Tina Servis had dabbled in different ways to be her own boss, such as selling life insurance.

But it was while making meals for her family that the single mother of two had the idea that caused her to leave the comfort of a regular paycheck.

Servis had been a regular customer of the East Rochester franchise of Make & Take Gourmet, which provides raw ingredients and recipes for people to make bulk amounts of meals from chicken enchiladas to three-cheese manicotti on the premises, which they then take home.

Now she is owner of a franchise, having opened the Henrietta location of the Syracuse-based meal preparation chain on Nov. 1.

"I was amazed at the convenience this offered me," said Servis, 35, of Henrietta. "Then I started doing the industry research."

As of early this year, there were 1,100 meal-preparation businesses in the United States, up from 173 in early 2005, according to MealPreparationFranchises.com, an online guide for the meal preparation industry. An additional 40 to 50 such businesses open each month, according to the guide.

Make & Take opened its first store in May 2006 and will have 50 across the Northeast and California by year's end, said President Michele Bellso.

"A lot of the growth has been from people who've just loved the concept," Bellso said. "A lot of people were customers."

Prior to Make & Take Gourmet, Servis had worked six years at Spectracom Corp., a Henrietta-based maker of servers, software and computer-based "master clocks" that are used to ensure proper time recording and time record stamping.

But starting her own retail business meant learning a business universe different than the human resources work she had done.

Someone she knew in the business world acted as a mentor and advised her to set up the business support team she needed, from an accountant to a lawyer.

"You have to have that support," she said.

Then she had to set up a separate support system to help with her son and daughter.

"I have a great network of family and friends," she said.

Going with a franchise was easier that starting on her own because of brand recognition and the resources it could provide, Servis said. "You need that support, especially if you're not a restaurateur and have that background."

Then there was extensive research on where to locate the franchise, with Make & Take being interested in Henrietta. Servis called real estate agents about 20 available sites before landing at 1475 East Henrietta Road, across the street from the Rochester Sports Garden.

Becoming her own boss did not come cheaply. Make & Take Gourmet charges a $30,000 franchise fee, and furnishing, stocking and equipping a location can cost up to $292,000, according to the company.

Servis said locating where a restaurant, Desert Moon, previously had been probably saved $60,000 in remodeling costs.

"We decided to paint ourselves — big mistake," she said. "We painted for two weeks. Hire a professional; it's worth the money."
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs. ...