"Lefty" > wrote in message
news
>
> "D.Currie" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "Anthony" > wrote in message
>> oups.com...
>> > Recently a person who was thinking of becoming a franchisee for a food
>> > prep center asked this ng for opinions as to its viability. As one
>> > might expect from a bunch of cooks the idea was pooh-poohed by just
>> > about all who replied. But on the front page of today's NY Times
>> > ther's an article which suggests that these businesses seem to be quite
>> > successful, and are becoming increasingly numerous - you can read the
>> > piece he
>> >
>> >
> http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/26/na...=1&oref=slogin
>> >
>> > Despite favorable comments from customers I still can't see why one
>> > would patronise such a place!
>> >
>>
>> I don't doubt that they are popping up all over right now, but I don't
> take
>> that as a sign that it's a good business investment unless they plan is
>> to
>> get in while the idea is hot and be ready to bail out as soon as it
>> starts
>> to go bad.
>>
>> First, I have some doubts that people will continue to use the service
>> long-term. If you aren't getting new customers and the old ones start
> fading
>> away, the business isn't going to last. It's just my opinion, but it
>> seems
>> more like a fad than something that people will rely on long-term. I
>> could
>> certainly be wrong, but it's not where I'd invest my dollars.
>>
>> Second, there are a lot of different chains popping up, and if another
>> one
>> moves in next door to "your" franchise, it would be a battle for the same
>> dollars. The chains are not all equal. The one quoted in the article says
>> that the dinners are for the most part, pop in the oven and that's it.
> Some
>> of the others I looked at online had some pretty complicated cooking
>> directions as well as long cooking times. Those two methods are going to
>> have different audiences, and maybe one will win out over the other. I
>> believe your article mentioned frozen veggies, where some of them are
>> strictly entrees. Once again, those may be two different markets, or it
>> might be the difference between succeeding and failing.
>>
>> Right now the concept is in a growth phase. Give it a year or three and
> see
>> which ones are still in business. I'm betting that a lot of them will
> fail.
>>
>> Donna
>
> Not long ago I would have said "Who in their right mind would pay to watch
> videos on their 2" cellphone screens when there are real TVs everywhere?"
> The thing is, people don't choose products,products make themselves
> indispensable through manipulating ideas of status, vanity, etc.
>
> I am convinced that if you use the right psychology there is a market for
> anything.--
>

When I look at a business like the one described here, it looks like an idea
that's still forming itself. One of these chains, maybe more, may survive,
but I'm betting they'll have to change to do so. And a bunch will crash and
burn. Because it's such a new market. Nobody really knows what the consumers
will want, long-term

That said, the chains that survive will likely be the ones that are willing
to change to adapt to the market. Question, if I was looking at a business
opportunity, would be whether any of these chains will change, or whether it
will be a new chain with a new concept that gets it "right" enough to
capture the necessary market share.

If you buy a particular franchise, that's what you're stuck with. They call
the shots, and if they don't change to suit the market, there's not much you
can do. You could be sitting there watching a different franchise changing
and growing while yours is stagnant. It's not something that I'd invest in,
particularly if it was supposed to put food on my table. If I had lots of
money and it was just another toy for me, that would be a different story.

Donna