Make & Take Gourmet: Meal Prep Franchisor Takes Failures in Stride
April 28, 2008 by Sean Kelly
Filed under Business
(FranchisePick.Com) Some new franchisors might be alarmed when two three of their first franchises fail and their franchisees lose hundreds of thousands of dollars. But for Make & Take Gourmet founder Michele Bellso, franchise failures seem to be no big deal.
According to Bob Niedt’s initial story and a followup piece this past Saturday in the Syracuse, NY Post-Standard, two Make & Take Gourmet meal assembly kitchen franchisees have hung up their aprons for good – within a week of one another.
But Michele Bellso, founder of the now-14 unit chain, isn’t letting a little thing like two three* of her first franchise owners losing their $174,500 to $292,000 investments get her down. In fact:
Late Friday, Bellso sent out a blast e-mail to her customers, saying she expected some stores would close as the business model evolved.
Michele Bellso’s main concern is obviously to bolster the spirits of her remaining franchisees, and to boost their confidence in her commitment to their success:
Bellso said they anticipated some franchises might not survive.
“We expected that, as with any franchise, including the McDonald’s and Burger Kings of the world, there would be failures,” said Bellso. “Every franchise has failures. It could be rising food costs, management, or adapting to emerging trends.”
With 12 Units & a 12.5% 18%*Failure Rate, Bellso is clearly an “industry leader.”
In the article, Bellso is quoted:
“We continue to be an industry leader… Interest in franchise stores is continuing, and we’re committed to the evolution of the best business model to succeed. I can honestly say that Make and Take Gourmet’s future is looking very bright.”
If Make & Take Gourmet has collected $420,000 $450,000 in franchise fees alone (14 15 X $30,000) and franchise interest remains strong despite minor negatives like failing stores or an “evolving” business model**, it’s clear that “the future is looking very bright.”
But very bright for whom?
* Someone corrected me in the comments: “They’ve lost three stores. The one in Clifton Park shut down a while ago”
** Sometimes known as “Not having a clue”
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They’ve lost three stores. The one in Clifton Park shut down a while ago.
As a Make and Take Franchise owner, we know for a fact that the Bellso’s do not simply dismiss what their franchisees that are deciding to close are going through. When I found out the two stores were closing I immediately called corporate and spoke with them at length. Everyone one of us making the decision to take this risk, is doing just that. Taking a risk. How well they calculate that risk out is certainly individually done. We looked at numerous meal assembly franchises before choosing Make and Take and one of the main reason why we chose Make and Take Gourmet, was the quality of the people at corporate and the high level of support they provide. But ultimately it is up to each of us to make sure we are putting a store into an area that can support it, and it is up to us to market it well. We actively find out what is going on in our community and how we can serve their needs. We can not sit and hope they will walk in our doors.
Was Michele’s letter intended to boost moral and reassure us? Well I certainly hope, they handled the closures in a very professional way and I would expect nothing less from them. And things were stated in a factual manner, also which is the way that it should be handled. The comment that they “are taking it in stride” sounds as though they are callous, and since I can only assume the writer doesn’t know the Bellso’s personally, then their comment is actually the one that is callous and spoken from an uneducated position.
The article was defiantly written from a stand point to intentionally cast a bad vibe over Make and Take corporate and Michele Bellso personally.
I am sad to see the stores close, I knew it was a possibility and was hoping they would pull through. But also it is true that in any franchise situation, there will be those that do not make it for any number of reasons.
Is the industry changing? Yes I can see that it is, and even in the short year since we came on board, it was not a direction that we foresaw, but now that we are here, we need to adapt and grow with the needs around us. But again having looked deeply into the UFOC’s and corporate dealings of 10 different meal assembly franchises, we are very happy with what we chose. Make and Take Gourmet gives its franchisees quite a bit of room to adjust as needed in there area and that in turn means we can give so much more to our customers. We do not all have to be paper doll cut outs of the
corporate stores. But there are standards and guidelines that we must adhere to. I do believe that Make and Take Gourmet will continue to be a leader in the industry.
Make and Take Gourmet Franchisee:
You are correct in that I do not know the Bellso’s personally, and while I thought I was up on the meal prep industry, I somehow missed that they were the industry leader. My reaction is solely based on Michele’s disturbing comments in two articles. My opinion is also impacted by something I don’t believe they have: 20 years of experience in franchise development.
With all due respect, Make & Take Gourmet is not and never has been a leader in the industry. If you truly believe that, check your spice rack cuz my guess is that ain’t oregano they sent you.
From what I can see, Make & Take Gourmet is an unproven, undefined concept that never should have been franchised. The founders have little to no experience developing a chain and are figuring it out as they go. That might be fun venture for a start-up, yet they charge the same fees that established, experienced franchisors with a home office, actual departments and field support personnel charge.
In my humble opinion, Make & Take Franchisees have the the worst of both worlds: the risk of an unproven startup and the burden of the high fees and loss of autonomy of a franchise.
