMENDED LINKS:
> 1 Dish? 6 Dishes? 11 Dishes?

Click to continue reading “If You Love a Meal… Dish More of It!”

By Jeremy Kugel | Posted in Culinary Inspiration, The Dish On | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (1)
June 18, 2008 – 2:00 pm

Bring your kids with you to dish this summer!

Kids like cooking? Take ‘em dishing!School’s out, now what?

That’s the question on many parents’ lips this time of year. Camp, the pool, vacations, etc., are all fantastic ways to spend your summer. But what about those times when the kids are out of camp and tired of the pool or god forbid it’s raining? Why not bring your child with you to Let’s Dish!?

Dishing is a great way for kids to learn about the things they eat and feel more involved in dinner time. It may also help those picky eaters to try new things. They can pick out dinners from our monthly menu and then help to make and cook them! Dishing can also be a fun bonding experience for the both of you.

This summer, we’re adding more “Parent/Kid Sessions” (specially marked as such) to our calendar for you to choose from. Kids 8 years of age and older are encouraged to come to these sessions and dish with a parent. We ask that you help ensure that your child is well behaved and mature enough to handle basic food safety procedures (hand washing, etc) while in the session. Children must be accompanied by a parent at the food stations while dishing. If you have any specific questions about brining your child to dish, contact your nearest Let’s Dish! store.

This summer, when that inevitable question of “what else is there to do?” comes up, you’ll be ready!

About Emily

RECOMMENDED LINKS:
> “Let’s Dish!: The savings might surprise you.”
> “Kid-Friendly Let’s Dish! Meals featured on WUSA9â€
> “Wow the crowds at home and on vacation!”
> “FREE Delivery for New Moms!“

By Emily Blakely | Posted in Bright Ideas, The Dish On | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (6)
June 12, 2008 – 5:00 am

Fall In Love With S’Mores Pie

S’mores 4Back 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 - LeoIf 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.

About Jeremy

*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 WUSA9â€

By Jeremy Kugel | Posted in Culinary Inspiration | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)
June 10, 2008 – 3:00 am

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

Boston Globe: Rising Cost of Groceries GraphicGas 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.

Jeremy’s Signature

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”

By Jeremy Kugel | Posted in Most Popular Posts, The Dish On | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (2)
June 2, 2008 – 4:30 am

FREE Delivery for New Moms!

Let’s Dish! bibLet’s face it - when you are a new mom, the first three months are bliss and a blur, full of sweet cuddles and sleep deprivation. That special time with your new baby is wonderful - but, unbelievably, the rest of the world keeps on moving and expects you to keep up! You’ve got a house to keep in order, a family to feed and take care of (especially if there are other kids), shopping and errands to do, outside responsibilities to fulfill (which may include a job!) and - oh, yes - that sweet new baby to tend to every minute of the day - whew! This hazy period of my life solidified my overarching philosophy on motherhood (sorry, Nietzsche!) : “That which does not kill you makes you a better mom!”

So, new Moms, would you like some help with dinner? Or, how about with three months of dinner? Here’s a special offer from Let’s Dish! just for you.

FREE Delivery from Let’s Dish! for new moms
Let’s Dish! has a special delivery for new mothers: FREE DishDelivery for three months after your baby is born! That’s right, with our “You Deliver, DishDelivers!“ offer, we’ll waive all delivery fees on 8-meal DishDelivery orders placed within the first three months after you have a baby. You can select your meals from our monthly menu and order from all Let’s Dish! locations in Maryland and Northern Virginia - then, the meals are delivered right to your door.*

Eight (or more) easy and delicious meals without leaving the house - now that’s a new mom’s dream come true! Here’s how to qualify for our “You Deliver, DishDelivers” offer:

  • Simply email newmoms@letsdish.net to set up your own unique promotional code that will waive the delivery fee.
  • New moms must provide proof of baby’s birth date (via email or brought into your nearest Let’s Dish! store) to qualify for the promotion.
  • This offer is valid for 90 days from your baby’s date of birth. (So, don’t delay in emailing us - it is three months from your baby’s birthdate, not three months from when you contact us. So, ask your friends, family and “baby daddy” to remind you - it’s worth the effort!)
  • This offer applies to 8-meal DishDelivery sessions only and is a savings of $25 on every order!

We know our healthy, delicious meals are a help during challenging times - and let’s face it, new moms need all the help they can get!

ShareThisSpread the word! Pass this offer on to other new moms - Email This Post Email This Post or use our ShareThis tool below and share the offer on all your favorite social-networking sites!

Corcoran FamilyAs a co-owner of Let’s Dish! and mother of two, I hope all you new moms in the mid-Atlantic can take advantage of this special offer. Speaking from experience, I barely remember stumbling through those first months - and we had not yet opened our Let’s Dish! stores so I was in the same boat as everyone else! I’d try to look and act like a coherent, put-together woman instead of the exhausted, two-under-two-mom I was. And, when my second decided she wouldn’t sleep through the night until she was eight-months old, to say I missed sleep is a massive understatement. Hibernating bears would have nothing on me if I could have found a dark room and a “Do Not Disturb” sign. Here’s a pic of me on *the day* I would have contacted Let’s Dish! for my much-needed You Deliver, DishDelivers offer! :-)

Wishing you a doorstep full of DishDelivery and as many hours of sleep as you can get - and look forward to dishing with for you soon!

