The Fairfield County Business Journal out of Fairfield County, Connecticut, ran a story profiling EATS client Dinners in Thyme. Dawn Keenan and Liza Melendez, the moms and entrepreneurs behind Dinners in Thyme, speak of the success they've found in the Easy Meal Prep industry. Dawn talks about her choice to open an independent Easy Meal Assembly store rather than a franchise.

The two entrepreneurs were convinced about the concept and decided to open their own meal-prep store rather than go the franchise route. "I'm pretty much a control freak," Keenan said. "There were some things I didn't like about a franchise. One was food quality. Everything is frozen. Everything we bring in is fresh. The franchise sodium content is very high. I'm a healthy eater and I cook healthy for my family."

Dawn also mentions the money she saved by using her own creative muscle to come up with a truly unique Easy Meal Prep business: "Our total startup cost was $180,000... A franchise would be about $250,000."

Dinners in Thyme has seen a large variety of customers and some true appreciation for their hard work already - and they've only been open since December 15th.

"We've had everyone in here from singles who don't have time to cook to young couples who both work to stay-at-home moms to two-income families to retirees," Liza says. "We've actually had people come to us before we even opened who liked our concept and the way we've structured our business and are interested in opening a store with our name."