Let me ask you: are the three failed franchisee groups free to share their experiences and observations with prospective franchise owners, or did they give that up in order to escape being held responsible for 8 years of future royalties?
In the article, Bellso is quoted:
“We continue to be an industry leader… Interest in franchise stores is continuing, and we’re committed to the evolution of the best business model to succeed. I can honestly say that Make and Take Gourmet’s future is looking very bright.”
What troubles me frankly about the above quote is the FACT that they are committed to the EVOLVUTION of the best business model to succeed?
When did that become the standard for franchising a model for a business? I know it’s a common held belief of every MA industry ZOR, but all that means is we poor schmose who bought one of there evolving business model were the guinea pigs and they used our money for their hair brained R&D.
I may be way off base, but when someone starts to Franchise in an industry doesn’t that imply that the model is already proven and evolved?
If there is any evolution taking place, I’m gonna guess that it ain’t prove.
When I signed on the dotted line with my ZOR, I was buying a proven model that had the ability to make money, none of which holds true for any MAK franchise.
Had I know they were making it up as we went along, I would not have put almost 3/4 of a million dollars at risk.
Taking a risk is different than being taken for a ride and I’m sorry to say that we ALL have been taken for a ride in the MAK scheme.
I too was unaware that Make & Take Gourmet was a leader in the field, having been in the field for almost 3 years, I have never heard of them.
So much for their marketing!!!
Sean is correct when he calls the MAke & Take concept undefined and unproven. Which is why I’m still amazed people are still buying these dogs!
There is no profit to be made in the MAK business unless you are the person selling the Franchises to uneducated buyers.
Meal Makers I have heard has also fallen on such bad times that the owner of the company has “taken the money and ran.”
That pretty much describes every Zor in the MAK business as far as I’m concerned. Unfortunately most Zors are still able to snooker people into buying their evolving business models. There truly is a sucker borne every minute and that fool is soon parted from their money ASAP by some ZOR who has continued to sell not only a faulty unevolved concept but indeed a FAILED CONCEPT. Please reread that folks….you can’t turn a sows ear into a silk purse no matter how many positive thinking techinques you use.
You are exactly right, mysterymiss.
Starting an independent business on your own, you’ve got no track record, to trial and error completed for you, no established, proven business.
On the plus side, you don’t have the burden of franchise fees and hefty royalties that can be the difference between profitability and failure. You’ve also got the freedom to adapt or change direction as you see fit.
Buying a franchise, you give up that freedom and accept the burdonsome fees because you deem that the benefits of the proven, established system will dramatically overcome them.
The Make & Take Gourmet concept, from what I can see, saddles franchisees with the worst of both: They get the high fees, and lack of freedom, but there are no established systems or proven strategy to more than offset them.
If the system is in flux, what in heaven’s name is the $30K franchise fee and the 5% of gross sales for?
Sean,
I appologise, I was unaware that all other sucessful franchises have been started by people that have “experience developing a chain”.
So in that respect I have obviously been wrong.
Leader can mean many things….The leader in the number of stores, the leader in the amount of money made, the leader customers, or possibly the leader in ideas that everyone else seems to pick up and run with.
Do you have the absolute definition of what Michele Bellso meant when she says that? Are you absolutely sure that there is complete lack of freedom? Are you absolutely sure that I/we can not adapt or change direction as we see fit, as you say?
All the other franchises we looked at lock you in so tight. The fact that Make and Take Gourmet is not like that is what stood out to us. And it has proven to be true.
You I believe have the ability to check deeper into this. Maybe you will come to the same conclusion, but possibly you would find something new to consider. And either way you could formulate your statments based on specific fact about Make and Take Gourmet and not put it in the MAK box. I value both side of opinions. I have actually spoken over the last months with the owners of the stores that closed. That is why I knew they might close. And because of that I can defienately say you are speaking from a position that does not have all the facts.
I realize that you have much more expertise on franchises in general than I do, and probably MAK’s in general also. But this is not about MAK’s in general. You spoke to a specific one, I am responding to you on that specfic one and do it from a position that knows that not everything you are stating is true.
You certainly have the freedom to generalize, but you are in a position to influence. Isn’t it so much better to influence with true fact? Your first comments seemed to come from a personal level rather than someone analizing an event, from the middle of the road so to speak. And in choosing that route, have you considered the influence that you may effect in a negative way?
Many things through our life are “unproven” think of all the valuable things that have happened because people took risk, chose the unknown. Big things, small things. But even small things effect lives. In the grand scheme of things, Make and Take Gourmet is a small thing, owning one is a small thing, but it can effect lives. That is the thing that has taken me off guard the most with owing a New Make and Take Gourmet. I knew it was a great idea, I knew it would be helpful to so many people…but I have customers that say it has changed there life. Brought down stress levels, brought up bank accounts. Almost every week there is someone that comes through the door that is making meals for someone sick, for a family that sudden lost a Father, for a new mom or for a mom who in delivering there first child almost lost her life. Friends and family showed up and made meals for the daddy and the grandparents who for weeks cared for this little new born while sitting with mom in intensive care.
