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Providing even more variety?

As you know, we get tons of feedback each month.  One common request has been for us to offer 4, 8 or 12 ”half-meals” at a Let’s Dish! session.  Unlike traditional “splitting”, where dishers get two of each half-sized meal, “halving” (so to speak) would provide more variety by allowing dishers to make just one half (not two halves) of a regular, full-sized meal.

We’re all for variety, and this seems like a pretty good way to achieve it.  But halving is not without its potential snafus, as our whole operating systems (online and in-store) revolve around a meal for 4-6.  (For example, there is no place on line to indicate you want to make half-meals, and once in stores you’ll see our chicken breasts come 6-to-a-bag).

But we’re currently developing a “work-around” test, i.e., a relatively simple way to accomplish our objective of increased variety.  Our tentative plan (probably to start in November) is to create a “promo code” (likely “HALVES”) that customers enter on checkout at letsdish.com.  It will “discount” a traditional 4, 8 or 12 meal session to just $13.50 per dish.  Once in store, customers will dish half-meals, rather than splits or fulls.  They’ll have to ask staff to help them split some of the proteins, but hopefully that help will be provided quickly and efficiently.  Most other ingredients (veggies, breads, etc) can be halved easily by the disher.

We’ll start this as an experiment (more info forthcoming), in hopes that it will give dishers a chance to “halve” your cake and eat it too!

About Jeremy

We appreciate your feedback!

As regular dishers know, we send a survey to every customer following their In-Store, Dish-n-Dash or DishDelivery session.  You may not realize that we get over 1000 completed surveys each month… and we read every single one!  Your feedback has been essential in helping us develop some of our new services and programs, including:

And you bring up questions that make us think:  Should crying babies be permitted at sessions?  Could you have splitters’ utensils at the stations instead of just “fulls”?  How much more would it cost to provide all (or some) organic ingredients?  [Feel free to post a comment on these — or other — issues below].

But we have to admit, our favorite part of reading comments is seeing how important our service is in making your busy lives a little easier, healthier or simply more pleasant.  Just look at a few of the actual, unedited comments that came in this week:

  • “I’m so glad a friend took me to ‘Let’s Dish!’ As a working mother with two small children this has made our evenings less stressful and more enjoyable. My husband likes the meals and I like that everything’s already done. I wish I would have known about this when I was pregnant!” - Amanda
  • “I’ve only been in twice and both times have been phenomenal!  I told the staff that my dishing experience was quickly becoming the highlight of my month.  The food is fabulous and requires so little thought on my part - which is wonderful when entertaining - and every time I go, I am greeted with such a friendly staff and a fun experience.      Let’s Dish is the greatest invention ever!!!” - Savannah
  • “I am a total convert- love how this simplies my life at dinner time every day and frees me up to spend more time with my kids! ” - Chari

So please keep the feedback coming.  What we’re doing well, we’ll strive to do more of.  And where we drop the ball, we appreciate your letting us know!

About Jeremy

Customer entering ratings

Parent/Kid Sessions Featured on ‘Kid Baltimore’ Blog

Judging by the popularity of our Parent/Kid sessions, we knew we were onto something. But even we were surprised and delighted to find we’d been “secret shopped” by Joyce Hesselberth of the popular “Kid Baltimore” blog. “Restaurant-quality food”, she wrote after bringing her daughter to dish on July 31st; “directions are super clear, and the ingredients are beautiful and fresh.” And when she invited the extended family to their first meal? “Disappeared before I knew what happened,” she beamed.

As Joyce noted, Let’s Dish! Parent/Kid sessions are a great chance to efficiently combine kid entertainment with household chores. Overall, the meals are “a big hit” she says. And we couldn’t agree more. Check out the complete Kid Baltimore write-up here. Or sign up for your own Parent/Kid experience (one kid, age 8+, per parent please!). Happy dishing!

