May 8, 2008
Two Local Stores Make Impact on Customer's Pocketbook
Reston-based Dinner Zen and Corner Cuisine in Lorton, Virginia participated in an International customer survey of meal assembly customers. The survey of more than 1,800 customers in the US & Canada shows meal prep stores provide good value, dinnertime “diversity” and healthy options Click here to read the local press release.
Click here to read the national press release, view tips on saving on food costs, and see a cost comparison between meal assembly and grocery store prices.

April 30, 2008
Dinner Zen: May Holiday Headquarters
Mother's Day, Teacher & Nurse Appreciation right through Memorial Day...Dinner Zen has your holiday gift giving and meal preparation covered. Quick, convenient and delicious! Start the day with our Mini Bacon Breakfast Popovers, heat up lunch with Lemon & Fresh Rosemary Chicken and burn the midnight oil with our flaming hot Chipotle Lime Flank Steak. Two kinds of burgers, Pork Tenderloin with Guava Glaze, super-easy fridge to oven Crazy Man's Meatball Casserole...This month we feature four recipes from the Reston Observer 2008 Cookbook. Too busy to stop in? Place your Zen to Go order, select a pick up time from the calendar and we'll put it together for you. Fabulous meals don't get any easier! Click on "Book A Session" above to book your in-store assembly or Zen to Go session.

March 25, 2008
Dinner Zen to Celebrate 1 Year Anniversary
Dinner Zen, Reston’s first meal assembly store, will celebrate their 1 year anniversary with an Open House on April 5th. In addition, the April menu is filled with customer rated "Best of the Best" entrees. For small businesses, particularly those in the food service industry, the one year mark is a significant milestone. It’s not inconsequential that along the way Dinner Zen has served thousands of Washington area residents nearly 13,000 family sized meals accounting for more than 55,000 “servings” of food. The Open House is scheduled from 1-3pm on Saturday April 5th. It is free and open to the public. The celebration will include samples from the current menu, prize drawings and demonstrations. Click here to read the full press release.

February 2008
Dinner Assembly Places Can Be Cheaper Than Eating Out
"If you could buy blocks of time at the grocery store, how much would you pay for them? What would you pay to avoid much of the supermarket, the fast food drive-up, weekly restaurant tabs? Choosing recipes, scrubbing, peeling, chopping, trimming? Washing pots and pans...Clients of meal assembly businesses -- Pass Your Plate, Do It Dinners and Super Suppers in Albuquerque -- often start out expecting to pay extra for the convenience of all that avoidance. It's worth my time, they'll say. I'm busy; I'm stressed; I hate to cook. What a surprise, then, for those who buy package deals and discover the convenience doesn't necessarily cost more...What a bigger surprise for those who stop dining out so much, crunch numbers and discover they're saving money." Albuquerque Journal. February 2008.

January 2008
Outsourcing Home Cooking
"The other nice thing was the price. I learned that you can clip as many coupons as you want, but you can never make a dinner as cheaply as these kitchens can." Time Magazine. January 2008.

1/29/2008

Join Us At The Virginia Wine Showcase
40 Wineries, 300 wines, gourmet gifts and Dinner Zen. What more could you ask for? How about saving $10 for purchasing tickets online! Join Dinner Zen at this year's Valentine's Day extravaganza. February 9th & 10th at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly. Click here to order your tickets and save big!

1/13/2007
Dinner Zen Featured in Fairfax Times
Read Alexandra Greeley's article and learn how Dinner Zen is helping "enlighten" dinner time for families in Fairfax. Click to read more

9/17/2007
Celebrate Family Day- A Day to Eat Dinner Together With Your Family(tm)
Dinner Zen celebrates dinnertime! As communities around the country celebrate the seventh annual Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with Your ChildrenTM (September 24), one local business is providing a practical way to make family mealtime a regular routine in American households. Click to read more

9/10/2007
Health eLunch Tasting Huge Success- Meals Now Available!
More than 50 parents and children participated in the recent new product taste test held at Dinner Zen. It was a veritable buffet of children's favorite foods. Dinner Zen now features 4 of the most popular Health eLunch boxed lunches for pickup Tuesday through Thursday in store. Quantities are limited. Order your customized lunches from their full selection by selecting Dinner Zen as your pick up location on the Health eLunch Kids website. Click here to place your order today.