It is proven that this makes a difference in my community. It is proven that the corporate office is a huge support and considers the needs of our store and the area around it. It is proven that I have huge flexability to meet those needs.
It is proven that new ideas are considered, it is proven that new ideas will be presented to us and that we have the ability to use what will work for our store.
Time tells yes…and yes you can say McDonalds is proven or many others. And I guess that no McDonalds have closed. Or at least with in there first 20 years, when then they can be called experienced and proven and then it is okay.
Because we know who we are working with personally I have reason to have faith. And because we know we are willing to grow and adapt as you said and corporate will allow it. We have faith.
I truly hope you can step back a moment and find out a bit more.
Make and Take Franchisee:
Is there a reason you wish to remain anonymous? Feel free to use your name, or link to your store location.
I am definitely open to discussions with you and/or with Michele Bellso. Feel free to email her a link to this conversation, and an invitation to clarify what I’m not understanding. Anyone is free to do so offline by emailing me at info[at]ideafarm.net in confidence.
If you are a franchisee, you can still consider the points I’m making without betraying your franchisor or your decision to buy the franchise.
I never said that every successful franchisor had developed chains before. I’d venture a guess that they tapped the expertise of those who had as quickly as possible.
There are warning lights flashing all over this concept, and only those in denial would continue to beg comparisons with McDonald’s. McDonald’s was a modification of a proven concept that was diligently systematized prior to franchising. The popularity of selling prepared hamburgers, french fries and milkshakes in a fast food, drive-in format wasn’t in doubt. McDonald’s was a refinement of a proven concept; Make & Take Gourmet is an experiment.
Why dig? There are enough warning signs in one glance at the website and a few articles to send chills up my spine… and should yours. Like the article from March, 2007 http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3718/is_20070302/ai_n18781358
You know what? there are so many serious questions this article raises, I’m going to have to do it as a separate post.
Oh Brother, I have to agree with Sean, warning bells AND red flags all over the field.
You are in error for comparing any other food franchise to MAK’s. It was an unproven concept from the first Dream Dinners that sold.
After reading the above post AND the article, let me add that Michelle Bellso is bringing absolutly NOTHING new to the table with Take & Bake. And you unfortunately are as deluded as we all were when we bought our franchises from our respective Zors. The logisitic alone of using dedicated vendors is going to be a nightmare.
Michelle Bellso has no food experience whatsoever, nor does she seem to have any experience in marketing specifically for MAK’s.
That sound suspiciously a lot like the ZOR I bought from. AND dear poster, if you look at the numbers posted for Super Supper & Dream Dinner current franchises you will see that there has been a serious loss of stores due to closures, with more that have not shown up in those posted numbers. They continue as do all the other ZOrs to lose stores every month. The attrition rate for most zors is greater than the buys, which in my book is a good thing. This industry as a whole needs to stop selling this failed concept to people, period.
To the above poster…if you want a TRUE picture of the state of the industry you need to go to http://www.mealassemblywatch.com and read story after story of devastation this industry has reaped on hundreds of families, who withthe same misguided outlook on their “business” you have and took the risk based on bountiful misinformation that is bantied about by both Zors and industry Assoc. all to grab your cash for themselves.
Do not think that I am alone in how I feel about this industry. Take & Bake is truly NOTHING new under the sun…in fact they came to the party late and will likely leave early. Meal Assembly as a concept cannot withstand competition, that has been proven over and over again.
The social aspect quickly looses it’s appeal to customers, it’s kinda like going to the same movie every month…gets old.
At the very least the “social aspect” that Take Bake founder toutes is again nothing new, and in fact has failed in it’s appeal for almost every Zor out there. The first thing to go in a bad economy is the luxury items, which if that;s what your marketing your business as, is going to be an immediate detriment to you.
It has been shown that to change a consumers buying habits takes repetition, advertising dollars and consistent message, what kind of consitent message has the MAK industry put out there for the general public? None, because we are too busy trying to evolve into a viable concept. We just throw things against the wall to see if anything sticks. Again wrong approach for an industry that has sold franchises to consumers as a proven concept…..which it is not…..it is in fact a FAILED CONCEPT. Anyone who continues to buy these things now I have no real sympathy for. There is plenty of actual experience information for people who truly look past the hype and crap the Zors are feeding them. 3 years ago, I could have written both the posts you did. Unfortunately reality bitch slapped me in the face. I trusted my Zor, I “liked my Zor”, my Zor was different….all of which are misstatements for every single ZOR out there. When your store fails to make a profit, fails to even make enough money for you to pay yourself, but you realize that Michelle et al are still getting paid, trust me your tune will change……
MM
I realize I seem to be having a quaint little conversation with myself here, but each time I read the above posts something else catches my eye such as this…
“Is the industry changing? Yes I can see that it is, and even in the short year since we came on board, it was not a direction that we foresaw, but now that we are here, we need to adapt and grow with the needs around us.”
