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Feature -- by Jennifer Bysterveld
It is noon on a Monday. I sit, I watch. In come 'the suits', picking up a little lunch to take back to the office. Next come the students from a nearby high school, looking for an alternative to the cardboard burritos for sale in the local convenience store. Finally, the afternoon shoppers, picking and choosing family meals for the coming week. So exactly where am I? And what is it these people all seem to know about? Answer: Figbelly's.
"We are the T.V. dinner of the '90s" "Figbelly's gives a fresh face to take-out."
This is just a sampling of how Executive Chef/Owner Mary-Ann Brown and Chef Michelle Ducie describe Figbelly's.
Open for just over a year, Figbelly's prepares and packages gourmet meals ready for you to take on home and enjoy. They are Calgary's best in the growing trend of Home Meal Replacements (HMR). From salad to 'comfort food' (the main dishes) to desserts, they serve it all. The method of HMR shopping at Figbelly's is simple. Take a menu from the table, then "Walk the Wall." The Wall is a glass showcase displaying the main entrees below which, are rows of refrigerated drawers housing the pre-made meals in microwaveable containers. Dessert and salad cases are to the side for your perusal. Chefs at Figbelly's change the menu once a week. A little change of flavour keeps customers interested but more importantly, keeps them coming back. However, certain items on the menu are staples.
"There would be an uproar with certain customers if we changed things like macaroni and cheese or meatloaf, but we will vary the recipe just slightly," says Mary-Ann.
One very interesting fact to note. If you are hosting a dinner party but:
- lack the time to prepare, or
- would be afraid to serve guests any of your creations from the kitchen,
you can phone in, order what you'd like to serve, and then take your own baking dishes down to Figbelly's. They will place their beautiful meal right into your own pan! Now you just serve it up and claim it as your very own!!
The health conscious can rest assured. All meals are prepared with the freshest ingredients and have no preservatives. Meals can be customized, so if you have allergies to certain foods just call ahead and they will take care of you.
And care they do.
"You have to listen to what people want. We had a main plan or idea of what we wanted, but along the way we have listened to our customers and tried to accommodate them. We have slowly made some changes, you have to move with it!"
Changes have come in the form of dine-in space, a wine bar, catering and the soon to be offered cooking lessons. This diversification has set Figbelly's apart. "There are some similar market deli's in Vancouver, but not anyone encompassing all of this under one roof. We kind of see ourselves as a role model for others; we're making a footprint in this city."
The care given to Figbelly's customers extends to the employees as well. Executive Chef, Mary-Ann says: "Everyone does everything. I'll wash dishes or unpack orders just like everyone else. We definitely have movement within. When everyone is considered equal, it makes for a good working environment. We have all worked for some real #&*%*@!% and we didn't want that here!"
Being on the cutting edge of the HMR trend, Figbelly's must impress everyone who walks through the door. The very fact that you can pick up a delicious, home-cooked meal you don't have to prepare yourself is enough to impress, But add to that:
- A knowledgeable staff; all seven chefs have formal training, while catering and front line staff must have exceptional people skills and receive thorough in-house training
- A variety of options (catering, dine-in ... ) and
- More than reasonable prices (average of $7.00 per serving).
Well, now you have something to get people talking. And people are doing just that. "Word of mouth is our biggest seller," says Mary-Ann.
In a world where the emphasis is increasingly placed on convenience! convenience! convenience!, it's nice to have choices beyond tasteless frozen dinners and big greasy pizzas. At Figbelly's you have that choice. In the words of Mary-Ann and Michelle: "We offer comfort food - people want mom's cooking without all the work." Now what could be better than that?!
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