BY MEGAN MANN
FOR THE OPELIKA OBSERVER
Proper Prep Services in Auburn and Opelika has taken off. The company is only two years old but is growing at a rapid pace.
The owner of Proper Prep Services is an Opelika native, Brian Likins. He owns and operates the business with his wife, Melody.
Their business offers multiple meal plans to fit the needs of their customers with the goal of helping people create a healthier lifestyle.
The Linkins’ nutritious meals, including one of their most popular dishes — lemon pepper chicken — can be sold by the serving, family style or by the pound. The menu changes weekly and prices for the meals differ based off what is being cooked.
Growing up, Likins said he loved sports and always considered himself to be healthy and athletic. In his recent adult years, however, Likins said he realized he needed to make a lifestyle change for the sake of his health.
“About three years ago I went through a pretty dark time and got up to about 240 pounds,” Likins said. “It was the biggest I had ever been, and I was miserable. That’s when everything changed, and my good friend suggested we started taking care of our bodies nutritionally and not just physically.”
Through eating right and exercising, Likins managed to lose over 60 pounds in nine months. He shared his transformation to Facebook and people wanted to know what the secret was to his newfound healthy lifestyle and physique.
“I posted my transformation online and everyone immediately started asking me what I had been doing,” Likins said. “It [food prepping] took off from there. I never asked for anyone, God just kept sending people to us. Still to this day, we have never put out ads or promoted anything, people just kept calling.”
This is how Proper Prep Services was created.
The family business started in Likins’ kitchen with the help of his wife and daughter and a goal of 15 customers in a week.
“In three days, we filled our 15-slot roster that we wanted and within a week, our waiting list was bigger than the people we were cooking for,” Likins said. “Our first week in the kitchen we did 70 meals. The next week we went up to 130 meals. The third week was just under 300.”
In less than a month, Likins acquired his food safety permit and business license, and passed all safety and food tests.
“Something that was supposed to take five or six months to be where we’re at now — God put us there in weeks,” he said.
Since then, Likins’ operation has continued to grow, and he has big hopes for the company’s future.
“We definitely want to expand and see great things in the future,” Likins said. “Me and my wife are both deacons at our church and have a calling for ministry and giving back.
“We’ve already been able to cook meals for the hospital, we thought that would be a goal we couldn’t accomplish until down the road. We also did 15 meals for Hosanna Homes, which is for people struggling with addiction.”
Likins expressed that being able to give back to the community of Opelika (and Auburn) brings things “full circle” because it is the town he grew up in.
Aside from its coveted lemon pepper chicken, Proper Prep Services offers a variety of other homemade dishes, including: chicken teriyaki bowls, stir-fry and barbecue pork bites, among others.
To keep up to date with what Likin will be cooking each week, check the website properprepservices.com. For more information you can reach them via email at Properprepservices@gmail.com , on Facebook at Proper Prep Services or by phone number 334-748-8781.