Crockstar Dinner Club

Local business supports other struggling small businesses in times of need

BY: Rae Lynn Payton

Crockstar Dinner Club has always focused on supporting families, but now it has increased its outreach by supporting other small businesses too. Owner Brittany Cramer created Crockstar Dinner Club five years ago with busy families in mind.

“I wanted to help families by giving people an easy way to make dinner,” Cramer shared.

Now she saw a new need arise amidst the ongoing pandemic. Many small businesses have suffered so she has extended her business’ outreach to help.

“It’s all about giving back to the community and to those that are in need,” she explained.

Il Dolce Gelato, a small business that relies on a nearby theater’s traffic to promote their own, has heavily felt the effects of the theater’s shutdown. Crockstar Dinner Club decided to give 30 percent of all sales for a designated time to Il Dolce Gelato and they also matched the percentage of sales up to $1000.

“Crockstar runs very much now on giving back to the community,” Cramer said, as community fundraisers are an essential piece of her business model.

In contrast, Crockstar Dinner Club has fortunately seen growth overall despite 29 marketplaces that sell their products closing during the pandemic, as well as many of the fundraisers that they rely on. However, their store’s sales increased significantly with curbside service and delivery.

Many turning to eating more at home, the need for their oneof-a-kind Crockpot meals soared.

“Since we were blessed, I wanted to do what we could to help those in need. I feel for those businesses. You love your business, and I can’t imagine it being taken away because of something out of your control,” Cramer shared.

Her goal is to help people and their motto “bringing families back to the dinner table with effortless cooking” sums up their desire to bring people together.

“I like to believe it truly brings people back to the table and that I’m helping moms and dads out that don’t have the time, or that don’t know how to cook, or that need to save money,” she shared.

Cramer is a mom of four and she said she wanted to start a side business to bring in a little extra income to her family budget. Her husband came up with the name one night while brainstorming and one thing led to another and the Crockstar Dinner Club dream was born.

It all started several years ago when she pulled out a Crockpot. She and her husband had received one as a wedding gift years prior. After trying a few recipes, she decided it was the one and only way to cook food in their busy home.

“I wondered if some people just didn’t know about the gift of the Crockpot. I wanted to let others see how easy it was to cook without having to stress about it,” she said.

Her pre-prepped meals just require a protein to be added before placing all ingredients into a slow cooker for ease and efficiency.

In addition to helping businesses, the company also supports their loyal customers.

“Our amazing customers continuing to buy have allowed us to be able to give back so much more than I ever imagined with Crockstar just this year,” she said.

They have held giveaways with random drawings for thousands of dollars in prizes, including a car. Each winner of their big items has shared heartfelt stories that make the giveaways all the more meaningful to Cramer and her family.

“We get stories regularly about Crockstar and about how it’s helped people and changed their lives. These stories bring me to tears every time,” she said.

You can find Crockstar Dinner Club at 12301 S. Western Ave, Ste A6 in Oklahoma City and a second location recently opened in the Yukon/Mustang area. You can also visit their website to view a menu and ordering options at crockstardinnerclub.com. -19SM