Forget Boston Market or the prepared-foods section of Jewel or Whole Foods. In Oak Park, there’s Perfect Dinner, a kitchen that prepares “home-style” take-out and delivered meals. The startup is aimed mostly at “El” riders, who can go online to scope out the shop’s menu of 8 to 10 daily entrées and order ahead before exiting Oak Station on the Green Line.
The business was founded by Karen Gruber, 48, who formerly handled the Kraft cheese account at ad agency J. Walter Thompson, and Jill Haas, 47, a onetime food scientist at Kraft Foods.
Perfect Dinner broke even with $500,000 in revenue last year—the average check is $41—and is looking at 8%-to-10% growth this year, Gruber says.
The pair, who started the venture with $250,000 from friends, family, and their own savings, is now trying to drum up $700,000 to open two more sites this fall.
Photo by Perfect Dinner.
Meals On The Go For Upscale Set
June 11, 2008 by Rich | 4 Comments
In Food, Niche, Small Biz
Angela on June 11th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Best of luck to the both of them! Especially if the food tastes as good as it looks in that photo.
danakeith on June 12th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
yes exactly, some foods doesn’t really taste good as it looks on photos, they were just “food for the eye” then.
cassy on June 13th, 2008 at 12:00 am
I think if your business was inline into “food” it will click in the market also.
Good luck and more power. Oh by the way, I like the food looks so yummy.
Melanie D. on June 13th, 2008 at 7:08 am
Yummy. I love Perfect Dinner. One of the best home style take out. For those who haven’t tried it, you are missing out a lot!