"What’s for dinner?"

Three little words every busy parent dreads to hear. Despite the fact that nearly everyone eats dinner, it seems most people don’t put much time into planning and executing dinner – hence the proliferation of fast food and fast casual restaurants in our neighborhoods.

Dinnertime doesn’t have to be such a chore. Meal assembly businesses are sprouting up across the metro area to help harried and hurried parents get dinner on the table. The premise is simple: Make a reservation, select entrées from a menu, show up at your appointed time, and move from station to station putting ingredients in containers to freeze at home. Simply thaw them in the fridge, cook and serve!

Read on as four Atlanta-area moms step into the kitchens at different meal assembly businesses in their neighborhoods – then report on how the meals fared with their families.

Super Suppers

Locations: My visit was at the Fayetteville store, 535 S. Glynn St., Suite 2009, 770-719-0001. There are 14 locations in the metro area. www.supersuppers.com

Cost: Prepare one to five meals for $23 each, seven to 11 meals for $21 each, or 12 meals for $216 ($18 each).

Pick It Up: Customers can run in and select from a wide range of full- and half-sized frozen entrées, sides or desserts from the Grab-n-Go Freezer. On a monthly basis, Super Suppers hosts Fill Your Freezer days when customers can purchase already-prepared meals at discounted prices. For even fresher meals, customers can go to the website or telephone to place a pick-up order, which the staff will assemble for a charge of $2.50 per entrée.

Extras: Grab side dishes or desserts to serve with your main dish for an additional $5-$18 each. Super Suppers regularly offers coupons in area circulars and hosts themed days such as Teacher Tuesdays, when educators receive an additional 10 percent discount on their meals or free meal assembly. The kitchen may also be reserved for private parties. Super Suppers 101 is offered every Saturday at 9 a.m. and as needed during the week, providing a tour of the facility as well as helpful advice and tips on food assembly.

Menu: In addition to a few popular menu mainstays such as stuffed braided breads and twice baked stuffed potatoes, Super Suppers mixes its menu up monthly with seasonal offerings or ethnic dishes such as Mexican or Italian. Every month there are about a dozen entrées.

The Experience: Armed with a cooler and a sense of adventure, I set out for Super Suppers in Fayetteville one Saturday morning. When I arrived, there were four groups of customers already busy assembling meals. They looked relaxed and seemed to know their way around the kitchen. Come to find out, they had all taken advantage of Super Suppers 101. Owner Jim Newsome gave me the condensed version and I got to work.

I prepared two meals in 20 minutes. Customers moved through the different stations very quickly and, with so many menu choices to choose from, there was always an open station. Each entrée took under 10 minutes to prepare, and staff members were readily available to offer advice or assistance, if needed. The instructions were clear and simple, and assembly was a breeze because all the utensils, measuring cups and bowls were already laid out. I found the experience much less stressful than following traditional recipes – there were no obscure cooking terms to deal with or difficult timing issues sometimes found in complex recipes.

The Food: Later that night my family devoured the chicken spaghetti and raved that Mom didn’t have to spend an hour making it – and that it was as good as mine! The half-sized entrée was plenty for two adults and two toddlers, with some to spare for lunch the next day. Instead of having to chop, sauté and mix everything myself, I boiled the spaghetti, heated the chicken mixture and then tossed it together. I made a salad, threw some garlic bread under the broiler, and dinner was ready in 20 minutes.

The Cooking: A week later, I pulled the chicken, shrimp and sausage jambalaya out of the freezer and defrosted it in the microwave. I cooked it on the stove for about 20 minutes and microwaved the rice. In about 30 minutes we were enjoying a delicious meal that I had been too intimidated to attempt myself. The dish appealed to everyone because I left out the celery (my husband doesn’t like it) and I limited the amount of Cajun seasoning (so the kids could eat it).

