A dream dinner may bring to mind a free steak for some people. Dream Dinners is also a quickly rising food franchise business. It involves locations where people can go to cook according to menus, then take the food home to serve throughout the month. It’s one of those ideas that has people slapping their foreheads while exclaiming “why didn’t I think of that”?

People are very busy today. Home cooked meals are becoming extinct . Even the terrific pre-made food available today in stores isn’t quite the same as home cooking. When the schedule is packed, however, will people give up their jobs or their self made meals? That’s where this franchise steps into the picture.

It works something like this. Customers select up to 14 menu meals every month. They then pay for the number of servings desired. Now while still at the store, they cook. This can be accomplished either in public or private sessions, with creative cooking pros directing the preparation action. It’s as if a cooking show host steps out of the television to show people how to make the meal.

The meals are a lot less expensive than it would appear when the concept is first described. A 14 item menu costs about $3.50 per serving, with side dishes and extras like salads and potatoes purchased separately. A total of about $5 per serving isn’t a bad price to pay for a good meal. For food, menu planning, and hands-on meal preparation training and supervision, that’s a steal.

Remember, these are franchises. It has its problems. It’s not the food or menus or preparation, but rather the franchiseesSome of the franchisees aren’t happy. Dream Dinners was profiled in March of ‘08 by Forbes. The story didn’t look good for the company. It expanded very quickly, attracting entrepreneurs with its unique concept. But many of the franchisees lost their shirts after only a short time, which meant the business plan may be flawed. The article detailed what was described as misrepresentations of the profit possible, and thus the overall valuation of franchises.

That’s something for the company to handle. For patrons, it’s fun to handle the cooking chores while working off of a wonderful menu.