Alexa’s Signature

RECOMMENDED LINKS:
> Kid-Friendly Let’s Dish! Meals featured on WUSA9
> See the Let’s Dish! Menus and Sign up for DishDelivery today!
> Wow the crowds at home and on vacation
> DishDelivery to the Summer Vacation Rescue!

(small space)
*Offer not valid on in-store or Dish-n-Dash sessions. Offer valid for exactly 90 days from baby’s birth date. No exceptions or extensions will be made. You Deliver, DishDelivers promotion launches June 3rd, 2008. Babies born more than 90 days prior to June 3rd are not eligible. Offer cannot be applied to previously-booked sessions or combined with other offers. Delivery fee covers cost of delivery within the Mid-Atlantic covered zones covered by DishDelivery only. Visit letsdish.com for details on eligible delivery areas.

By Alexa Corcoran | Posted in Most Popular Posts, The Dish On | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)
May 29, 2008 – 11:00 am

Kid-Friendly Let’s Dish! Meals featured on WUSA9

WUSA9 Kid-Friendly MealsWant to keep your kids happy, healthy and full for less than $4 a serving? WUSA9 in Washington DC shares how you can do just that with a little help from Let’s Dish!. Today, reporter Lesli Foster features our store as the one-stop shop for kid-friendly meals for you and your family.
(small space)
Many thanks to customer Karen Mahne and her son who came to pick up dinner at Let’s Dish! in Rockville, MD, and shared how much her family loves Let’s Dish!. Our own Elizabeth Marcotte gave the viewers a sneak peek at some of our most popular recipes on our monthly menus, including our top-rated Chili-Lime Chicken with Black Bean Salsa! And, Jeremy Kugel brought in his son, Leo, confessing his love of Let’s Dish! Teriyaki Sliders. Watching just a few minutes on WUSA9 can truly help you keep the kids happy when dinner rolls around!
(small space)
Plus, don’t miss our offer of FREE DishDelivery for WUSA9 viewers!
(small space)
Visit the Let’s Dish! feature on WUSA9’s website to see our kid-friendly recipes (gasp - yes, we shared recipes!), then scroll down to the bottom of the page for the exclusive WUSA9 coupon code for FREE DishDelivery throughout the mid-Atlantic!

[youtube EYDG9peY7fE nolink]

(small space)
 If you’re experiencing trouble with the video above or do not see the video player, you can visit this story on WUSA9 by clicking here or pasting the link below in your browser:
http://www.wusa9.com/rss/local_article.aspx?storyid=72208(small space)
RELATED POSTS:
 > See the Let’s Dish! Summer Menus and Sign up today!
> Wow the crowds at home and on vacation
> DishDelivery to the Summer Vacation Rescue!
> Let’s stop calling our kids picky eaters

By Alexa Corcoran | Posted in The Dish On | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (5)
May 27, 2008 – 11:00 am

Wow the crowds at home and on vacation!

Chili-Lime Chicken with Black Bean SalsaAs we head into summer, Let’s Dish! offers a delicious menu of meals perfect for the pool, beach or backyard BBQ. Each month, you’ll find great family meals that are perfect for taking on vacation or grilling up with friends and family at home.

No time to come in and prepare your meals? No worries! With Dish-n-Dash and our new DishDelivery option, it’s still super easy to solve your dinner needs. We’ll make your Let’s Dish! meals from scratch, you just pick them up or tell us where you want them delivered. We deliver all over the metro area, and also to many regional vacation spots (Rehoboth Beach, Williamsburg and the Jersey Shore, just to name a few). So you can spend your summer at the beach or ballpark, not in the kitchen.

But, don’t take our word for it. Sue M., of Clarksville, MD, shared her recent “Wow” experience with Let’s Dish!:

Caribbean SalmonDish ExclamationWow. Thank you. I have been too busy to dish in quite some time and tried Dish-n-Dash this week. BRILLIANT! You prepared yummy food on time and exactly as expected. My kids loved the Caribbean Salmon — which was remarkable since they like “plain” food. The spice was not hot. Thank you for the tasty variety in our often dull weeknight dinners. We’ll be back to “pack” for vacation!

Best regards,
Sue M.

Mojito Shrimp with Cilantro RiceWhen we contacted Sue to ask if we could share her email, she told us Let’s Dish! continued to impress the crowds - this time in Ocean City:

Friday I wowed two other moms as we unpacked for the long weekend in Ocean City. By the time the cars were unpacked, with kids excitedly bouncing off of the walls, we had a big batch of mojito shrimp and cilantro rice to greet us. (We matched it with the lettuce salad we rescued from the fridge on the way out the door.) There may have even been applause… no one had to trek back out for groceries!!! We drank a cold one to you!

Thanks, Sue! Here’s to looking forward to a “Wow” of a summer with yummy meals and incredible convenience!

Alexa’s Signature

(small space)
RELATED POSTS:
> DishDelivery to the Summer Vacation Rescue!
> Learn More about Dish-n-Dash and DishDelivery
> See the Let’s Dish! Summer Menus and Sign up today!

By Alexa Corcoran | Posted in The Dish On | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (3)
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.

Jeremy’s Signature

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

(small space)
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

By Jeremy Kugel | Posted in Family Matters | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)
May 5, 2008 – 2:00 pm

Let’s Dish! celebrates Mother’s Day on WBAL-TV

In case you missed it, our own Lisa Hardiman and Jeremy Kugel hosted Sunday Brunch on WBAL-TV on Sunday, May 4th. Lisa and Jeremy shared a few ways Let’s Dish! can help you make your Mother’s Day celebration special this year and dished u