About Jeremy

RECOMMENDED LINKS
>
1 Dish? 6 Dishes? 11 Dishes? We’re Flexible.
> Bring your kids with you to dish this summer!
> Wow the crowds at home and on vacation!

Maeve (now 5 1/2) and Charlotte (now 4) cook together.

Click to continue reading “Parent/Kid Sessions Featured on ‘Kid Baltimore’ Blog”

The in”side” Dish on side-dishes

Sides, sides everywhere!

The customer feedback has come in loud and clear. Sugar Snap Peas, Sweet Potato Fries, Exotic Grains and Fire Roasted Vegetables. You love our sides, and you want more of them.

We hear you.   And we’ve responded by including more sides as part of the regular Let’s Dish! menu.   We’ve added Sugar Snap Peas to our Marinated Flank Steak, Sweet Potato Fries to our Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops,  Jasmine Rice to our Savory Apricot Crusted Salmon, and more!

Plus: We’ve extended our special sides offer through the fall, meaning you can choose 4 family-sized sides for $20!

So sign up for a session today, and you’ll see we are filling your family’s plates with more deliciousness than ever before!

About Jeremy

simp-lot-sides-001small-2.jpg

RECOMMENDED LINKS
>
1 Dish? 6 Dishes? 11 Dishes? We’re Flexible.
> Wow the crowds at home and on vacation!

Click to continue reading “The in”side” Dish on side-dishes”

Walk-in Wednesdays now available!

Walk-In WednesdaysWe have gotten thousands of customer suggestions and requests over the last few years, and none as often as the request to be able to walk in and dish at Let’s Dish! store without an appointment. We’ve heard your feedback and are excited to launch Walk-In Wednesdays!

Now on Wednesdays, you can walk into any of our participating Maryland or Northern Virginia locations and dish anywhere from 1 to 13 meals at a time.* No appointment necessary. You heard right. No appointment necessary!

We are thrilled to try out the new walk-in idea, and summer is the perfect time for it - when everyone’s schedule become more hectic and planning a dishing session can seem nearly impossible. We think you’ll be excited too (hey, you’ve been begging us for it)!

If Wednesday is your regular dishing day, don’t fear - you can still sign up in advance if you wish, just like you normally would. That will guarantee that all the food you ordered will be waiting for you when you get there.

Check the online calendar for your store’s Wednesday hours and stop by to dish!

About Emily

*Participating Let’s Dish! locations include Baltimore and Columbia, MD, and Alexandria, Ashburn, and Fairfax, VA. Menu items are subject to availability. Only customers who make 4 or more meals will have those meals counted toward DishRewards.

RECOMMENDED LINKS
> 1 Dish? 6 Dishes? 11 Dishes? We’re Flexible.
> Bring your kids with you to dish this summer!
> Wow the crowds at home and on vacation!

Don’t miss the Bon Appétit Top 100

from Bon Appetit magazine
On May 13th, Bon Appétit launches their new website, and the most interesting feature for those of you who are “foodies” is that it focuses on the Top 100 recipes from over 50 years of the magazine. Yes, these “100 Dishes you need to know right now” are their favorite, Test Kitchen-approved (and reader-rated) seasonal recipes of all time.

So, check out bonappetit.com on Tuesday, May 31th. The recipes, according to the Editor-in-Chief, will vary with season and keep you up to date on what is hot and what is not in the food world. You will know first hand what will wow your guests at your next party!

Of course, we at Let’s Dish! will be watching this new website as well as other foodie favorites on the web closely to incorporate fresh new culinary ideas along with the “tried and true” into our monthly menus, so you can say, “bon appétit!” at your very own dinner table.

Click to continue reading “Don’t miss the Bon Appétit Top 100″

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 up our popular French Toast Peach Cobbler. It’s the perfect for brunch for Mom (with the side benefit of delighting the the rest of the family too)! Served with the always available Let’s Dish! Signature Scones, baked to warm, just-crumbly-enough, golden delicious perfection - and, oh…, Mom will know how much you appreciate all that she does for you.

