Lorton-Based Diet-to-Go Offers Healthy Meals Nationwide

Hate to cook? Do you choose fast food in a pinch? You may be interested in Diet-to-Go, a national company based in Lorton that has an answer to this age-old question: "Can diet food be tasty?" Well, take it from us at Patch, it can and is. 

The Warehouse on Terminal Road

CEO Hilton Davis founded Diet-to-Go along Terminal Road in Lorton 21 years ago. The company, which made $15 million last year (profits doubled in the last three years), has 120 full and part-time employees, 12 trucks and another location in San Francisco for distribution along the West Coast.

The Diet-to-Go warehouse houses five jumbo refrigerators, a kitchen, a food packaging area and office space. 

"We help a lot of people. We have so many success stories, like this one guy in New Jersey who went from 440 pounds to 210," Davis said in an interview with Patch last week. "I've been into healthy eating since the '80s, but I'm not a dietician. I'm a businessman. Fresh food is always going to be in demand, and we hired dietitians and marketing people, and being a general manager and CEO, you make sure all the parts work well."

So far, there are local distribution points in D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia and San Francisco. The goal is to soon put New York on the list. The whiteboard in Davis' office is scribbled with this message: "Local market is our battlefield and we must own it!"

Davis, who lives in Springfield with his wife and business partner Mary Beth Riordan, was born and raised in the City of Alexandria. He graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in business and at 26 years-old, bought his first company—a lawncare franchise. Two daughters joined the Davis family, and from 1981-1983, all went on a two-year vacation, sailing the Caribbean on a 50-foot catch called "The Mayflower."

The family then returned to Northern Virginia and Davis got into the produce business. Davis Distribution, Inc. sold produce and seafood until the company merged with Metropolitan Poultry and Seafood.  

Mary Beth shares an office with her husband. "The best thing about working here is all the free food," she said. "Our staff never go hungry. The company feeds you and you can get whatever you want."

Diet-to-Go opened in 1991. "We're now feeding about 2,500 people a week," Davis said. "About 70 percent of our clients are female, more singles than not, and generally without children. We do the best in areas where people are busy. People who live in a city eat about two-thirds of their meals out. We don't want to replace all your meals, but we want to be there on the days when you're on a routine."

The average cost is about $18.43 for three meals per day and $135.99 for 21 meals per week. "The shelf-life of our food is about a week," Davis said. 

How It Works

Customers fill out their orders on the Diet-to-Go website, and have a choice between low-fat, vegetarian and low-carb meal plans. Want delivery or pick-up? Customers create a customized (good for those with food allergies) plan with 1,200 and 1,600 calories-per-meal. 

So, how does this sound for Wednesday? For breakfast: Waffles with peaches and apples in syrup for breakfast; lunch is a Reuben sandwich, Russian dressing, a mushroom and artichoke salad and a citrus cup; and dinner? Herb-baked Atlantic Salmon with vegetables and rice. 

The Taste

The Mexican Pizza with rice, beans and a can of V8, has 18 grams of fat, 610 calories and 2,050 milligrams of salt. The pizza is thin crust and crunchy when heated in the oven. 

"I liked the combo of the beans and the cheese, and the taste was very good, but I think it would have been better with a little less salt," said a Patch taste-tester. "The rice looked like it had lentils in it and it was really good."    

Davis doesn't have a favorite meal. "I like them all," he said. "Our food is good. It's very satisfying and delicious and we work hard to get flavor without heavy calories or fattening ingredients."

Find Diet-to-Go on Facebook and Twitter.