– Cynthia Curtis

The Dinner A’fare

Locations: I visited the new Avenue at Webb Gin location, 1250 Scenic Highway, Suite 1248, Lawrenceville, 770-979-3673. There are nine stores in metro Atlanta. www.dinnerafare.com

Cost: Make six dishes (4-6 servings) or 12 dishes (3 servings) for $145 or 12 dishes (4-6 servings) for $220.

Pick It Up: The Dinner A’fare offers a “stand-in chef” on select days. Make a reservation online and pick up your meals for an additional $35.

Extras: Side dishes are available, already packaged and frozen, as is a dessert option. Stores can be reserved for private parties and also are available for fundraising events. After a certain number of visits you receive a free entrée.

Menu: About 15 main dishes are offered each month, including beef, pork, chicken and vegetarian options. The menu changes monthly, with popular entrées returning frequently. Nutrition information is available online.

The Experience: I’d been to another location of The Dinner A’fare, but it had been about a year and I needed a refresher course. After donning an apron and ball cap, I picked up my menu and got to work. It couldn’t have been easier. Ingredients were clearly labeled and a copy of the recipe was posted at eye level. Most of the meals I put together went into one-gallon freezer bags, but a couple required multiple bags. Still, after I got into the swing of it, I found that I could easily finish a station in 10-15 minutes – although I did spend a lot of time talking, which slowed me down a bit. Before I left, the staff handed me a menu with suggested side dishes for each entrée, as well as preparation and cooking times.

The Food: Because I’m feeding two adults, two teenaged boys who eat like NFL linebackers and a 2-year-old, I opted for the full servings of each meal, which feeds four to six (good move – we had no leftovers). The staff at The Dinner A’fare helped me pick out some of my entrées, and I’m so glad they did. My family loved the Sicilian Chicken the staff recommended (which I’d originally skipped over on the menu). My favorite was the Bourbon Street Bistro Steak, served up with the store’s Parmesan Mashed Red Potatoes. I also brought home a Key Lime Pie – ready made – from the store’s side dish freezer, and we enjoyed it for dessert for several nights.

The Cooking: Most of the meals I made took only one dish – a casserole dish that slid right into the oven. The Blue Corn-Crusted Tilapia took a little more effort, since the egg-and-flour-coated fish fillets had to be tossed with the corn chips. I had to cook the fish in shifts, but I just stuck the finished ones in a warm oven while the rest cooked. The Poppy Seed Chicken, which was frozen in an aluminum casserole pan was my favorite to prepare: straight from the fridge to the oven and then into the trash – no clean up!

– Mary Abreu

My Girlfriend’s Kitchen

Location: One area store, 1700 Northside Dr., Atlanta, 404-350-8045. www.mygirlfriendskitchen.com

Cost: Twelve dinners for $229; six dinners for $129.

Pick It Up: My Girlfriend’s Kitchen lets you pick up pre-assembled entrées, $259 for 12 dinners or $149 for 6 dinners. Short on time? They’ll deliver for an additional $20 to ZIP codes 30318, 30305, 30309 and 30327.

Extras: Incentives like a free dessert or 13th entrée if you sign up for your next session while in the store. Mom & Me prep times are popular with moms and dads alike. Appetizers, side dishes and desserts are also available for pick-up. Private parties and fundraising events are also available.

Menu: Fifteen options are typically available. February’s menu was mostly chicken, but also several beef dishes and one pork dish. Nutritional information for each entrée is available online.

The Experience: It was bustling with activity when I arrived at 9:30 a.m. The store had opened at 9 a.m., and many customers were already assembling their third meal. Everything was sparkling clean, bright and welcoming. People were generally having a good time. The recipes were easy to follow, and staff members would spring to my aid when I made mistakes. Spills were quickly wiped up and ingredients replaced in record time. If a station was occupied, I could just move to another one. Refreshments were provided, so customers could take a short snack break if they found their next station was busy. It took me about 15 minutes to prepare each meal, but experienced customers were whipping together each of their meals in under 10.

