Family Owned Restaurants: The Original Farm To Table Locations
A big deal is being made in the food industry about "farm to table" dining. There are a few different reasons why people think this is an important movement in the business, and it is a bandwagon that many restaurants, from small fine dining establishments to national fast food chains, are trying to jump on. One style of dining has always been doing it, long before it became popular, and those restaurants are family owned fine dining establishments.
One of the benefits of farm to table dining is that it promotes fresh ingredients. Instead of buying their produce from factory farms thousands of miles away, where the food must be altered and preserved to make the journey, restaurants are looking for nearby locations where the produce only travels a few hours and not a few days. Family owned restaurants have always done this because, as a single entity, they do not have the ability to work on the same scale as a national chain. It has always been easier and more cost effective to shop at produce markets and private farmers to get what they need.
Of course, buying local means that the money spent stays local and helps the economy. Many of the new restaurants that have embraced what is called "locavore" dining have created cottage industries around them. People are now raising organic chickens on pork, or creating artisanal cheeses, to supply these restaurants. In other words, one small business in turn creates several more. Not only do family restaurants help support local businesses by using them as their suppliers, they also have relied on local banks for financing, local accountants for their payroll services and local contractors for their expansions and repairs. Moreover, they are not sending part of their profits back to a remote location as franchise fees, but instead, are able to keep investing that money locally.
Finally, by focusing on local suppliers and producers, these modern farm to table restaurants pride themselves on seasonal menus, as if this is something new they invented. Fine dining restaurants that are chef driven have been doing this for years, and it is one of the main reasons they have been successful. It allows them to build customer loyalty by giving their guests a reason to come back on a regular basis. Knowing that the menu changes semi-frequently, they will want to return to see what the chef has created.
If a company has to advertise that now they are getting some of their ingredients locally, it might make a person wonder where they are getting the rest of their supplies. Better to eliminate any question about it and visit the original farm to table restaurant: the family owned location that has always been a part of the town.
About the Author
Jack Terry is a freelance writer who has been writing about the food and beverage industry for over 20 years. http://www.osorioslatinfusion.com
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