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Enlighten your meals at Dinner Zen
If you are like most of the overworked in the D.C. metro area, you probably look for ways to simplify life. Ah, you say, forget the kitchen. Buy ready-made meals. Eat out more often. Resort to PB&J sandwiches at night.
But there’s a better – and tastier – antidote for stress: Prepare and package meals in advance, and let someone else do the shopping and chopping.
The idea isn’t new, of course, but for newcomer to the field Dinner Zen in South Lakes Village Center in Reston, business is perking. Besides, says owner-manager Jolie Crowder, of Centreville, this concept appeals to singles, couples and retirees, as well as to the more typical busy-moms-with-kids customers.
“I had a retired gentleman come in this afternoon,” Crowder says, as she nods a greeting to a husband-and-wife team who’ve come in for their second meal-assembly session. “He loves cooking but doesn’t want to stock his kitchen with all the necessities.” This way, she adds, he can have home-cooked meals that he has assembled without the clutter and grocery shopping.
Overseeing an 8-month-old business, Crowder admits that the going hasn’t always been easy. For example, because her business is not part of a national franchise group, getting started was one major hurdle.
Doing her homework before writing a business plan required that she visit neighboring meal-assembly businesses. That included going through the program at mega-hit Let’s Dish at its original site in Ashburn (the company now has several other metro-area locations).
“There was always a waiting line to get in when it first opened,” she says.
She scoured the country, taking the meal-making course at two other locations, and visiting a location in Richmond and another in Maryland. “Once you go through the process,” she says, “you see that value to a family and you are hooked.”
Next, she needed a viable business plan, and then had to convince investors that her business plan was sound.
Finally, she needed to persuade possible landlords that she could pay the rent and be a viable tenant – that she was not running a “meals on wheels” kind of program, as at least one person had thought.
The next-to-last step might have been the toughest: finding the right location, one with plenty of foot traffic and parking, with community ambiance and with a nearby Starbucks.
“I spent eight to nine months identifying a space,” she says. “I had a vision of the build-out and the size I wanted.” As fate would have it, she found the ideal location in the perfect setting, one that met all her requirements: South Lakes.
“We have had a good, quick start from the foot traffic,” she says, “though some people thought we were a sushi bar or Japanese restaurant because of the word ‘zen’ in our name.”
With a smoothly running business; a hands-on chef named C.J. Stetson, who preps all the components of the meals ready for assembling – even butchering and trimming the cuts of meat; a full-scale functioning kitchen and not just a prep area; and a class schedule that works on a “rolling basis,” allowing customers to come in at their convenience, Crowder believes that Dinner Zen differs from its competitors.
“All have great things to offer,” she says. “But people are really drawn to the laid-back atmosphere and how open and flexible our options are. If you’re new to the concept, the two-meal sample pack for new customers is the right way to go. We also offer pre-ordered to-go, can make fresh meals by request most evenings, and have a ‘grab-and-go’ freezer. Most people are drawn to our meal for two. … That really suits the lifestyle in Washington.”
As for the food itself, the flavors and recipes are right on target. Imagine going home to pork chops seasoned with five-spice rub and served with brandied pears and a side of couscous. Or what about the firecracker chicken quesadilla, made ultra-rich with a cheese and cream cheese filling? Or the chicken Wellington with puff pastry and a cream sauce?
Dinner Zen may be just the ticket for busy people who want to cook – yes, you do cook what you’ve packed up at Dinner Zen – and who want full-flavored foods. That means a great way to start off the New Year.
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