Eating out, locally
Jul. 16th, 2006 10:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chelidonNeat: Local Flavor On the Table
Excerpt:
When Tod Murphy opened The Farmers Diner in Barre, Vt., in 1999, he was only out to prove that his uncommon business model of serving locally produced food in a diner-style setting could work.Now the popular diner, which buys most of its ingredients from farms within a 70-mile radius, has outgrown its Barre location and is moving to Quechee next month for a larger space and a broader market.
“We had started in Barre as a test to prove the concept. This is the next step in our plan,” said Murphy, 41, who lives and farms in Washington, Vt. Murphy is a former director of retail operations for Green Mountain Coffee and started a farm with sheep, chicken and beef cows in Washington before he conceived the idea for a “locally grown” diner.
Frustrated with the small demand for locally-raised meats, Murphy set out to open a classic diner-style eatery where 70 cents out of every dollar would be spent on local foods. He pitched his plan across the country, found 20 private investors, and opened a 50-seat diner in Barre. (The Quechee location will bump up capacity significantly, to 125 seats.)
“It's a concept that works at a high-end restaurant, but it hadn't been tested on family dining,” Murphy said, adding that he would like to see The Farmers Diner become a business model in other parts of the country.
[...]
Every $1,000,000 in annual sales at a diner translates into 350 acres of farmland in production, 15 farmers with gross sales of $50,000 and 13 new farm jobs. Local production and shortened delivery routes mean each $1 million in sales saves at least 10 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
Excerpt:
When Tod Murphy opened The Farmers Diner in Barre, Vt., in 1999, he was only out to prove that his uncommon business model of serving locally produced food in a diner-style setting could work.Now the popular diner, which buys most of its ingredients from farms within a 70-mile radius, has outgrown its Barre location and is moving to Quechee next month for a larger space and a broader market.
“We had started in Barre as a test to prove the concept. This is the next step in our plan,” said Murphy, 41, who lives and farms in Washington, Vt. Murphy is a former director of retail operations for Green Mountain Coffee and started a farm with sheep, chicken and beef cows in Washington before he conceived the idea for a “locally grown” diner.
Frustrated with the small demand for locally-raised meats, Murphy set out to open a classic diner-style eatery where 70 cents out of every dollar would be spent on local foods. He pitched his plan across the country, found 20 private investors, and opened a 50-seat diner in Barre. (The Quechee location will bump up capacity significantly, to 125 seats.)
“It's a concept that works at a high-end restaurant, but it hadn't been tested on family dining,” Murphy said, adding that he would like to see The Farmers Diner become a business model in other parts of the country.
[...]
Every $1,000,000 in annual sales at a diner translates into 350 acres of farmland in production, 15 farmers with gross sales of $50,000 and 13 new farm jobs. Local production and shortened delivery routes mean each $1 million in sales saves at least 10 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
