The Race from Farm to Table for Fast-Casual Restaurants is Forcing Some to Cut Corners

By now, farm-to-table has become so common place that restaurants everywhere feel the pressure to provide exhausting pedigrees for every morsel they serve.

According to a recent survey by the National Restaurant Association, 57 percent of consumers said the availability of local food is an important factor in deciding where to dine out. Another 68 percent said they’re more likely to visit a restaurant that offers locally produced items. The fast-casual sector is no exception to this local-sourcing revolution—but staying on trend comes at a cost.

Despite as simple as farm-to-table may seem, going local is making life difficult for a lot of restaurant entrepreneurs. True locally-sourced food comes at a premium—a bag of onions or celery can cost four times more at the farmer’s market than a bag bought from a large distributor. The problem is, it’s commonplace now for consumers to demand more convenient and affordable access to these local foods. So what’s a restaurant operator to do? For many, they’re feeling the pressure to cut corners, spinning their brand stories so it only appears that they’re farm-to-table.

A recent Tampa Bay Times investigation found one restaurant that advertised “Florida Blue Crab” that actually came from the Indian Ocean. Another eatery claimed to get pork from a farmer that didn’t actually sell to it. A third restaurant that prided itself on avoiding GMO ingredients in its salads was found to be using them.

“In a market where the lowest-cost provider wins, there’s going to be a lot of pressure on buyers and sellers, and chefs are included in that mix to try to find ways to compromise,” said Brendan Walsh, a dean at the Culinary Institute of America.

But other fast-casual chains are embracing honesty—even if it comes at a cost. Noah Ellis, the co-founder of Picnic LA, a 40-seat fast-casual restaurant located in Culver City, California, preaches integrity in fast-casual food. Since the restaurant opened in November 2015, it’s been an education for both the consumers and the owner. They found that while Millennials love the food, they're put off by the prices. So Ellis has been working on developing a marketing strategy that very simply explains precisely why they have to pay somewhat more for such pristine food.

“The really frustrating thing is having to compete on price with other restaurants who don’t do the things we do,” Ellis said to QSR Magazine. “Our lives would be much easier if we just followed the market instead of trying to lead it. But it’s important to stay true to who you are and your mission and to not give in.”

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