Let's Dish! Goes to St. Cloud, Minn. with New Franchise Agreement
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Let’s Dish!, Inc. 12204 Nicollet Ave. S. Burnsville, MN 55337 Phone: 952.767.3474 Fax: 952.767.3400 www.letsdish.com News Contact: Rebecca Martin Lisa Hannum 651 789 2236 651 789 2233 [email protected] [email protected] Let's Dish!® Goes to St. Cloud, Minn. with New Franchise Agreement Company signs agreement with four entrepreneurs to bring one of area’s first retail meal preparation stores to St. Cloud residents MINNEAPOLIS (July 6, 2006) — Let’s Dish! International, Inc. today announced it has signed an agreement with JENNS Corporation to franchise a Let’s Dish! retail meal preparation store in St. Cloud, one of the area’s first. This agreement is the latest step in the company’s national expansion plans just two years after co-founders Ruth Lundquist and Darcy Olson opened their first Let’s Dish! location in the Twin Cities. The St. Cloud location will be opened and operated by JENNS Corporation, consisting of husband and wife entrepreneurial teams, Karl and Jeanne Baldry of Hutchinson, Minn. and David and Linda Deal of Plymouth, Minn.. Their Let’s Dish! store is scheduled to open in late fall at 123 Waite Avenue. Karl and Jeanne Baldry both have strong management backgrounds. Karl, currently the general manager/head golf professional at Crow River Golf Club in Hutchinson, has been in management, operations and sales for more than 20 years. Jeanne, a former materials manager at Hutchinson Technology Incorporated, has a professional background in accounting, purchasing and inventory management. As president of JENNS Corporation, Jeanne is now dedicated to running the company’s Let’s Dish! franchises on a full-time basis. David and Linda Deal also bring to Let’s Dish! strong management and leadership experience. David holds a bachelor’s degree from Valparaiso University, completed the Minnesota Executive Program at the Carlson School of Management and has nearly 20 years of operations management experience. Linda, who also holds a bachelor’s degree from Valparaiso University, is an active member in her community and has been responsible for public relations, event planning, training and fundraising in leadership positions across several industries. -more- Let’s Dish! Goes to St. Cloud, Minn. with New Franchise Agreement Page 2 of 2 “Let’s Dish! continues to revolutionize the way busy families get dinner on the table. We’re excited to bring St. Cloud residents a new way to feed their families real, healthful food,” said Ruth Lundquist, co-founder, Let’s Dish!. “Over the past two years we’ve built a strong, sustainable business model with enormous growth potential, and our ability to attract new, motivated partners such as JENNS Corporation is a testament to our success.” Both the Baldrys and the Deals had always wanted to open their own business, but never came across the perfect venture. Jeanne and Linda, who began as Let’s Dish! customers, liked the company, the concept and the food so much they initiated the idea of opening their own franchise. After learning more about the business model, the Baldrys and Deals bought Let’s Dish! franchise locations in St. Cloud and Mankato, Minn.. “Feeding our families great food is really important to Jeanne and me, but life is hectic, and it isn’t always possible,” said Linda. “At Let’s Dish! we found a smart dinnertime solution that worked for families like ours, with busy schedules, who don’t have a lot of time to spend planning meals and cooking.” In under two hours, Let’s Dish! customers can prepare a month’s worth of fresh, great- tasting meals in a fun, energizing environment. Its diverse menu offers a wide range of options – from updated comfort food favorites to ethnic dishes to entrees with more adventurous ingredients. “The food at Let’s Dish! is amazing – every month certified chefs create a fresh, seasonal menu with 16 different entrees,” said Jeanne. “So far there hasn’t been one my family hasn’t liked.” Let’s Dish! currently has four company-owned locations in the fast-growing Twin Cities suburbs of Eden Prairie, Maple Grove, Woodbury and Apple Valley, Minn., with a new store opening in Edina in August. The company has stores currently open or in development in 15 states nationwide. About The Let’s Dish! Concept Let’s Dish! was one of the first retail meal preparation stores in the country when Ruth Lundquist and Darcy Olson introduced their concept in October 2003. Their goal was to create a great business by offering people a fresh, new way to feed their families real food. Customers make menu choices, sign up and prepay for sessions at the company’s website. When customers arrive at the store, refrigerated workstations for each menu item are stocked with all necessary ingredients, which can be customized to meet each family’s specific tastes. Customers rotate from station to station preparing eight to twelve different entrees each designed to serve six. The meals are then brought home to be frozen or refrigerated and cooked at a later date. For more information visit www.letsdish.com. ### .