I am sorry to break the news to you but the industry is not “changing”-”pausing” quote from the infamous Bert Vermeulen of EMP, it is not “going through a shakeout-Stephanie From Dream Dinners.” It is dying and dying quickly…
“It was not a direction you forsaw”- because of all the disinformation being put out by every Zor, industry Assoc. & Bert Vermuelen that can get quoted in a newspaper article.
Thank God for Sean here, and mealassemblywatch.com for bringing this to light!
You didn’t forsee it because your Zor chose to ignore it and if they didn’t ignore it then they ignorantly went into a business that they didn’t know anything about. The attrition of this business started in the summer 2006, that puts you smack dab in the middle of it. If your Zor did not forsee it and instead went lock step with every other Zor by going to grab & go’s then I have even less respect for them. Here is what I perceive.
I percieve a concept that was over hyped, oversold to franchisees with NO credible evidence to back up the wild claims that were being thrown around especially by Bert Vermuelen and his band of reknowns at EMP.
My question is why do you think you have to “grow?” The concept you were sold was a Meal Assembly business, not a carry-out psuedo restaurant.
To make excuses for Zors in this industry is just obscene to me.
They are the experts, this was “their concept” regardless of who was first and who creatively borrowed from someone else. THEY should be telling you how to fix it. It would be like me taking my car into a certified expert mechanic and grabbing his tools and fixing my car myself!
Again, why should you adapt? Was the concept sold to you as an evolving, adapting model?
I seriously doubt it.
This fad is passe and folks have moved on, you just got left behind and don’t realize it yet.
The other thing that bothers me is your inference that it is somehow the fault of the owners of those stores because they failed.
Having been an owner and know many, many, many, many former store owners that include almost every Franchise to independents it bugs me to have the finger pointed at them and told that they are the reason their store closed as if they somehow didn’t do enough.
Running an MAK is a lot like trying to nail jello to a wall, and the fact that your customers come in and tell you wonderful life changing stories is great, but for the vast majority of us, it didn’t pay the bills.
Your time will tell statement is nice, but again, time has already told us that the days of the MAK as a “profitable” business is already up.
MM
MysteryMiss:
You’re doing such a great job conversing with yourself, it would be a shame to interrupt :)
Unfortunately, I will give you more bad stuff to react to shortly. I am coming to the conclusion that Make & Take Gourmet, lb. for .lb, IS a standout in the industry. Unfortunately, not in a good way.
Should we call it “On the Make, Shake Down & Take?”
MM
Someone/Make & Take or anyone:
Company press releases from Dec. 2007 state: “Make and Take Gourmet, a fast-growing meal preparation franchise that has already opened 23 locations across the country in their first year…”
What happened to the rest? This latest story said there had been 16, and with the two closing that would make 14 total. Are there more open? Did more than three close?
I heard from a very reliable and knowledgeable source that Michelle and Dave Bellso’s plan from the start was to get going, sell franchises, then sell of the entire company while the going was good because they knew it wouldn’t last for too long.
Did they miss the train?
To make a short story shorter…
YES….
Can you say “oops, miscalculation batman?”
MM
There is another storm brewing on the Make it rich At the Kitchen-owners expense (MAK).
Meal Makers has had a lawsuit filed against them for (if the paper work is correct) $240,000,000 (yes, it says 6 zeros), in Toledo Ohio.
The game is still afoot Watson!
MM
I will make a bet that the law suit is a) based on anti-trust, b) looks for triple and punitive damages, and c) is dead on arrival.
But I will go look it up.
Make and Take Franchisee:
We all have similar stories of making meals for new mom’s, old mom’s, mom’s in ICU, for lost loved ones and for parents of children in the Make-A-Wish foundation. They are beautiful stories and we will all bask in how history will show we tried to make a difference. But the reality is, while those feed our souls they don’t pay the bills. Customers, and lots of them, do and that just isn’t happening anymore. The stores I’ve been involved with went from several hundred customers a month to struggling to get 50 a month through the door because of the overcrowded market and lack of consumer interest.
Stephanie of Dream Dinners can say whatever she wants about the bottom line, the reality is, you open a business to make money, not pour nearly a million dollars into someone else’s pocket. I hear from dozens of owners, perhaps hundreds now who are struggling, who don’t earn a paycheck, who work 60 hours a week, who aren’t having dinner with their families, who aren’t watching their kids grow up, who lie awake every night trying to figure out how they’re going to keep their house because they can’t pay off their debts.
Adding items to a menu to suit a particular taste or fancy at the time is evolving. Having to change the very structure of your business just so you can stay in business is something else entirely.
