Today we’d like to introduce you to Diane Beaulieu.
Diane, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I found Entrée Kitchen in late 2007 when I was a mom of a 2-year-old son and 7 months pregnant with my twin sons. It made my life so much easier as a busy mom to feed my family healthy, home-made meals and ensured that we avoided relying on processed or unhealthy fast food on those nights when we were extra busy.
I loved this business so much and the positive impact it had on my family that I bought it in 2009 when my twins were just 18 months old. I wanted to help other busy families, professionals, and empty-nesters to have the chance to enjoy delicious dinners at home without all the work, just like my family.
I’m so proud to help moms and dads bring dinner back to the kitchen table with delicious home-made meals created especially for them by my talented staff or customers can select to come to Entree Kitchen and assemble their own meals, if they prefer. Think of us as your sous chefs. We shop, chop, dice, and slice, and put everything you need to assemble an amazing meal at your fingertips, so it is fast to make meals that you can take home and pop in your freezer until you are ready to cook them.
Today we offer not only pickup and self-assembly of our meals kits, we also deliver to homes, businesses, day cares and community locations throughout the western suburbs.
1. Free monthly memberships so you always have a tasty meal in your freezer for tonight’s dinner
2. More time back in your day, because we’ll do prep and assembly for you;
3. Grab ‘n Go meals with no appointment needed
4. Delivery service too
5. And it’s not just dinner entrees, we also have delicious and fast breakfast options, sides and desserts
6. Birthday parties and Girls or Couple’s night out at Entrée Kitchen are always fun. So leave the party prep to us
7. Fundraising programs for schools and clubs
8. ….and so many other we can help.
Has it been a smooth road?
Being in business and challenges go hand in hand and I’m always up for a good challenge! We bought a business that was already struggling and then as we were just settling in the economy started to turn for the worse, mid-to-late 2009. Throughout the first few years, it felt like two steps forward one step back. We were growing but as we were adding new customers, others were checking in to let us know of a job loss or a move to land a new job.
Other existing customers were not buying as often simply because they were afraid of what the economy would bring. We continued to reach more customers every year though, and have helped many more customers every year since we took over through the expansion of our services and creating a retail purchasing experience where customers no longer need an appointment to pick up meals.
Now customers can just stop in and select either from a 30-minute menu, Monday afternoon through Friday afternoon or any day, except Sundays on which we are closed, customers can purchase meals, sides, desserts and breakfast items from our freezer, again without an appointment.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Entree Kitchen relieves the stress around dinner hour and helps to answer the question “What’s for Dinner?”. We provide fully-prepared meals to our customers, thus saving them from shopping, chopping, dicing, and slicing. We are proud to help to “Bring Dinner Back to the Kitchen Table”.
We’re known for our high level of customer care in the communities we serve. What sets us apart is the variety of ways in which a customer can choose to work with us and as such, because we are full-service, customers can opt to order for delivery, pickup or self-assembly. In addition, our customers with children love our “Cook” with the Kids Days and what they are finding is that when children are included in the meal selection, preparation and cooking processes, they are much more likely to become adventurous eaters.
Ultimately, we are proud to have not only survived but to be thriving in 2017 in the face of even tougher competition than in years previous! We were even awarded the “Spirit of Success” award from the Western DuPage Chamber of Commerce in 2016.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
As the new owners, now eight and a half years ago, we were warmly welcomed into our local community by fellow business owners, our local chamber, and the town itself. I believe that small business is the backbone of any local neighborhood economy and when business owners are just starting out, it’s important to get ingrained in the local communities you will be serving.
Networking and connecting with people at the ground level is critical to create a buzz and a sense of “know, like and trust”, about one’s business that consumers prefer when they are looking to make purchases from local businesses vs. the big box stores. I would also suggest that new business owners look for and create relationships with potential “Power Partners” who can serve as a resource for leads for your business and who they can support and reciprocate leads. A great of example of the Power Partner relationship is a realtor connecting with a mortgage broker or perhaps an insurance agent.
Pricing:
- Our customers can enjoy delicious, no-prep dinners at home for about $7 per person.
- Our free-membership plan provides members with complete dinners at home for under $6 per person.
- A la carte entrees can be paired with sides one already has at home for about $5 per person.
- Breakfast options start at under $1 per person.
Contact Info:
- Address: 26w276 Geneva Rd. Unit A
- Website: www.entreekitchen.com
- Phone: 630-668-4450
- Email: info@entreekitchen.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entreekitchen/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EntreeKitchenIL/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/EntreeKitchen
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/entree-kitchen-carol-stream
Image Credit:
http://zoncom.com/
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
