If you’re looking for a way to bring fresh produce and seasonal ingredients to your menu, chances are that you’ve looked into the farm to table concept. It’s an incredibly simple idea that requires an extreme amount of effort to pull off properly, but it’s almost always worth the time investment.
What is the Farm to Table Concept?
A farm to table concept restaurant uses almost entirely local produce, meat, and dairy to craft their menu; this usually means that they partner with a number of local farms and ranches and their chefs might even visit the farmer’s market each week.
While there are a lot of reasons to operate this way, the largest motivators are the ability to support local farmers and, of course, fresh food!
Benefits of the Farm to Table Concept
There are several reasons restaurants may opt for a farm to table concept.
Nutritional Benefits
First and foremost, fresh, local food is almost always going to be better for those who eat it. While genetically modified foods aren’t necessarily bad, it’s a pretty common perception that local food is better for you and, importantly, fresher and tastier. Whether it’s because of the love and care that small farmers put into their work, the quality of the soil and water, or the sense of community that it brings, it’s become a staple.
Environmental Benefits
It’s no secret that the national (or international) shipping that’s required to transport produce, food and supplies around isn’t great for the environment. Getting fewer ingredients and supplies from outside of your immediate area allows restaurants to cut down on their carbon footprint, potentially attracting customers with similar values.
Customer Attraction and Retention
Beyond the practical side of things, the farm to table concept allows restaurants to bring in customers that are interested in sustainable, local practices. Offering local (and tasty) food is a great way to encourage locals to return and visitors to swing through.
How to Source Local Ingredients
Finding Local Farms and Producers
First things first, if you plan to go farm to table, you’ll need to find the farms. Often this can be as easy as a Google search, but that doesn’t mean that it’s without its challenges. You’ll not only need to find farms and suppliers to buy from, but you’ll need to make a deal that’s sustainable for both of you.
This generally begins with a conversation about what you need and will end with a deal where you set a specific order for the season.
Building Relationships with Suppliers
Once you’ve found a local farm, you have to build a relationship with its owners and operators. While companies like Sysco will provide you with a rep, there are usually no reps at local farms. This allows you to meet the people who make what you use, and it allows them to rest easy knowing that their food is being put to a good use.
Seasonal Sourcing and Menu Planning
When operating a farm to table concept, planning and sourcing is crucial to success. Farms are, by nature, seasonal operations, and this means that you’ll need to be one too. So plan your menu accordingly and be prepared to make last-minute changes should a crop be lost or damaged.
Additionally, I highly recommend planning four menus (one for each season) after talking to your suppliers. After all, they know best what they have and how much they can provide.
Certifications and Quality Standards
As with all parts of serving food, it’s important to make sure that you’re doing it right. This means that you’ll need to look into local regulations for what’s okay and what’s not with a farm to table concept. More importantly, though, it means that you’ll need to ensure the people from whom you buy are operating to standard.
Integrating the Farm to Table Concept into Your Menu
This is where the fun begins and you get to build something special and fully unique from the ingredients you’re sourcing.
Creating Seasonal Menus
Seasonal menus are a different beast than your standard one; they require a keen awareness of when and how each type of produce grows. You’ll need to have quotes from farms on how much they can provide and do the math on how many plates that’ll get you before you’re entirely out.
This can get stressful, but once you’ve done it a few times, you’ll find that there’s almost always a way to create backup plans should something go wrong. You can substitute ingredients or build alternative menu items that still lean into your overall theme.
Highlighting Local Ingredients
The most important part of the farm to table concept is the food that you use. As such, it should be highlighted at every opportunity. Create a menu that uses its dishes to highlight foods that are unique to your farms and your community. If your area is known for growing herbs like mint, that’s a great opportunity for a fancy mojito; should you be known for potatoes, create a new take on dauphinoise or pommes Anna!
Developing Signature Farm-to-Table Dishes
This is where your creativity shines. When working locally, it’s crucial to build dishes that are instantly recognizable as an ode to your local foods. Now, this will vary based on where you live, but most regions have specialties, and it’s generally a great way to get a foot in the door with locals. While that’s not to say that you should recreate local favorites, putting a creative spin on a familiar classic is a time-honored way to earn loyal guests.
Educating Your Staff on Ingredients and Origins
While your chefs should certainly be well-versed on your ingredients and general goals, it’s pretty common for Front of House (FoH) to be less familiar. This is not something that you want, as they’re the face to educate your guests. In short, make sure everyone in your restaurant knows everything there is to know about the food — it’ll pay off.
Marketing Your Farm to Table Concept
Okay, you’ve built the menu, sourced food, and educated your staff — now it’s time to get the show on the road and begin marketing your farm to table concept.
Telling Your Farm to Table Story
Marketing a farm to table concept is actually quite simple when compared to other concepts. This is because it’s a trend that most people are quite familiar with (to some extent), and it generally lends itself quite well to telling a story through food. Whether you opt for a theme to your menu that can be used to tell a tale or you have an origin story that needs to be known, make sure it shows in your marketing.
Using Social Media to Promote Local Sourcing
When sourcing locally, it’s generally good practice to link out your sources. While this may seem obvious, it’s unfortunately quite common for restaurants to take all the glory and not highlight the farmers who made their work possible. Ensure you share the attention and, importantly, do your best to represent your new suppliers to potential other clients.
Collaborating with Local Farmers for Events and Promotions
This is a great way to gain local attention leading up to an event like a new seasonal menu. Attend farmer’s markets and local agricultural events and you’ll find that most people there are incredibly interested in food. You can use that interest to build a connection and, ultimately, bring in more business.
And if you’re not sure where to go with it, ask your farming partners! They’ll likely have some more experience with this aspect of the business and will know who to talk to, where to go, and when.
Engaging with Your Community
At the end of the day, restaurants are about food and community. After you’ve put in the work to nail down the food, it’s time to connect with your community. Attend and host restaurant events, host fundraisers and chef’s tables, and put some time and effort back into your community. They’re the reason you’re able to run a farm to table concept, so it’s crucial that you give back and support them to the best of your ability.
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