Marketing should not be left entirely on the shoulders of the local owner. It should be national and frequent. Everyone should know what this is and how it works. Sean has summed it by saying you can’t even explain this concept and it’s 5 years old.
EVERY franchise says they are different and unique and are the leader in this industry. Everyone thinks they invented it too. It’s all copycats. There is no system here. There is no plan for making money. You have been given an idea and now it’s up to you to try and make it work. Where is the support system? I have said it dozens of times now, where are the magazine ads, where are the TV commercials, where are the radio ads, where are the sponsorships, where is all that marketing money going? Do you see those royalties you pay helping you at a local level? Are paying yourself a salary? Are you spending time with your family and enjoying the benefits of being self employed? Are you happier now than you were in your previous employment? Have you alleviated the stress in your own life through meal assembly?
Dream Dinners is being sued. Meal Makers is being sued. And I think several others are a hairs breadth away from the same. Owners have been taken for a ride and instead of buying the goose that lays the golden eggs they bought a cow that gives no milk.
We are past the point of seeing the writing on the wall. Owners are unable and unwilling to keep shoveling money into everyone else’s pockets. Stores are closing faster than they open and despite what Bert V. or Stephanie has to say, the industry has not paused or is in the middle of shakeout, it has collapsed and customers have no real need or incentive for this business anymore.
You want to read what’s happening to owners?
http://www.mealassemblywatch.com
It may go no-where but it makes great for blogosphere fodder & speculation!
MM
I have a burning question that hasnt been answered- Is their a time frame when you have a ‘great concept or idea’ that needs to be proven before you can turn it into a Franchise?
Why are the Zors not taking responsiblitiy in making the Owners profitable?
Mindy said: Why are the Zors not taking responsiblitiy in making the Owners profitable?
Mindy, it’s not the franchisor’s responsibility to make the franchisees profitable. Prospective franchisees need to understand that they are still starting a business, with all the personal risk that entails. The ultimate responsibility for success is theirs.
The franchisor’s role is to provide a set of tools and services (Name, logo, training, systems, support, etc.) that have been battle-tested and that should provide benefits that greatly exceed the fees and freedom you give up as their franchisee.
That’s their expected ROLE. Their RESPONSIBILITY, in my opinion, is to tell the truth and not misrepresent either the tools and services they are providing, or the benefit of the same.
Franchisees aren’t protected from entering into a bad deal. They should be protected from being promised one thing and provided with another.
In this case, it disturbs me to read a website that says “As seasoned marketing professionals we know how to “brand” and promote the business. We have the pulse on consumer buying trends so that we can grow and change our business model to keep up with those trends… Our taste-tested recipes are so delicious they’ll keep coming back for more.”
IMHO, The impression is that this is a proven, fine-tuned system. That’s why it’s troubling to read an interview in which the franchisor says they expected failures, and that:
“There are just so many variables to being successful. It could be the location. It could be the ability to react to the retail model. When the stores first opened, customers made an appointment. Now, we are a seven-day-a-week retail operation…”
I’d have no complaint if the franchise pitch were “Hey, we’re figuring this out as we go. If you want to join us and accept higher risk but more freedom and lower fees than most established franchises, then we’re for you… But be forewarned… We expect that some won’t come back from this mission alive…”
You just have to deliver what you promise.
Sean, Thanks for giving a clear, unemotional answer to this question I get asked everyday from Owners in the Meal Assembly World.
“IMHO, The impression is that this is a proven, fine-tuned system. That’s why it’s troubling to read an interview in which the franchisor says they expected failures, and that:
“There are just so many variables to being successful. It could be the location. It could be the ability to react to the retail model. When the stores first opened, customers made an appointment. Now, we are a seven-day-a-week retail operation…”
AND ANOTHER THING-
the funny thing about the above quote from the
the half-baked Take & Bake Zor is that quote could (and has in some form or other) come out of every Zor in the MAK industry on the planet AND from Mr.EMP himself.
Do they have talking points that they pass around to each other to for newspaper interviews to use to swat back at the little gnatty gnats that gum up their happy little MAK Zor worlds on blogs such as this one and others? Just wonderin…
The “if you build it they will come” mentality”- was perpetrated and perpetuated at my Zor’s HO and I believe at least one of their few remaining zee’s and the queeny-bee herself still chants it every morning.
And yes Sean, Thank you for answering M’s question with aplomb. You said it much better than I could have and with a lot less words.
I AM a cranky pantz today!
MM “the funny thing about the above quote from the
the half-baked Take & Bake Zor is that quote could (and has in some form or other) come out of every Zor in the MAK industry on the planet AND from Mr.EMP himself.
Do they have talking points that they pass around to each other to for newspaper interviews to use… ”
You know… You have have asked a very, very interesting question. Very interesting.
Here’s what I KNOW-
Mr. Supper Thyme USA went to the EMP annual sellvention-I mean convention- this year for the the first time EVER-if I’m not mistaken.
