Ruth Lundquist, co-founder of Let’s Dish!, brings nearly 15 years of experience to the Minneapolis-based company she helped develop. Using her expertise in operations management and strategic business planning, Ruth partnered with long-time friend and fellow entrepreneur Darcy Olson in October 2003 to create one of the country’s first retail meal preparation stores.

Although Ruth and Darcy were initially responsible for everything from business planning to ingredient preparation, they now focus on leading the strategic vision and direction of the rapidly growing Let's Dish!, which has grown from five to 175 employees in less than four years. Today, Let’s Dish! is the segment-defining brand with high unit volume as compared to others in the retail food preparation category nationwide and stores currently open or under contract in 15 states.

In 2006, the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal recognized Ruth’s and Darcy’s success by naming them to its 2006 “Top 25 Women to Watch” list, which profiles female business leaders across Minnesota. Ruth has also been a featured speaker at the hospitality industry’s exclusive Elliot Leadership Conference; the 2006 Minnesota Business Leadership Luncheon; the 2006 Restaurant Finance Conference; and a variety of local academic, business, and entrepreneurial events. The Let’s Dish! brand has attracted national media attention from publications such as USA Today, Woman’s World, and Real Simple.

Founded through a vision of creating a business that adds value to people’s lives, Let’s Dish! has made nearly $50,000 in corporate donations to national and local charitable organizations to date. Ruth is also longtime member and past chairwoman of the City of Savage Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission and is committed to green space preservation causes.

Prior to developing Let's Dish!, Ruth served as the director of client services at St. Paul-based PROSAR, a health and safety call center for international and Fortune 500 companies and previously served in a variety of capacities at several national technology firms based in the Twin Cities.

A graduate of the University of Minnesota, Duluth, Ruth has a bachelor's degree in English and communication. She continues to take personal enrichment courses ranging from MBA coursework to surfing and yoga.

Ruth lives in the Minneapolis suburb of Savage with her husband and two daughters. She is an avid runner and has completed 10 marathons including the Twin Cities, Chicago, and Boston marathons.

See Other Bios:
Darcy Olson – Co-Founder