In the founder’s office at a successful meal-assembly chain is a plaque that reads, simply: “What would a girlfriend do?”

It’s a question that those at My Girlfriend’s Kitchen take very seriously. The answer guides all operational decisions at this 56-franchise meal-assembly chain, which operates in 21 states. Employees are trained to ask in all contact with customers.

“People think that dinner is about food,” says Robin Whitney, spokeswoman for the growing chain. “It’s about so much more; it’s about family and connections. It’s very social. And if you’re not doing it right, you feel bad about yourself. Dinner is such a source of stress for so many people—they’re so busy. We have compassion for our girlfriends’ situations, and we try to be the girlfriend they wish they had.”

People nationwide are flocking to assemble and freeze a month’s worth of dinner at meal-assembly outlets like My Girlfriend’s Kitchen, an industry that began in 2002 and is expected to generate $1.1 billion in sales by 2010. At many of these places, preparing dinner is not only a way to check off a task, it’s also an event.

“Our twin beliefs are that dinner is a problem in people’s households, but so is socializing—we have culinary illiteracy and social disconnectedness,” Whitney says. “The girlfriends are there to help them out. It’s a real mission.”

So the “thirteenth station” at My Girlfriend’s Kitchen, where customers go after making twelve meals, is just the kind of thing a girlfriend would suggest: a massage, an astrology reading, a makeover.

Ask anyone in the meal-assembly business why the segment is such a success and you’re likely to hear the same response: “We get it.”

“We don’t just want to have a rockin’ business,” Whitney says, “but also to help people have a better family life—and have a better life.”

The make-take-and-bake industry was launched by busy moms with a simple premise: To simplify mealtime for an overtasked generation—a generation that’s hungry for healthy, tasty food, and dinnertime connections, many of whom have spent more time working on careers than culinary skills. “It eliminates the shopping, the chopping, and the cleanup of dinner, but they still get ownership of creating dinner for their families,” says Amy Vasquez, spokeswoman for Easy Meal Prep, the industry trade association.

Most of today’s meal-prep companies invite customers to schedule a visit and then come back for two hours to pre-package everything needed for six to 12 dinners for up to six people. Some companies offer smaller portions for singles, couples, small families, and seniors. Menus change monthly, and most companies offer 14 choices. Assembled meals are frozen at home and can be prepared—baked, sautéed, or grilled—in less than 30 minutes.

Prices vary by location, but in many places entrees can be had for as low as $2.50 a serving and up. A random sampling of meal-assembly outlet prices showed costs from $69 for six entrees for four to $240 and up for 12 meals for six, assembled and delivered. “Outlets tend to be busiest on weekends and Thursday evenings,” Vasquez says.

Chefs at most meal-assembly outlets create entrees with a variety of tastes, flavors, and cooking styles. Menu choices range from dishes like rosemary garlic roast beef or Pad Thai with shrimp to baked praline French toast or macaroni and beef. Many concepts stage special holiday assembly projects—Valentine’s dinner, Christmas parties, and Thanksgiving dinner. Women ages 25 to 54 with children are the most common customers of meal-assembly centers, but niche users include retirees who like to entertain and natural food fans.

“They can leave the kids and cares at home and spend time with friends, and they have something to show for their time,” Vasquez says. “You’re killing two birds with one stone. Parties are big—really big: birthday parties, baby showers, bachelorette parties. And it’s big for date night. It gets the couples together and the men involved.”

New parents Cari Noga and Mike Henderson, of Traverse City, Michigan, discovered a local meal-prep service in early 2006. Using the service saves the couple time and money at the grocery store, they say.

“It’s a lifesaver,” says Noga, who works in public relations at a community college. “We use it once a month. We were having the same six things over and over and over again. After we had our son, Owen, a year ago, making dinner slid off the radar screen. We never thought about it until we were hungry and at that point, it was just easier to go to Taco Bell, and that was getting old and expensive.”

Initially the $110 per month fee seemed expensive, but Noga and Henderson tried it out. “It was so worth it,” Noga says. “The variety is a big thing. We were in this endless cycle of spaghetti and taco salad. Last night we had chicken enchiladas.

“We are not really into the nutritional content of things, but we knew that going to Taco Bell and getting pizza three nights a week wasn’t good. We know this is an improvement over that because it includes vegetables and it’s fresh,” she continues. “The convenience is far and away the biggest improvement. We don’t have to think of a menu. We don’t have to grocery shop. We don’t have to chop it all up. You go for an hour, and it’s kind of fun in that setting.”

Stacy Saef of Glenview, Illinois, started using a local meal-assembly outlet after a girls-night event.

“I’m a foodie,” says the stay-at-home mom. “I like to cook, but with young kids, I don’t have time to do it. This put meals in the house. It worked for us.”