Free <a mce_thref=Jeremy also took the opportunity to share a fantastic Mother’s Day offer from Let’s Dish! - Free Dinner for New Moms - good only from May 4th to May 11th, so find out the details and hurry in! Or, for the ultimate gift, get Mom a Let’s Dish! Gift Card, available for purchase stores or online (where you can print it right away for that last-minute gift option). Even better, send Mom meals directly with our new DishDelivery service and she won’t even have to lift a finger. Now, you can’t say you’ve got no idea what to get Mom this year!

Here’s the video of Sunday Brunch - and as a special bonus for all you Food for Thought readers , continue reading and you’ll find the recipe for the Let’s Dish! French Toast Peach Cobbler!


(If you can’t view video above, please click here to go to this post on Food for Thought or watch on YouTube.)

Buy a Let’s Dish! Gift CardRELATED LINKS:
> Free Dinner for New Moms during Mother’s Day Week
> Make Your Mom’s Day Even Brighter
>
Buy Mom a Let’s Dish! Gift Card

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Click to continue reading “Let’s Dish! celebrates Mother’s Day on WBAL-TV”

Tip of the Day: How To Keep Food Fresh

Consumer Reports is a valuable resource for so many savvy shoppers out there. But did you know they give advice on more than cars and electronics?!

Follow the link to read their “Tip of the Day” on how to keep food fresh, posted on the Consumer Reports Home and Garden blog. And, don’t forget, to keep your Let’s Dish! meals fresh, always follow the label instructions and be sure your packaging stays sealed in your freezer and fridge when thawing. As you can read, all foods - including meat, poultry and fish - can maintain its flavor and freshness if you use the proper storage.

Click to continue reading “Tip of the Day: How To Keep Food Fresh”

Simple steps to a clean kitchen.

It’s very satisfying to have a clean kitchen at the end of the day. When everyone helps it gets done much faster. Here’s a simple tip to make kitchen clean up a snap:

Break down kitchen clean-up by using a garbage bowl for table scraps and paper napkins and stack similar dishes in the sink with running water. Put all silverware to soak in a small ceramic flower pot in a corner of the sink. With dishes organized in this manner, it will be a breeze to load the dishwasher (easy enough for a child!).

Click to continue reading “Simple steps to a clean kitchen.”

Put your children’s plates and cups where they can reach them.

If you’ve got kids, you’ve got plates, bowls, cups and silverware for kids. You’ll most often find these items emblazoned with a cartoon character on the top or side, smiling at you as you load Beauty and the Beast into the dishwasher.  (And, why is that they seem to endure forever when my Villeroy & Boch bowls get chipped all the time!) 

Kids’ tableware is often the most frequently used item in a family kitchen. In my house, a favorite cup is frequently washed, used, and washed again in a single day.  It’s enough to drive a parent to eat on that durn car-shaped plate herself!  (I’m talking in this post mainly to parents of the younger child variety, but the same applies for older kids and stadium cups and similar kitchen delights!)

Here’s Mora Babineau’s tip on how to shift some of that responsibility to the kids:

Move children’s plastic cups and plates to an area that can be easily accessed by them such as a low cabinet or drawer.

Click to continue reading “Put your children’s plates and cups where they can reach them.”

Focus on your favorite recipes. (And here’s a new one from Let’s Dish!.)

Do you find yourself looking through note cards, torn-out newspaper or magazine recipes to find your favorite one to make? Here is a tip about organizing in the kitchen. Most people have a container to hold their recipes whether it be a file card holder or accordion file as I have. But the problem comes when I try to find one particular recipe out of all the ones I save. I have my recipes divided into categories that the accordion file made up, so that is a help. But I have too many!

So, here’s the idea: keep only the ones you use most often in the kitchen and bundle the rest into an envelope and store them elsewhere.

Click to continue reading “Focus on your favorite recipes. (And here’s a new one from Let’s Dish!.)”