Dinner by Design sold, continued growth promised
Dinner by Design confirmed Friday founder Julie Duffy sold her firm, but she will continue to be its iconic mother-on-the-run making family dinners.
The Grayslake entrepreneur and mother of three sold the company for an undisclosed amount to a group of Chicago investors and turned over control to former Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches president John Matthews.
"Julie Duffy is the epitome of the Dinner by Design customer," said Laurie Hobbs, marketing director of the firm. "She juggled a family and a business and will continue to be the face of the company."
Duffy, 39, could not be reached for comment but in the past acknowledged the logistical challenges of growing the chain.
Matthews, 45, said he aims to grow the company with additional capital from investors.
"Julie Duffy identified an opportunity to position the company for future growth and profitability with seasoned management and additional capital," Matthews wrote in an e-mail.
He added he wants to widen delivery and take-home services for local companies and day care centers.
The third largest meal preparation franchise chain in the country, Dinner by Design encourages customers to prepare their meals at its kitchens and freeze the meals for later.
Franchise owners contacted Friday cited Matthews' experience consulting for the firm since its founding almost four years ago.
Lucianne DeMarco opened her franchise two years ago in Libertyville.
"We're looking forward to bringing Dinner by Design to the next level," DeMarco said.
Fred and Cindy Mueller, franchise owners in St. Charles, cited Matthews' experience as an executive at Little Caesar's Pizza.
"I think he did a good job at Little Caesar's and we're hopeful he'll do the same thing here," said Fred Mueller, a 10-month owner.
Dinner by Design boasts 28 local franchises in the Chicago area and 60 sites total. As a measure of future potential the company said it has franchise contracts for 40 more sites. Its combined 2006 sales topped $80 million, the firm said.
"The fact that they are growing tells me they are still right on the ball," said Andy Potter, who recently founded Evergreen, Colorado-based Meal Assembly Network, a consulting firm for the industry. "They have been a pioneer in getting third party businesses involved, such as Kraft."
Northfield-based Kraft Foods and Downers Grove-based Sara Lee have cooperated on recipes and promotions.
As president and CEO of Dinner by Design, Matthews will continue to head the North Barrington-based retail foodservice consulting firm he founded, Gray Cat Enterprises.
Gray Cat clients include clothier Club Libby Lu, a division of Saks Fifth Ave.; consumer products firm OxiBrands LLC.; and open-source software and hardware security firm Applied Watch, in Crystal Lake.