Could Focusing on Farm-to-Table be the Secret to Restaurant Success?
In the current world of grab-and-go, growing your own food seems like a lot more trouble than it’s even worth. Why, then, have so many restaurants returned to this tradition? For instance, NYC’s double Michelin Star holder, Blue Hill, sources fresh ingredients from its farm upstate. Other award-winning restaurateurs who don’t happen to own farms are known to partner with local farmers for ingredients.
This approach to eating is known affectionately as farm-to-table or farm-to-fork. It emphasizes knowing where your food comes from instead of automatically accepting ingredients from unknown, often questionable sources.
Despite the challenges involved in running a restaurant, many farm-to-table establishments are thriving. How do they make it work, and how can you follow their lead?
How Farm-to-Table Dining is a Win-Win-Win
Running a farm-to-table restaurant has countless benefits for business owners, diners and the local economy. The most notable advantage will be in your menu. Farm-fresh food tends to taste better, and customers will notice the difference. Building a seasonal menu around local availability also gives diners more variety and a reason to keep coming back.
Working directly with farmers can have financial benefits—for instance, they may sell surplus produce to your restaurant at a reduced price or offer you credit during the quieter months. As a farm-to-table restaurant, your business becomes the farmer’s concern and vice versa. Collaborating with local growers will also boost the economy and enrich rural communities.
Practical Ways to Implement Farm-to-Table in Your Restaurant
Implementing farm-to-table practices in your restaurant doesn’t come without its challenges. Seasonality, higher prices, and inconsistency are enemies of commercial dining. Don’t let this deter you. There are plenty of practical ways to bring farm-to-table dining into your space.
1. Start With the Specials
Nobody says you have to overhaul your whole menu. At the start of your farm-to-table journey, it may help to test the waters by creating just a few special dishes made entirely from local and organic ingredients. Salads and soups are easiest here since they’re made from relatively simple ingredients. Once you’ve gauged people’s reactions, you can make some more permanent changes.
2. The One-Ingredient Partnership
Farmers’ markets and rural community events are good places to find farm suppliers. Show some support, become a regular, and eventually, propose a partnership. Remember to start small here—farm-to-table dining is about building sincere, authentic relationships. An outstanding supplier for one type of produce is better than a lackluster partner that grows a bit of everything.
3. Test a Seasonal Mini Menu
Seasonality is everything for farm-to-table restaurants. At first, you may need to invest much more time in menu planning and research. Understanding what is available for a season, the state of local agriculture, and weather events will help you make informed decisions to meet diner’s demands throughout the year. If you have to scale back your menu, do it.
We Stand Behind Natural Ingredients and Ethical Sourcing
Advanced Biotech has always been a proponent of the farm-to-table movement. Our natural flavorings and aromatics are sourced from plants and processed in ethical facilities that prioritize people’s health and well-being. We are always developing new and novel products to meet the changing sustainability demands of the modern food industry.
Incorporating our flavorings into your products could help you bring the taste of nature into store-bought foods. We also offer a range of certified organic flavorings sourced from USDA-approved farms. For more information about our pure and wholesome ingredients, please contact us.