9/05/2007
Dinner Zen & Meal Assembly In the News
Local paper features article on the meal assembly or "make and take" concept taking off in Northern Virginia. Dinner Zen owner, Jolie Crowder, one of two independent store owners quoted. Click here to read the full article.

8/04/2007
Dinner Zen To Team With Health eLunch Kids for Tasting
Dinner Zen will be partnering with Health e-Lunch Kids to share information about their service and get feedback from our littlest taste testers on their menu. Recently featured in Time Magazine, Health e-Lunch allows kids and parents pick meals from healthier options and they deliver to your child's school. It's a service that is more than just convenience, it's about engaging your kids in the creation of healthier lifestyles. Stay tuned for more! Space is limited and registration is required. To sign up, click here and complete the registration form.

6/13/2007
Grand Opening Celebration Slated for June 30th
Join us in celebrating our official "Grand Opening" on June 20th. Enjoy samples, enter your name for prize drawings and more. Make a meal with us (4-6 servings) and see how easy it is to "Simplify Life...One Meal At A Time!" A portion of proceeds raised from the day's sales will benefit NOVACO, a coalition of churches and civic organizations dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence. But, you don't have to wait til then to try us out. Sessions for June are now available or call or stop by to pick up dinner tonight.

6/09/2007

Dinner Zen to Participate in 2007 Taste of Reston
Stop by our booth at Taste of Reston to sample our wildly popular Mardi Gras Jambalaya, Southern BBQ Chicken or Oatmeal Pecan Pie. New to Dinner Zen? Be sure to ask for our Taste of Reston special coupon.

5/1/2007

Friday "Try It" Sessions in June
What's all the buzz? Dinner Zen is finally open! Curious about the concept or interested in how the food actually tastes? Stop by on Fridays in May from 4 to 6:30pm and make a meal with us. Choose from a limited assortment of our most popular items and make just one full size (4-6 servings) meal for $22. Available Fridays in June Call for more details: 703.391.9361.

4/13/2007
Dinner Zen Finally Opens
After much anticipation, Dinner Zen has finally opened in South Lakes Shopping Center in Reston, VA. Offering a full schedule of sessions, a robust menu and single entree carryout, stop by today to book your order.

2/16/2007
VA General Assembly Passes Bill Allowing ABC Licenses
After a close call, a bill put forth in this year's Virginia General Assembly to provide for a category of licensure for meal assembly kitchens finally passed both the House and Senate. Original legislation sponsored by Sen. Ken Cucinelli from Fairfax was defeated in a Senate Subcommittee vote. Similar legislation sponsored Delegate Terri Suit from Virginia Beach was amended with feedback from the Restaurant Association that put additional restrictions on meal assembly store's ability to serve 2 glasses of either wine or beer to their customers. The amended House bill passed by a landslide and was referred back to the Senate Subcommittee that defeated the original Senate version of the bill. A joint letter of support signed by multiple meal assembly store owners from around the state and support by the Virginia Retail Merchants Association facilitated smooth review and passage by both the Subcommittee and the full Senate. Expected to be enacted later this year, the law allows meal assembly kitchens to seek licensure to serve 2 specified size glasses of wine or beer during private parties.

1/1/07
Reston's First Meal Assembly Coming This Winter
The "meal assembly kitchen" or "make and take" craze is sweeping the country. Neighbors in the Reston Virginia community just outside of Washington DC will finally have the opportunity to experience an idea that tastes as good as it sounds.

Entering into January, owners Jolie & Warren Crowder were excited to begin the final phases of construction. Originally scheduled for a Fall 2006 openings, the plan review and permits process put a small kink in plans. If progress continues at the current pace an end of January to early February opening is anticipated. Stay tuned for the grand opening announcement.

12/18/2006
Dinner Zen Owner Featured on Retirement Living TV's "The Daily Apple"
Jolie Crowder, owner of Dinner Zen, will be featured on the 12/25 airing of Retirment Living TV's television show "The Daily Apple." Ms. Crowder, who currently serves on the board of the International Association of Meal Prep Businesses (IAMPB), provided an overview of the current state of the meal assembly industry. The segment also featured in store footage of Thyme Out, an independent store located in Maryland. Retirement Living TV is a new regional station broadcast on Comcast and Direct TV that targets retirees with their viewing content.