What would be interesting to know is if any of the other stooges from the the other MAK ZOR company were there too….
Kinda makes ya think about conspiracy theory or at the very least (and heres the REAL scary part for me) they’re looking to Mr. EMP for the answers to the burning question”how do we sucker more people into buying our franchises?
Oh and a new catch phrase for “What’s for Dinner?”
It shows me that at least one ZOR is scared spitless, so much so that he will bury that hatchet and smoke the peace pipe with Mr. EMP or possibly drink the koolaide.
Mr. STUSA never had a good thing to say about EMP before….I’m just sayin…..
Kelly
Doesn’t EasyMealPrep sell a marketing manual or program? That was my thought when you talked about the similarities in marketing. On top of that, though, the me-too franchise concepts are not a wildly creative bunch. When I was at Auntie Anne’s, a couple of dozen companies copied everything we did, down to the exact reheating instructions on out paper sleeves. If there was a typo, they’d copy that too. It was funny because they didn’t really understand what they were copying. We had errors that we hadn’t gotten around to correcting, like the organization of our menu boards, and they would copy it.
But there’s something much more disturbing going on here, which I’ll explain in an upcoming post.
Sean
info[at]ideafarm.net
Yes, they sell the whole magilla right down to a recipe program(for a fee that Mr. EMP gets a cut of) come to think o it Mr. EMP gets a cut of everything sold through all of the vendors he “promotes” on the EMP website, which has gone through some upgrades lately in hopes of pulling people back into his ponzi scheme from the grips of IMAPB (I think I have the correct letters) or the newest entrant the Kitchen Coalition, wait…he or an associate of his gave them $70,000 in seed money to start that member owned organization to help Zees sever ties with their Zors, so he et al could be KING OF THE MAK WORLD! All it takes is connecting the dots……
Bert sells the recipes, offers the website hosting and ordering software, marketing plan and all the pieces you will need to open your store. One of his major vendors is What’s Cooking Software which is also the major sponsor to the coalition idea he is supporting which encourages Independents to band together to help promote and sell the MA concept. It also encourages those who are dissatisfied with their current Zor to sever ties and switch to being an independent kitchen. Of course he is there to sell his goods through his vendors.
However, should your business fail, have no fear, Bert is available to sell your store and contents on his site. He will sell you on this money making scheme that he has sold to heaven knows how many people and now that it’s failing he will list your store and items on his site for a fee. It’s a beautiful scam from start to finish.
He is the main voice you will hear talking up this industry. I have stated multiple times he has changed his tune in the last year from this industry will have 3000 stores before reaching saturation, to there being a shakeout, to there is a slowdown, to there being a pause. Further, his newsletter is a mishmash of ideas that come from other locations since he does not currently, nor has he ever owned or operated a meal assembly store. In fact, his last newsletter was a blatant copy of the ideas expressed by visitors and commenters of my site.
Bert’s only tie to meal assembly is a store in Ft. Collins, CO which is also where What’s Cooking Software is headquartered. I believe he helped with their marketing.
In his January issue or close to it, he said there was no reason for concern in the industry, some stores were slowing down but overall the industry is healthy. He has since changed that to there being a shakeout, to now there is a pause. And this been within the last 4 months. Meanwhile many of us have been saying this summer will be devastating and that was before all the economic factors that have recently cropped up.
He is hosting another meal assembly gathering in Sept. which I am sure he will use as an opportunity to try and sell more of his “packages” to a market that is ripe for the picking since the competition has died down and you can buy stores and equipment and rock bottom prices.
As Kelly mentioned, Bert and his group have a whole string of websites dedicated to showing how great this industry is so they can sell you their products.
Tuckerbox/Kelly/Anyone else:
re: mealprepmarketing.com
I was going to wait to do a post on this, but I’m still in a bit of shock. This seems so outrageous I’m not sure where to start. So I’ll solicit input before you guys “in-the-know” before I post.
Perhaps a franchisee, staff member or owner of Make & Take Gourmet (or as I’m starting to think of it, Take & Take Gourmet) will join in with some insight.
Kelly’s comment about similarities in marketing prompted me to return to mealprepmarketing.com which I had visited briefly. I was thinking this was from Easy Meal Prep but was shocked to find it was Designworks, the ad agency the Bellso’s own.
Please correct me if I’m wrong: Designworks, whose owner is also the marketing head of M&TG, gets paid by the franchisees to develop marketing strategies and materials and implement them. Then they turn around and market the same basic programs and materials to the franchisee’s potential competitors: Independent meal preps.
On top of that, they post the confidential results of the franchisee’s marketing, including response rates, leads and hits captured from their campaigns, right there on their website!
Take it from one who’s been a franchisor and run an ad agency: Any ad agency that solicited business from a franchise client’s direct competitor’s OR disclosed confidential info on their website would get fired so fast their heads wouldn’t have timeto spin. If not sued.
