When dining out today, it is becoming more common to see menus that feature locally-sourced produce, meat, seafood and beverages. The dining scene in Atlanta is sprouting with farm-to-table concepts that often change menus to reflect products that are currently in season, and I’m certain this is the case across the country. I recently ate at Top Chef Finalist Kevin Gillespie’s Woodfire Grill, where his menu specifically acknowledges 18 different local farmers, ranchers and artisans that make his concept possible.
In the recent 2010 Chef Study conducted by the National Restaurant Association, more than 1,800 chefs gave their predictions on around 200 restaurant trends that will grow in 2010. Four out of the top five responses centered on local sourcing of ingredients and sustainable practices, and rightfully so. Research shows that people are becoming more interested and conscious of where their food is coming from, and for chefs, it is less expensive to purchase ingredients that don’t have to travel far to get to them. Local farms are also willing to sell their goods for a low price in order to receive business.
The upswing in local sourcing is also beginning to affect the quick service industry, where some concepts purchase local goods that can be found in large quantities, such as eggs, dairy and bread. Many diners enjoy items that are available for a limited time because of seasonal ingredients, such as milkshakes made with fresh fruit. Some quick service restaurants locally source as much as 70 percent of their ingredients. It is clear that the trend towards sustainability is only going to become more and more popular, especially in the restaurant industry where food costs can be lowered, and customers’ satisfaction levels can increase with the use of local ingredients.
I personally do not have a problem with my favorite independent restaurants changing their menu occasionally in order to serve dishes containing the freshest ingredients, but I wonder how the quick service industry will handle potential changes in staple food items from one location to another when ingredients may be coming from different places.
How do you feel? Is local sourcing something that is important to you when deciding where or what to eat?
I live in San Francisco and this is absolutely the norm here and all throughout California. Seasonal menus that work with locally produced ingredients from sustainable resources says many different things about your organization. First it says that you care about your food and what you are serving to your customers, second it says that you care about the environment around you socially, economically, ecologically, etc