The Food: There were enough menu options to appease my family’s picky eaters, and I really liked the fact that the nutritional information was available on the website. I was able to select the entrées that had the lowest sodium content and the lowest fat grams. My family of four enjoyed them. The directions were very easy to follow, and the food was fresh and flavorful. I split the entrées in half with my neighbor, who subjected them to the taste testers in her house. Her husband gave the chicken pasta dish an A-,
and he is a pretty tough critic. Both kids gave the food a solid A. 

The Cooking: For me, clean up was still an issue, but I’m a messy cook and I couldn’t leave well enough alone; I had to customize the dish a little. I had split the dinners into half (a great option if you’d rather not cook it all at once), and they were a little thin; I had to add a bit of pasta to my dish and stretch the sauce out a little. We would have been fine if I had prepared the whole meal, and there would have been leftovers.

– Beth Balga

Dream Dinners

Locations: Two Atlanta area locations: 900 Mansell Road, Suite 10, Roswell, 678-352-9600; 539 Lake Center Pkwy., Suite 500, Cumming, 770-887-4141. www.dreamdinners.com

Cost: Dream Dinners calculates your total based on the entrées ordered instead of a flat fee for the number of meals you prepare. The cost averages about $3 per serving, but ranges anywhere from $2.50 to $5.50 per serving. A minimum of 36 servings is required per session. Dream Dinners has plans to mix and match the number of meals ordered and offer various sizes of three-serving meals and six-serving meals.

Pick It Up: Dream Dinners will prepare the meals for you for an additional $3 per large-serving meal. Meals are ordered online and prepared by a ServSafe-certified individual.

Extras: New customers are offered a one-time introductory deal of three meals for $49.50. Bring eight friends to Dream Dinners for a private event, where each guest assembles one large entrée and samples other dinner items from the current menu. In the fall, Dream Dinners offers several side dish menus to help with Thanksgiving and other holiday preparations. Throughout the year, the store offers breakfast and dessert options. Mommy and Me sessions let parents and children (12 and up) make meals together.

Menu: There are 14 new menu items each month. Favorites tend to reappear on the menu more frequently. Beef, chicken, pork, seafood and vegetarian meals are offered.

The Experience: New to the meal-preparation experience, I found it simple to follow. Staffers show newcomers where everything can be found, and a copy of the meals I selected online before my visit was provided in printed format. With six people moving about the food stations, there was never a wait. Everything was meticulously labeled, along with the menu list for three or six servings. Each meal took about 10 minutes to put together in convenient gallon-sized freezer bags. I labeled each of the bags with preprinted labels telling how to cook the meal at home and great side accompaniments, if they weren’t included.

The Food: There were lots of food options, but our pickiest eaters – a 5-year-old boy and 3-year-old girl – turned up their little noses at something new. My 7-year-old son took delight in trying something new but was quick to point out what he liked or didn’t like. Most of the meals I selected were one-step dishes: one skillet required.

A Hawaiian chicken dish combining chicken, pineapple, black beans and garlic proved too strong for the kids’ tastes. I prepared the dishes exactly as they were listed, but I should have eliminated the garlic to please the kids. (Best part of meal prep, you can add or subtract ingredients to suit your family’s tastes.)

For six servings, they only contained three chicken breasts, and we needed one more to feed our family of five. I added another chicken breast I had on hand when I began to cook. The Dream Dinner sauce was definitely the right amount, though.

The pasta dish, Penne Bolognese, was a favorite for the kids. Accompanied by a side salad and Italian bread, the rich red sauce was hearty for them, covering their pasta, but they enjoyed dunking their bread in the sauce, too. They chose not to eat any of the meat in the dish, which for the adults made the dish completely satisfying.

The Cooking: Although most of the meal is put together for you, there’s still the cooking part, including balancing the meal with side dishes. We found the pasta and rice provided by Dream Dinners took longer to cook than suggested. And when they recommend a large skillet, you’ll need to have the largest skillet available or overflow will happen.

– Tiffany Capuano