Am I missing something here? The franchisees aren’t outraged by this?
The light starts to dawn…they have been soliciting information from current MAK owners on Tuckerboxes website
OMG-Mindy and I talked about this and I was suspicious about them from the beginning, I don’t think some of the indies they claim to represent know they are the owners of Take & Shake Down.
They first represented themselves as being in the industry from the beginning, then when pushed they said well they were trying to learn all they could to “help” other MAK’s market their stores more effectively…always connect the dots
Kelly
HOLY MAK CRAP BATMAN!
I honestly don’t think anyone knows, only one indie even seemed to know who mealprepmarketing.com was. I did a search, but didn’t really look to hard because I just suspected they were a Zor trying to pump people for information.
They got pretty steamed (pun intended) when their playground was encroached upon by some other posters…hmmmmm…
Seems they’re a duplicitous group.
A quick check of the domain name does indeed confirm what you are saying:
Mealprepmarketing.com:
Registrant:
Designworks Advertising
David Bellso
109 Twin Oaks Drive
Syracuse, NY 13206
US
Email: dbellso@designworksadv.com
Makeandtakegourmet.com
Registrant:
Designworks Advertising
David Bellso
109 Twin Oaks Drive
Syracuse, NY 13206
US
Email: dbellso@designworksadv.com
Let’s do another one just for fun. The kitchen coalition which is supposed to save independents and help franchisees break free:
Kitchen coalition . com
registrant-firstname: Jim
registrant-lastname: Pelichowski
registrant-street1: 6112 Paragon Ct
registrant-pcode: 80525
registrant-state: CO
registrant-city: Fort Collins
registrant-ccode: US
registrant-phone: +1.9704026524
registrant-email: jim@whatscookingsoftware.com
Look how nice, a coalition started by a company that just happens to sell the software for your meal prep store, and of course is headed by Bert V, who happens to sell everything else and is partners with Bert.
Kelly, are you saying the person in this forum topic:
http://www.mealassemblywatch.com/Forum/index.php?topic=171.0
Is one of the people from the PR Store or from Mealprepmarketing?
Have I been duped???
Thank You Tuckerbox…anywhere else we can connect the dots-to any of the above folks?
The Jim & Bert show certainly do show up in lots of things “MAK” don’t they?
Kelly, are you saying that the main person giving advice in this forum topic:
http://www.mealassemblywatch.com/Forum/index.php?topic=171.0
Is someone from the PR Store or from Mealprepmarketing.com?
Here are a couple of other examples on how things relate together:
http://www.mealassemblywatch.com/wordpress/index.php/2007/08/21/some-additional-thoughts-on-these-statistics/
And by the way Kelly, are you saying that the marketing person in this discussion forum:
http://www.mealassemblywatch.com/Forum/index.php?topic=171.0
Is on of the people from PR Store or mealprepmarketing?
Have I been duped?
Here’s another one for you:
Registered through: SnapMonkey.com
Domain Name: MEALPREPINFO.COM
Created on: 22-Sep-06
Expires on: 22-Sep-16
Last Updated on:
Administrative Contact:
Wilhelm, Rita rita@snapmonkey.com
SnapMonkey
3035 S Elmira Court
Denver, Colorado 80231
United States
Registered through: SnapMonkey.com
Domain Name: SNAPMONKEY.COM
Created on: 19-Jan-03
Expires on: 19-Jan-15
Last Updated on: 01-Apr-08
Administrative Contact:
Wilhelm, Rita rita@giftbasketmentor.com
Snap Monkey
3035 S Elmira Court
Denver, Colorado 80231
United States
And of course Snapmonkey is a marketing firm for meal assembly stores which happens to be a big promoter of the EMPA and What’s Cooking Software. And of course who owns them? Why, yes, Bert V and his band that are trying to launch the kitchen coalition.
As I have stated before, Bert and his group have multiple sites that all give the impression of being independent of each other, which all link together and are owned by the same group of people. Not that being known by different names is a bad thing, just look at Disney, who many companies do they own and promote movies from? But what we have going on here is a little deceptive.
I have also found this one to be somewhat curious. It’s a meal assembly store and a way to start your own store all at one site:
“Over 37 Independent business owners use our system sofware and growing. Take a look at a SAMPLING of some of the great businesses that have purchased our consulting services and website software systems!”
http://www.simplydinners.com/
http://www.simplydinners.com/BusinessOps.aspx
Sorry Sean, hopefully I’m not polluting your blog with worthless info, but I thought you might be interesting how some of these businesses and sites relate to one another.
It does seem that almost everyone in this industry seems to have some sort of side business their working on.
For the past 6 months Kelly and I have been bantering back and forth on many issues concerning the MA world. We both have left the corporate Zor-Greed and want to make a difference and HELP Owners succeed.
