Farm to table restaurants, or farm to restaurant foods, are more than just a specific type of restaurant or a catchphrase. It’s an established movement that’s gaining momentum with people becoming more conscious of where their food comes from, how it’s grown, and what goes into it.

What does farm to table mean? Industrial agriculture with its mega-business model supplies most restaurants with cheaper, less environmentally careful products. On the other hand, foods that go from farm to table require more labor. Farm to table foods instead strive to source nutrient-rich, responsibly grown foods from local farms, regardless of price. If you value quality and responsibly grown food, farm to table restaurants are well worth the cost.

from farm to table

When you enter a restaurant and look at the menu, do you think about where each ingredient of each menu item was sourced? If you like the idea of fresh, locally grown food, then farm to table is a business model you’ll probably want to support.

The first time I went to a true farm to table restaurant, I was on vacation and didn’t even know I was in a farm to table establishment. All I desired was some relaxation, fun, and of course, good food. I ordered from a menu that impressed me with its unique offerings, especially the variety of less common vegetables.

I ordered a salad and a vegetarian main course. When that salad arrived, it was nothing short of stunningly beautiful and oh so generous. It could have been my whole meal! Before me rested a bounty of freshly picked baby greens and other raw veggies including, oh yes, sweet, tender pea shoots.

The first taste of that salad blew my mind. I’d never tasted anything so vibrant and wonderful. It was the absolute best salad I’d ever eaten in my life. I had to check myself to keep from going all Meg Ryan — in that famous scene from “When Harry Met Sally,” — over this amazing salad!

After I regained my composure, I asked the waiter what this restaurant did to create such incredible salads. His reply, “Oh, it goes from farm to table. We have our own garden just down the hill. Everything is picked fresh right before we serve it.” I loved my main entree too, but oh, that salad! From then on, I was a fan of fresh-picked, locally sourced foods.

After all, what is the farm to table meaning if not fresh, delicious food?

farm to table meaning

There’s no denying that farm-fresh fruits and vegetables look and taste better than produce items that have been in a truck for days or even weeks. But doesn’t all produce come from farms? Technically, yes, but how it’s grown, soil health, and location all play into this.

When opting for out-of-season produce, many products have to be shipped across the country or even around the world. As time ticks on, the flavors and nutrient qualities diminish. More sobering is the vast amount of transportation fuel used in these shipping processes.

Unsustainable agricultural practices, food loss, and food waste are huge contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. The compounded environmental impact of moving food all around the planet is still an unknown quantity.

With climate change a serious reality, we have to consider the ultimate cost of this convenience. When a business truly embraces the farm to restaurant movement, the food on their menu comes directly from local farms or farmer’s markets, not from hundreds of miles away. I like that!

what does farm to table mean

Ok, so shipping food is bad. Local is good. But what does farm to table mean when put into practice?

If you want to get technical, farm to table literally means “constituting, consisting of, or relating to fresh locally grown or produced food.” It means you’re skipping the store, market, or factory and shopping directly from a local source. Or that the restaurant you’re eating at shopped directly from that source.

What that looks like in your community can be exactly like the restaurant I went to: the produce is grown on the property of the restaurant so it is fully self-produced.

In fact, many farms have put a restaurant directly on the property so they can boast a farm to table model, furthering the profitability and sustainability of their farm.

However, the farm to table meaning can also look like:

supporting smaller and family owned farms

Supporting smaller, local farms, especially those that choose to grow in an organic and regenerative way, is a powerful way to help our earth. Fewer trucks, trains, and ships — filled with food shipments — reduce pollution and curb environmental harm.

When you visit a restaurant that gets food for its menu from its own on-site gardens, that’s got to be the ultimate, low-impact way to provide meals to the public. Another great option is food picked in the same local area and served up in tasty, nutritious dishes that very day or evening.

reducing reliance on big agriculture

This is important because the big business of industrial agriculture has taken over most of the food supply in our country. The majority of these corporations are purely profit-driven.

Concern for the environment is a low priority, and the pesticides and herbicides they use are questionable, if not downright hazardous. And don’t even get me started on soil depletion.

In the 1940s, more than 40% of produce came from people’s gardens. Stores sold produce from nearby farmers. Restaurants and cafes cooked up food using plants and animals from down the road. You can help support this movement by growing your own food or joining a local CSA. However, farm to table foods are the next best thing, so frequenting farm to table restaurants is also great.

I’d also highly recommend checking out the food sovereignty movement as a political strategy aimed at giving people the right to healthy food.

reasons to back the farm to restaurant movement

There are so many reasons to support farm to table restaurants. Some of my favorite reasons to eat from farm to table are:

• Supports local farms and economy
• Cuts down on greenhouse gases
• Provides fresher, more nutrient-rich food
• Models a more environmentally sustainable way to eat
• The food tastes better

faqs about farm to table restaurants

how much more expensive is farm to table compared to standard restaurant dining?

According to SupplyChain, a distribution and supply organization, you can expect to pay around “12%” more than you would from a standard restaurant serving similar dishes. In some locations, the cost could be even higher for a farm to table dining experience.

Labor costs and extra efforts involved in ensuring that food is local, fresh, and sustainably sourced contribute to pricier meals. Smaller farms tend to prioritize quality over quantity and have a hard time duplicating the lower produce and animal product costs generated by massive corporations.

This expense difference is reflected in higher prices on the farm to table menu. In order to remain profitable and stay in business, these restaurants simply have to charge more. In turn, they strive to serve better quality food and promote a kinder way of feeding people in a world that needs to heal environmentally.

so, is eating at farm to table restaurants worth the cost?

Perhaps we ought to ask, is eating at industrial agriculture supplied restaurants worth the high environmental price we’re all paying? When you consider what’s at stake for people and the planet, I’d say it’s worth it. A determined effort to support earth-conscious eating as often as your budget allows will make a difference.

are there really environmental benefits to eating local?

There sure are! A study by Iowa State University insists that there are ‘significant benefits‘ to the environment by eating locally. This study focused on how vegetables found at a traditional grocery store differ from vegetables grown in state, and then further, how they differ from vegetables grown at home.

The study found that vegetables grown in-state produced HALF the emissions that conventional food systems do. AND locally grown veggies only used 10% of the water compared to those same conventional food systems. Imagine the change we could make if more than 7.6% of food in the US was sold through local food channels!

how can you tell if a restaurant is farm to table?

In my experience, most farm to table restaurants are extremely proud of adopting a farm to table model. This means that this benefit makes it into their marketing plans, has a place on their website, says something on their menu, and/or is mentioned by their staff.

Because restaurants are truly proud of it, you can be confident that you are getting a fresher, ethically sourced meal for a difference you really can taste!

If you’re interested in more information about sustainable food practices, check out:

A Trip to the Farmer’s Market

Ten Easy Ways to Reduce Food Waste at Home

7 Tips for Eco-Friendly Grocery Shopping