Comments on: Make & Take Gourmet: Meal Prep Franchisor Takes Failures in Stride

By: MAKE & TAKE GOURMET: Franchise Flagship Cl : Franchise Pick

MAKE & TAKE GOURMET: Franchise Flagship Cl : Franchise Pick — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 22:22:11 +0000

[...] of the lost investment of her franchise owners as business-as-usual prompted the first (Make & Take Gourmet: Meal Prep Franchisor Takes Failures in Stride April 28, 2008) of 20+ posts I’d write on the ill-conceived and ill-fated meal prep [...]

By: MAKE & TAKE GOURMET: Flagship Cicero Store Closes | Unhappy Franchisee

MAKE & TAKE GOURMET: Flagship Cicero Store Closes | Unhappy Franchisee — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 12:33:35 +0000

[...] as she did when Neidt reported the closures of the Make & Take franchise stores last April (Make & Take Gourmet: Meal Prep Franchisor Takes Failures in Stride). When the franchise stores started dropping like flies, Bellso claimed that franchise failures [...]

By: Make & Take Gourmet, Bellso Serve Up Franchise Fraud To Go

Make & Take Gourmet, Bellso Serve Up Franchise Fraud To Go — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 18:36:14 +0000

[...] April 28th, 2008 Make & Take Gourmet: Meal Prep Franchisor Takes Failures in Stride [...]

By: Make & Take Gourmet, Michele Bellso Accused of Franchise Fraud (AG) | Unhappy Franchisee

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:55:08 +0000

[...] though they had not provided the required disclosure documentation and offering prospectus, Make & Take Gourmet personnel aggressively recruited franchisee Terri Morgan; Michele Bellso discussed with her [...]

By: "Leading" Meal Assembly Franchisor Make & Take Gourmet Closing Company Store

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:20:54 +0000

[...] Franchise Blog) Related stories: Make & Take Gourmet: Meal Prep Franchisor Takes Failures in Stride, Patrons of Failed Franchise Blast Make and Take Gourmet Franchisor Bellso, Meal Prep Franchisor [...]

By: Is Make & Take Gourmet Offering Franchise Buyouts?

Is Make & Take Gourmet Offering Franchise Buyouts? — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:20:46 +0000

By: There’s Truth Within the Franchise Spin. Here’s How to Find It.

There’s Truth Within the Franchise Spin. Here’s How to Find It. — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:12:28 +0000

[...] Related stories: Make & Take Gourmet: Meal Prep Franchisor Takes Failures in Stride, Why the Meal Prep / Meal Assembly Kitchen Franchises are Failing. Part 3, Patrons of Failed [...]

By: sean

sean — Sun, 18 May 2008 05:36:09 +0000

Seriously, though, Make & Take Owner, Michael Webster is an experienced franchise and business attorney who, despite being Canadian and on the board of the American Association of Franchisees & Dealers, is highly respected.
I am highly disrespected but have been in franchising for 20 years and been involved with the development of more than 100 franchise programs.
Our strong reaction to what we’ve seen and heard about this franchise is pretty unique. Believe me, there is trouble ahead.
This franchisor claims to have a proven system, site and demographic criteria, and to approve locations.
Have you ever been to Hermitage, PA? It’s a rust-belt town of 16,000 with an average household income of $39,000. The big nights out are all-you-can eat wing night at the Lube (Tuesday) and the Mud Bog on Friday, where people pay to watch their neighbors drive through a huge mud puddle.
East Rochester, Auburn NY, Manchester, New Hartford all have lower household incomes than Vestal, which just closed.

People who don’t know the Bellso’s blast away at the kind of people they are when they have no first hand knowledge to do so.
With four closed stores, why don’t you suggest to the Bellsos that they 1) immediately discontinue marketing or selling any more franchises so they can focus on supporting the open stores, and 2) stop collecting franchise fees from stores that have not yet reached break even. They will each be incentivised to get to profitability.

That would be a great opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to their franchisees’ success.

By: sean

sean — Sun, 18 May 2008 05:07:13 +0000

Michael Webster wrote: Oh, cum’on!!! You have been correctly slagging another franchise system for far less than this!… But seriously, don’t let your foot up now.
I was trying to nurture my kinder gentler side, Michael.
I was trying not to run off the sole Take & Take Franchisee to participate (which I’m sure you’ve done now)
I was trying to be more subtle with my forked tongue (by suggesting to the owner of an ad agency that she hire a competent firm).
But the main reason I am inclined to relent is that if I disclose how bad I really think this opportunity is, Bob Purvin will ride in and slap an AAFD Fair Franchising Award on them!

(Sorry… I know it’s wrong, but I’m weak. You can call me a lying two-faced shill at your convenience for payback)

By: Michael Webster

Michael Webster — Sat, 17 May 2008 21:43:58 +0000

Sean writes: “I hope this does turn out to be the case of a caring franchisor who just needs some serious media and PR training.”

Oh, cum’on!!! You have been correctly slagging another franchise system for far less than this!

This system is a piece of crap, designed and promoted with out the slightest idea about change human behavior.

Sean, don’t make me come after you as lying, two faced shill like promoter. Ok, ok, I am joking!

But seriously, don’t let your foot up now. This whole industry is based on some fantasy: nobody makes a New Year’s resolution that they will do more cooking in advance. Bye, bye meal prep.