One of the shopping trends we’ve been seeing over the past few years is locavorism — maybe not a word that’s already in your vocabulary, but chances are good that you’ve heard of the concept. Locavores prefer to eat food produced in their local area. Often they try hard to eat foods harvested and produced within 100 miles of their home. The idea is to reduce the environmental impact of growing and shipping food. “Locavore” was the new Word of the Year in 2007, but it is just beginning to become mainstream.
Partly, this is because consumers are increasingly committed to green practices, but it’s also related to increasing interest in fresh, healthy food — and let’s face it, fresh local foods taste better than produce that has been picked before ripening and shipped across the continent in refrigerator trucks. Growing interest among consumers has reached the tipping point at which farmers are beginning to see the effects. Over the holidays, farmers had a hard time keeping their products in stock for consumers in their local area who wanted to enjoy local produce.
While the locavore movement started in farmers markets and natural foods stores, it’s on the rise in restaurants as well. The National Restaurant Association reports that 70% of consumers would prefer to eat at a restaurant that serves locally grown produce.
Small, local restaurants are leading the way among restaurants that focus on farm-to-table practices in their restaurants. There are only a handful of farm-to-table chains and most of them are centered in Southern California. The rest of the country has fewer options for farm-to-table quick service meals, but this is about to change. This is a great time to get in on a growing franchise with farm-to-table food.
Farmer Boys is one great option. Farmer Boys is looking for more franchisees in California and Nevada area to open farm-to-table franchisesserving burgers, sandwiches, salads, and breakfast items all made with ingredients from local farmers and bakers. Customers, employees, and suppliers benefit from Farmer Boys’ mission to provide the freshest possible ingredients and best service. With over 70 locations in California and Nevada, Farmer Boys franchisors are experienced at solving operational problems and helping franchisees become successful business owners.
Do other franchise business opportunities offer the possibility of cashing in on the locavore trend? In many cases, food sources are centralized and franchisees cannot choose their own food sources. However, an increasing number of casual dining chains are taking the opportunity to buy local produce whenever possible. When you’re deciding on a franchise business, it’s worth asking franchisors whether local sourcing is a possibility. The possibility could be a factor in your decision.
When you own a franchise operation in the community where you work and live, and employ local workers, your franchise is a local business. As a franchisee, you can strengthen your local presence in your community (and that of your business) by engaging in the community that surrounds your business. Moving toward the locavore trend is one way to do that.
