Can Local Farmers Impact a Restaurant's Popularity?

Restaurant owners face several challenges to growing and maintaining a successful establishment. They incur standard business liabilities, along with additional risks such as food-borne illnesses. Your clients need a restaurant insurance program that can protect them from the general and unique risks of running a restaurant business. When they have the coverage they need, they can focus on business strategies that increase the number of diners visiting or ordering from their establishment. You may want to recommend that they include goods produced by local farmers on their menu.

Diners Increasingly Prefer Locally Sourced Food

The buy local concept has spread to the restaurant industry. Farm-to-table is now a selling point for food establishments of all sorts. It's a good move, as 76% of diners say that they would choose a restaurant that serves locally sourced food over one that doesn't. If your clients have never considered serving products made with ingredients from local farmers, now is a good time for them to think about doing so.

Though customers overwhelmingly state that they prefer restaurants that serve locally sourced food, this restaurant niche is not saturated. While you can find farm-to-table establishments in many areas, there is still plenty of room for more businesses to cater to a majority of diners' wishes. Getting started takes a bit of planning and networking, so it takes some time to develop the right connections.

Connecting With Local Farmers

One of the biggest challenges can be finding out where to get local goods. The process for getting local farm foods is not the same as ordering from corporate vendors. Restaurant owners need to connect personally and establish a relationship with one or more local farmers. There are a few promising approaches they can take to begin making connections:

• Search for local farmers online: It's generally fairly easy to find a list of local farmers by perusing the internet. Some of these farms have websites and a social media presence. Get a feel for what these farms offer and, if they look promising, make contact. Schedule a tour of the farm, if possible.
• Visit the local farmer's market: Farmer's markets are extremely popular, and they're located in small towns and large cities. Restaurant owners can visit these markets and get to know the local farmers. From there, they can determine which farms would be open to developing a partnership.
• Ask other farm-to-table restaurants: If other restaurants serve local food, the restaurant owner can approach them to ask about who they get their goods from. They are very likely to readily share the information, as they have a vested interest in helping their farmer succeed.

Finding a Restaurant Insurance Program

As restaurant owners switch to serving locally sourced food, they need insurance coverage for restaurants that can meet their unique needs. Though restaurants that use local farmers are less likely to experience service disruptions than traditionally sourced food, they still face liability concerns common to all restaurants.

About RMS Hospitality Group

At RMS Hospitality Group, our expertly crafted policies are written specifically for the hospitality industry. We offer custom-tailored solutions to meet any venue's specific needs. For more information, contact our knowledgeable experts today at (888) 359-8390.