Dinner Solutions Provides Food for Private Dinners

Dinner Solutions Inc.
Owner: Christie Keller
Address: 318 N. Campbell Ave., Fayetteville 72701
Phone/Fax: (479) 871-9462 / (479) 442-4144
Hours: By appointment
Startup date: Sept. 20

Christie Keller has hit upon a business that working women and others who juggle nightly meal plans can truly appreciate. Keller, who co-owns Chloe Fine Dining in Fayetteville with her husband and is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute, launched Dinner Solutions in September.

The company offers personal chef services for private dinner parties and other small gatherings, but it also provides a regular weekly service of five meals prepared in advance to be heated up in the home.

Keller has several families who have signed up for the regular service, and although she works out of Fayetteville, most of those customers are in Benton County. That’s just fine with her, she said, explaining that she’ll deliver anywhere in the two counties.

She also provides the weekly chef service on a temporary basis, which she noted has been particularly useful for new mothers.

Keller will cater the meals to specific food needs, but she also uses heart-healthy, low-fat ingredients, including whole grains. She called her menu a mix of gourmet and homestyle.

When it comes to dinner parties, Keller said that’s up to the customer’s needs. She’ll cook and deliver, or she can cook at the party location, serve and clean up. Dinner Solutions isn’t equipped to handle parties of 50 or more, but Keller hopes to launch a catering service in the next year or two that would provide that type of service.

Dinner party services vary depending on the number to be served and other issues. Prices can vary depending on personal menu stipulations and other factors, also, but the weekly five-meal personal chef service is about $100 for a single person or $200 for a couple.

“When you add up the cost of good intentions of cooking and then throwing out rotten food, the time involved, the cost of going out, the gas, the tip, it’s reasonable,” she said. “Not to mention, it’s a way to get families back to the table for a good meal together.”

Keller is a member of the Personal Chef’s Network.

She spent less than $1,000 to start Dinner Solutions. She already had the equipment, etc., and uses the commercial kitchen at Chloe to prepare the meals.