Beyond Farm-to-Table: How to Make Your Menu Hyperlocal

Beyond Farm-to-Table: How to Make Your Menu Hyperlocal
Here's what you need to know about this top restaurant trend.
by Meredith Galante Jul 19, 2019 — 2 min read
Beyond Farm-to-Table: How to Make Your Menu Hyperlocal

An interesting menu draws in new and return customers — but now diners want their menus personalized and localized.

The hyperlocal menu is the newest booming trend in the restaurant industry, according to the  National Restaurant Association.

A hyperlocal menu features everything from produce from the restaurant garden to beer brewed onsite. This means the restaurant grows things offered on its menu onsite, either in a garden or on the roof. This doesn’t mean all ingredients are grown onsite, but most are.

Restaurant goers are looking for restaurants with ties to the local community, and adding a hyperlocal menu can help you drive sales.

To give customers what they want, restaurants are creating — and chefs are tending — their own gardens to supply ingredients for their menus, adding local flavor and flare.

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Hyperlocal gains popularity

Restaurant goers are seeking fresher and more sustainable foods, and they admire sustainable restaurants. Diners want to know where their food comes from and what exactly they’re eating. These values have fueled the growth of hyperlocal menus.

While buying local can support sustainability and environmentalism, it’s not all that simple. In order to be legally considered local food, the food must be sourced from within 400 miles. Customers also care about the fish or animal’s living conditions and what it was fed, since this affects the flavor, taste, and health benefits.

Local liquor

Another growing trend in restaurants is offering spirits or beer made onsite or brewed locally. There are now thousands of small vineyards and micro-breweries throughout the country that offer unique flavors, often using local ingredients. This sets them apart from larger distributors and will set your menu apart if you feature them. These beverages offer a good marketing tool for restaurant menus.

Some restaurants are even taking it one step further and offering beer brewed onsite.

How you can capitalize on the trend

Most chefs have supported the hyperlocal trend for years. If you want your restaurant to become more localized, there are a few steps you can take.

If your restaurant has room for a garden or space on the roof, you can start trying to grow tomatoes and other vegetables to add to your menu.

If your restaurant doesn’t have a garden, there are plenty of ways to buy local:

Meredith Galante
Meredith Galante is a freelancer writer based in New York City. She's been writing for Square since 2017 where she's covered everything from the best software for restaurants to use to maximize profit, minimum wage laws across the country, and tips for entrepreneurs to maximize their impact.

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