There are many players as we start to uncover this sludge of greed. As many start to uncover this I want to Stress that Tuckerbox, Kelly & myself want only for this to stop. We dont have all the answers however, this is a start of due dilagence for many future people to discide if they want to buy a MA Franchise or an excisiting one.
Thank you Sean for this platform.
/m
All the merry little dots….
Has anyone connected the Meal Assembly Network website also in Colorado to the Bert & Jim Show?
While we’re casting about…
Why would Marcia Hale-ex MGFK CEO,(failed Franchise) now be in a business called
The Franchise Performance group and listed as a team member and franchise coach?
Don’t get me wrong I believe everyone should be able to move on with their lives after runAMAK (after meal assembly kitchen)
I don’t know anything about the PR store….
As far as the person doing marketing research on your site as mealprepmarketing? IMHO-connect the dots
Tuckerbox wrote: Sorry Sean, hopefully I’m not polluting your blog with worthless info…
No problem. That’s just less worthless info I’ve got to post…
Hellllllllloooooooooooooooo
I tried to tell people at Meal Assembly Watch who mealmarketingprep was. You all didn’t want to listen!!! :>)
You all were duped!
I have to agree with many that these people are probably okay people at Make And Take but don’t know the franchising or the food industry.
In my humble opinion-
I have to respectfully disagree with you on the Belloso’s (Zors of Make & Take Gourmet )being okay people-
They are Taking people’s money all the while knowing that the concept is failed. -That is NOT okay in my book..
How did you know who they were? Just curious….
Well I guess you are right. I really don’t know them personally.
I assumed that meal prep marketing was the company they grew out of their Designworks Marketing company and their MAK company Make and Take Gourmet. I live in the city where both companies are headquartered and put two and two together and did the google search.
I have been researching this industry with the hopes to get into it until I fell upon Meal Assembly Watch. Thank the Lord!
Out of curiosity, do you all really think that in the beginning the Make and Take people really thought that their franchisees would fail? Do you think they intentionally took money knowing failures would happend?
I am disappointed if that is the case.
The Meal Prep Marketing on the Meal Assembly Watch is saying that “he” is not “she???” Do you believe it?
Anyone who cares to do research (like yourself) is capable of realizing that the MAK industry is in it’s death throes-and to stay clear… IMHO no ZOR should still be selling franchises and in fact one has stopped that is Main Dish Kitchen…they still have 4 stores open the last I knew.
In my opinion they are the only MAK company in existence with any integrity.
You can make up your own mind as to whether M&TG is doing anything intentionally-what you see above is a personal opinion that I shared. Read the article and read the Make & Take Gourmet founders own words…then you decide.
I see what you mean. I’m just thankful I came across the Meal Assembly Watch website.
Kanegirl3 said: …do you all really think that in the beginning the Make and Take people really thought that their franchisees would fail? Do you think they intentionally took money knowing failures would happend?
They expected failures?
In my experience, few new franchisors start out thinking that their franchisees will fail… especially right out of the gate. That’s one of the reasons that Michele Bellso’s statement that she expected franchisees to fail – that those closures were normal – was so shocking.
Sale of unregistered franchises?
There are other indications in the articles that at the very least the Bellso’s did not take a long term view of building their franchise system.
Judging by what’s in the newspaper accounts, the Bellso’s began selling franchises in registration states like New York before they were approved and registered. That’s serious stuff. It could have some serious legal ramifications, including making the viability of those first franchise agreements questionable. You can’t, as Michele says in the article, simply call the licenses then switch to franchises when you’re registered. It doesn’t matter if you call it a cheese sandwich, if it meets the definition of a franchise, you’ve got to have an approved registration prior to even seriously discussing your franchise. If I were a franchisee, I’d have a a qualified franchise lawyer take a good look the franchise agreement and registration dates.
Selling more than they can support?
Another red flag is the plan to open 60-70 in the first year. The article states the first hires were sales, not support, staff. Does that show a real concern for supporting the first franchisees, or creating a quick chain and selling it or going public fast?
Reselling franchisee marketing to competitors?
The mealprepmarketing.com program, to me, is the most disturbing indication of the attitude toward franchisees. I’ve been the Director of Marketing of a Franchisor and I’ve owned the Ad Agency with franchise clients. In neither case would I have considered repackaging proprietary materials to sell to the open market, including competitors. As a D of M, I would fire the agency that did that in a heartbeat. I’d consider suing them if they posted our marketing results on their website to sell it. As the head of an agency, we of course work from templates to an extent. But I wouldn’t market a package of Meal Prep materials to independents that a Meal Prep client paid me to create.
Where does this franchisor’s loyalty lie?
The disturbing thing about it is what it says about where the Bellso’s loyalty lies. As a Director of Marketing it wouldn’t have occured to me because out singular focus was the success of our franchisees. My job was to help take business away from competitors, not help them take business from our own franchisees.
With whom does the Bellso’s loyalty lie? Read between the lines and, unfortunately, it seems pretty clear.