Less than a year ago, Make & Take Gourmet founder Michele Bellso sent out a blast email announcing the closing of two franchise stores of the chain’s 16 locations. 
Bellso’s nonchalant, cheery tone and characterization 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 chain.
“Interest and excitement in the Make and Take Gourmet concept has never been greater!” wrote Bellso in her email last April.  “We anticipated that as this …read more

Michele Bellso and her ill-fated Make and Take Gourmet meal assembly kitchen franchise chain continue to provide compelling examples of how NOT to start and run a franchise chain.  Their newest lesson plan includes a special guest appearance by, pound for pound, the hardest working franchise enforcement agency:  the Maryland Attorney General.
According to this post on Unhappy Franchisee, the Securities Division of the Office of the Attorney General of Maryland “finds grounds  to allege that Respondents Make and Take Holding, LLC and Michele Bellso violated the registration, disclosure, and antifraud provisions of the Maryland Franchise Law, in relation to the …read more

(FranchisePick.Com)  Two recent posts on Unhappy Franchisee (MAKE & TAKE GOURMET: 3 Franchisee Groups Reportedly Suing; MAKE & TAKE GOURMET: Franchisees Sue Meal Prep Franchisor) report that three failed franchise groups are suing the franchisor of Make & Take Gourmet and its attorney.
The groups include franchisees Shawn & Lisa Tyszka, of Syracuse, NY, owners of the now-closed Camillus, NY Make & Take Gourmet franchise; Eugene & Cheryl Grenga of Liverpool, NY, owners of the now-closed Baldwinsville, NY Make & Take Gourmet franchise; and Brian & Lisa Clark of Clifton Park, NY, owners of the now-closed Clifton Park, NY Make & …read more

(FranchisePick.com 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 Blames Franchisees…
What a difference two months makes!
Back in June, Make & Take Gourmet franchise founder Michele Bellso was claiming that the tiny NY meal assembly franchise company was thriving. An Unhappy Franchisee post on Make & Take Gourmet quoted Bellso’s aggressive growth plans:
Michele Bellso, founder and president of Make & Take Gourmet, says the company isn’t even close to reaching its full potential. Since May 2006, …read more

(Unhappy Franchisee)  If there were a Franchise Pun of the Week Award it would go to UnhappyFranchisee.com for recoining the farcical Meal Assembly Kitchen concept as the Meal Dissembly Kitchen* concept, and naming Take & Bake Gourmet (aka Fake & Take Gourmet) Diva Michele Bellso as Queen Dissembler.
Bellso, as you may recall, is the head of the tiny and failing Make & Take Gourmet meal assembly franchise chain who endeared herself to this blog by announcing that her 12-unit chain was the industry leade, and that she was not distressed by her many failed franchisees because she had expected it …read more

(FranchisePick.Com) If a franchisee fails in the second year of their 10 year franchise agreement, odds are the franchisor can hold them responsible for the estimated future royalties on the remaining 8 years of the contract.
While rarely collected, the threat of “future royalties” can be a big stick used to demand a reduced farewell “failure fee,” a release from liability agreement and/or a confidentiality agreement (gag order) to make sure failed franchisees go away quietly.
Troubled franchise companies will sometimes offer some or all of their unhappy or struggling franchisees this type of deal… and the chance to buy …read more

(FranchisePick.com 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 Blames Franchisees…
Troubled meal assembly kitchen franchisor Make & Take Gourmet is rumored to be offering its franchise owners a chance to buy their way out of their franchise contracts – and to be free from future royalties or obligations to the franchisor – as long as they agree not to sue the Make & Take Gourmet franchisor in the future.
A commenter on meal prep discussion site Meal Assembly Watch …read more

Required reading:
Can Botox Parties Save the Meal Prep Franchises? (Part 1)
Can Botox Parties Save the Meal Prep Franchises? (Part 2)

(FranWorst.com) Never one to rest on his laurels when a few million dollars is to be made, Millionaire Richard Quick, Esq. has announced a new conversion opportunity to save the failing independent and franchised meal prep kitchens (aka meal assembly kitchens, aka MAKs, aka SOLs): Make & Fake Gourmet. Make & Fake Gourmet is the first Meal Assembly & Cosmetic Surgery Kitchen franchise opportunity, and is available to all Dream Dinners, Super Suppers, Make & Take Gourmet, My …read more

Required reading:
Can Botox Parties Save the Meal Prep Franchises? (Part 1)
Can Botox Parties Save the Meal Prep Franchises? (Part 3) (FranchisePick.Com) Related posts: Can Botox Parties Save the Meal Prep Franchises? (Part 1), First Meal Assembly & Cosmetic Surgery Kitchen Franchise Debuts (FranWorst.com)
Attention ladies: You CAN have it all! That’s right: Now you have time to look your best AND to cook your best… thanks to the new Meal Preparation and Botox Injection parties being kicked off by our new favorite surrealist franchise company, Make & Take Gourmet.
Auburnpub.com announced one such culinary and cosmetic gala …read more

Required reading:
Can Botox Parties Save the Meal Prep Franchises? (Part 2)
Can Botox Parties Save the Meal Prep Franchises? (Part 3) (FranchisePick.Com) The pioneers of the Meal Assembly Kitchen (aka MAK, aka Meal Prep Kitchen) concept were perplexed.
They’d been certain that crowds of people would jump at the chance to spend several hundred dollars to congregate with strangers and make their own food to freeze for later.
But they didn’t.
What are we missing? asked the Meal Preppies.
As Meal Prep store sales plummeted and their comrades fell around them, the Meal Assemblers assembled to figure out a marketing gimmick that would …read more